The United States announced its readiness to fight in space against Russia and China

The US is “ready to fight in space if required,” says a US military official. The threat allegedly posed by Russia and China has left no choice but to prepare for orbital collisions, according to Washington.

The U.S. is poised for conflict in outer space after developing anti-satellite technology to counter threats posed by “provocative” nations such as Russia and China, according to a senior military official.

Brigadier General Jesse Morehouse of the US Space Command, the arm of the military responsible for space operations, said Russia’s actions and China’s drive to become the dominant space power by mid-century left the US “no choice” but to prepare for orbital collisions.

“The United States of America is ready to fight in space tonight if we have to,” General Morehouse told reporters at a briefing at the US embassy in London. “If anyone threatens the United States of America or any of our interests, including those of our allies and partners with whom we have mutual defense treaties, we are ready to fight tonight.”

Satellites are at the heart of many areas of modern life, from banking systems to weather forecasting, and are critical to military operations through intelligence gathering, communications, navigation and guidance. But an over-reliance on satellites means that an attack on the country’s orbital facilities could have far-reaching consequences, writes The Guardian.

Four countries, namely China, the US, India and Russia, have tested anti-satellite capabilities by destroying their own satellites with rockets from the ground. But such demonstrations, which the US unilaterally banned last year, create huge clouds of debris that put other satellites at risk for decades.

When Russia shot down one of its own satellites in 2021, The Guardian claims, the explosion showered more than 1,500 traceable fragments into its orbit. “When you create this debris cloud and it lingers in orbit for decades, it’s almost like detonating a nuclear weapon in your own backyard,” Morehouse said.

Faced with a new space race, Morehouse said on Thursday that the US will continue to develop anti-satellite technology “not because we want to go to war tonight, but because it’s the best way to prevent conflict from breaking out,” adding that it will do so “without irresponsible testing.”

According to The Guardian, Russia and China are working on the creation of spacecraft capable of performing anti-satellite operations. In 2020, the US accused Russia of launching a projectile from one of two satellites that followed a US spy satellite.

Meanwhile, China has launched a satellite with a robotic arm capable of grabbing other satellites and has developed a way to place explosives in enemy satellites’ engine nozzles. Explosives are designed to remain undetected for long periods of time and, when detonated, resemble a harmless engine malfunction.

In addition to weapons that lock onto, crash into, or shoot down targets, there are other approaches that jam satellite broadcasts or damage equipment with lasers, chemical aerosols, or powerful microwaves.

“We have a range of capabilities that we can leverage, and we will continue to develop capabilities that allow us to maintain a credible deterrence posture,” Morehouse said. “Can you develop a tool that can be used to counter satellites that works very well and confirm that it works without having to create a debris cloud in orbit every time you do it? Absolutely.”

Shortly after the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, Elon Musk agreed to supply Starlink constellation satellites to Kyiv, which quickly became crucial for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But in February, Starlink said it would not allow satellites to be used to control Ukrainian drones, saying it never envisioned the technology being used for “offensive purposes.”

Morehouse said one lesson from the Ukraine conflict was how resilient Starlink proved to be. The communications network includes thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit that are easily replaced and upgraded to counter the threats they face. “It makes no sense for Russia to even try to shoot down one of them because there are thousands of them and they don’t have thousands of anti-satellite missiles,” he said.

“Satellite communications are becoming more prevalent in many militaries, and therefore countering it is something that many countries are interested in,” the American general added.