THE UNITED States Space Force will become a “combat credible arm of the military” to battle increasing threats from enemies like Russia, China and Iran.
The specialist organisation dedicated to orbital warfare has spent five years in the “establishment phase” since being signed off by ex-pres Donald Trump in 2019.
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But bosses visiting the UK this week warn they now need to be more ready for attacks off Earth than ever before as space is being rapidly weaponised.
Lt Gen David N. Miller said today at the US Embassy in London: “We are moving from establishment into developing the service into a combat credible military service.
“Increasingly the character of warfare that includes space as an operational domain for warfighting is becoming more and more apparent to everyone.
“In order to compete in today’s environment, deter conflict and prevail conflict, we’re going to have to take similar approaches to developing, generating and fielding capability.”
Chief Master Sergeant Caleb M. Lloyd said: “The domain has changed.
“We recognise and talk about space as a warfighting domain.
“The particular focus for us is the development of our people.”
The U.S accused Russia of launching a counter space weapon capable of attacking satellites into low Earth orbit in May.
It claims Moscow has done this twice before and was especially concerned by tests of Russia’s anti-satellite missile and China’s Fractional Orbital Bombardment System in 2021.
Lt Gen Miller added: “The risk is higher. You have to be ready for it.
“We’ve got to provide a full spectrum deterrent and that means that they’ve got to know that we will have a response to any threat vector that they provide to us.”
Technological attacks deployed in Putin’s bloody invasion of Ukraine since February 2022 has also proved “space will be a part of any battlespace in the future”.
Lt Gen Miller said: “The character of warfare in the 21st Century will have space as an operational domain from which capabilities will be derived for the benefit of the military forces involved.
“Adversaries will also seek to deny that benefit and will develop systems to disrupt or defeat the advantage you gain from space. It validates why we have a space force in my opinion.”
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The first new U.S military branch since World War I hopes the Government’s Strategic Defence Review will offer an “opportunity to strengthen our partnership” with the UK.
It comes as a new Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) base at Cawdor Barracks in Wales is set to be built over the next few years.
Space Force visited U.S personnel at RAF Feltwell in Norfolk and met Major General Paul Tedman, commander of UK Space Command, at RAF High Wycombe in Bucks.
Their week-long European tour also saw them hear requests on how they could help from NATO partners in Germany on Sunday.
Inside new space race where China & US are battling to take over the skies
By Jessica Baker
Astrophysicist and space scientist Prof Martin Barstow said China, the US, and other global powers are desperate to lay claim to the Moon’s resources – including water on its “dark side”, which could be used to fuel rockets and to help colonise the Moon.
He told The Sun: “The Chinese are very interested in exploration of the Moon. A lot of it’s scientific, not necessarily commercial.
“Because of global power politics, the US look across at China and think, ‘Well, we can’t actually just leave them to it.’
“There are other interests, though. The US is interested in going to the Moon for long-term interests in exploring Mars, developing technologies that will help that, but doing it in an environment which is much closer to us.”
Where the Moon is three days away from Earth by rocket, Mars is about eight months away, he explained.
Executive Director of The Henry Jackson Society Dr Alan Mendoza explained that the world’s biggest powers were engaged in “a typical resource race” – the “Wild West” of space.
Nations are eager to get to the “dark side” of the Moon first to claim ownership of its resources – including water – which may help them with developments both in space and back on Earth.
Dr Mendoza told The Sun: “We’re dealing with a totally uncharted chapter here. We’ve got no real international law on the subject.
“We’ve got no concept about how things would be divided up, or how you might be able to exploit the Moon.
“Could it lead, frankly, to conflict on the Moon, with raiding bands going out there trying to seize other people’s territory? Quite possibly. It’s essentially the Wild West of space now.
“And until something gets codified, we are in a danger of having a massive resource race which could get very nasty if X or Y makes claim to the same parts of the Moon.”
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