China has built and practised with weapons to attack US and ally satellites in space and would certainly use those weapons if war started, the head of US space combat command has warned.
Lieutenant General Gregory Gagnon said the US military was the most effective space force in the world.
But the rapid acceleration of the Chinese space program was concerning.
“When we talk about space as a warfighting domain, I try to remind people that space is a warfighting domain, not because we want it to be, but because the PLA has made it so,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“They have built the weapons to attack us in space. They have practised using those weapons to attack us in space.”
As well China possesses ground launched missiles which they have demonstrated can destroy satellites in outer space, plus high-powered lasers.
“They plan, if war started, to use those weapons. We no longer have the benefit of ignoring that if we seek to be successful, successful not just in combat but successful in defending the peace of today through deterrence,” he said.
Lieutenant General Gagnon, the commander of US Space Force Combat Forces Command, was in Australia for talks with Australian officials including Major General Greg Novak, Commander of Australia's Defence Space Command.
He said Russia, a much-diminished space power since the heyday of the Soviet Union, had also demonstrated offensive space capabilities.
“The Russians have demonstrated their prototypes in outer space. The earliest was 2019 but they have done it almost every two years since,” he said.
“When they launch into outer space, they like to move right up close to a US satellite.
“We are reading the tea leaves correctly. What you should be sensing is that warfare will extend to space, if it’s warfare against the Chinese or Russians, because they have built military forces to do this. They didn’t do that just because they had nothing else to do.”
General Gagnon said such a space conflict would be fought from low earth orbit (LEO) right out to geostationary orbit (GEO), where the highest value communications and surveillance satellites reside.
That raises questions about the consequences of such a conflict. One is the so-called Kessler Syndrome where destruction of satellites creates cascading effect with debris destroying even more satellites.
“The math on that we have run that a lot. It’s hard to know the answer to that,” he said.
“One of the reasons the US came out with that no debris creating tests in outer space announcement from the previous administration was a concern about that.
“It is a real math problem without a definitive answer.”
Australia is a major user of both civil and military space services but possesses limited but growing space capabilities.
What Australia does possess is real estate and southern hemisphere location and substantial capabilities for space domain awareness (SDA), that is, tracking and identifying overflying satellites.
Lt Gen Gagnon said that SDA was Australia’s most useful current contribution.
“I would say yes. You are also doing missile warning for Australia through partner operations with the US government,” he said.
“Australia is in a wonderful location for looking up. Here in Australia there is a high-powered telescope that is used to sense what is in space. It’s not used to look at stars. It’s used to look at satellites.”
“There is also C-band radar and a number of other capabilities that we use to look above you because you are in prime real estate for looking at geospatial and low earth orbit in this part of the world,” Lt Gen Gagnon indicated.
“Part of the great strength of the US space force is our partnership with Great Britain and Australia because between the three of us, it gives us a geographic advantage that our adversaries do not enjoy.
“It gives us almost continuous coverage of outer space. That is important in defending space keeping your assets connected and defended.”