Threat to US Satellites from Russia & China, a source of worry for Pentagon

Washington: There is a major threat to the US security from China and Russia. Both these countries are rapidly developing anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles; and China and Russia will have the capability to destroy all the US satellites by 2020, was the worry expressed by the US defence headquarters ‘Pentagon’. A leading daily in the US has published a report about this.

The head of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) of the US defence forces has prepared a report. The report has the information that Russia and China have increased their preparedness for a space war, said a news item in the daily, ‘The Washington Free Beacon’. The US system is majorly dependant on the information gathered by the military and civilian satellites. Both the competing nations are making preparations to target these satellites, the said daily has claimed.

Information given by an official in the know of the Pentagon report to the daily, Russia and China will acquire the capability to disrupt or destroy the US satellites in low-earth orbits. Russia is spending about USD 5 billion every year, for manufacturing the anti-satellite missiles, said the American daily.

Russia had tested a missile equipped with this technology in December 2016. Other than this, the Russian ‘S-400’ and ‘S-500’ anti-ballistic missile systems can target the US satellites, claims the American daily.

The US has alleged that China had started the manufacturing and testing of anti-satellite missiles even before Russia. China has exhibited its power thrice, since 2010, by targeting defunct satellites. The US had even raised objections to the Chinese missile testing. The US, even previously, has accused China of preparing for the space war. China had dismissed this accusation.

The Pentagon or concerned agencies have not given any reaction about the news. But, the officers of the US security agencies are publishing related warnings since the last year. In the month of May last year, Dan Coates, US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) had claimed that Russia and China will use missiles to destroy the US satellites in order to weaken the US military might.

Meanwhile, the officials connected with the defence agency had appealed for an increase in the annual provision for Pentagon by the US Congress and Senate, in anticipation of the threat to our satellites from Russia and China. There were proposals for the US air force and starting a military branch for the space. But, the US congress and the Senate had dismissed this proposal.