China has 'kill network' in orbit

Speaking at the 16th McAleese Defense Program Conference in Arlington, Virginia on March 18, US Deputy Chief of Staff for Space Michael Guetlein warned that Washington needs to reconsider how to protect the country's satellites.

The US Space Force should shift its focus from managing spacecraft to support ground-based defense infrastructure to enhancing weapons in orbit – which is being developed by US adversaries, General Michael Guetlein argued.

For decades, spacefaring nations have largely avoided interfering with each other’s satellites and spacecraft. But that era appears to be coming to an end, according to Space.com . Guetlein said the old norms in space are starting to erode.

The shift comes as both China and Russia have been ramping up their orbital warfare capabilities in recent years. In November 2021, a Russian anti-satellite (ASAT) test created a cloud of nearly 1,800 pieces of debris in low-Earth orbit (LEO), posing a direct threat to space stations and many satellites in the sky.

In 2022, a Chinese satellite was spotted using a robotic arm to pull a satellite the size of a double-decker bus from its location and put it into a "super graveyard drift orbit."

China is also developing its own indigenous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies. “China’s ISR capabilities are becoming very capable. They have moved from what we used to call a ‘Kill Chain’ to a ‘Kill Network,’” Guetlein said, describing an integrated network that intertwines intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites with weapons systems.

General Guetlein also noted the growing trend of “jamming, spoofing and blinding,” highlighting these tactics as a rapid addition to the new operating environment in space.

The US official added that as new technologies and capabilities for orbital warfare emerge, it is important for the US to maintain its edge. However, the US’s once-huge technological advantage in space is shrinking.

To counter the adversary's advance, the US Space Force has begun to harden its infrastructure and add backup options. The US is also developing integrated defense systems, including an initiative called the Golden Dome. "The magic of the Golden Dome will be the integration of capabilities that have never been networked or integrated before. Many of the pieces of the Golden Dome already exist. They just aren't connected right now," Guetlein said.