General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Armed Forces committee of chiefs of staff, named Russia among the threats to a military presence in space. He stated this at a conference of the non-governmental organization Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

“In the 1990s, when we deployed significant forces in space, we proceeded from the fact that we would have no rivals in space. Rivalry has unfolded in space today, ”said Dunford.

According to him, the current situation "for commercial and military interests" of the United States has changed dramatically.

In addition to Russia, Dunford included China, North Korea and Iran as rivals of the United States in space. At the same time, the general did not explain in what ways Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang and Tehran could harm the American orbital group.

  • US Joseph General Dunford Chair, Chief of Staff
  • globallookpress.com
  • © Amber I. Smith / ZUMAPRESS.com

In an interview with RT, Deputy Director of the Institute of the USA and Canada Pavel Zolotarev drew attention to the fact that Washington regularly includes Russia and China in the list of threats in outer space. However, as the expert noted, earlier the US did not mention the “danger” that comes from Iran

“Apparently, Iran is acquiring the level of development of rocket technologies that allows it to launch various devices into space. But with a high probability, Danford’s negative attitude towards Iran is associated with the general deterioration in bilateral relations that occurred with the arrival of Trump in the White House, ”Zolotarev stated.

Space echelon

This is not the first time that American officials have pointed out increased competition from the Russian Federation and China. Under this pretext, the United States Space Forces formed the Space Command (SPACECOM), led by Air Force General John Raymond.

On August 29, the Space Command officially took up its duties. The department, as Dunford said earlier, should include 87 units involved in "missile warning, satellite operations, as well as space monitoring and support."

According to US President Donald Trump, the new formation will achieve military domination of the country in outer space.

“Thanks to the Space Command, America’s superiority in space will never be challenged and will never be in jeopardy, because conflicts, as we know, are best prevented by preparing for victory,” Trump said.

The official site of SPACECOM says that the main task of the Space Command is "to achieve, protect and preserve the space superiority of US forces and their allies through space combat operations."

The Pentagon plans to increase the constellation of satellites and significantly strengthen the space echelon of missile defense, as well as deploy missile systems as part of the course to strengthen the missile defense system.

“Our strategy is based on one main task: to detect and destroy any type of missile attacks on any American object before or after launch,” Trump said in January 2019, presenting a review report on national missile defense policy.

On September 5, at a plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that US plans for the militarization of outer space are a serious challenge to international security. He also recalled that Washington had not ratified the Nuclear Arsenal Test Ban Treaty.

“Imagine that over the head of each of us, and, therefore, of each of them, some kind of weapon, perhaps nuclear, will hang constantly in the geostationary orbit. This really can globally change the world security situation. But for now, our American partners are silent on all our proposals in the field of disarmament and deterring the arms race, and there is nothing new here, ”Putin said.

  • American unmanned aerial vehicle X-37B
  • Reuters
  • © Boeing / Vandenberg Air Force Base

In the Russian expert community, increased attention is paid to flights of the US Air Force suborbital reusable reconnaissance drones X-37B. The brainchild of Boeing Corporation can be in the near-Earth space for a long time. For example, at the end of August, the device set a record after spending 719 days in orbit. At the same time, the Pentagon is still silent about the tasks that the X-37B performs.

In a conversation with RT, military analyst Yuri Knutov suggested that the drone is tested to perform a wide range of military tasks. In his opinion, the aircraft is being tested by the Americans for their ability to launch satellites, inspect (repair) them in orbit and cause damage to enemy vehicles. Another likely function of the X-37B is the deployment in space of lethal weapon systems, including nuclear ones.

“In my opinion, the United States has never stopped working under the SDI program (Strategic Defense Initiative, launched in 1983. - RT ), although it was officially frozen with the end of the Cold War. Its strategic goal is to develop weapons capable of causing the greatest possible damage in the shortest possible time. This is interception of missiles, attacks on ground targets, disabling the enemy’s orbital grouping, ”Knutov explained.

Under the pretext of "threat"

The United States has denied allegations of militarization of space. From the point of view of official Washington, the responsibility for unleashing the arms race lies with Russia and China. The February report of the Space Command says that Moscow and Beijing "will soon be able to jeopardize the combined space potential of the United States in all types of orbits." The greatest danger, according to the department, is the Russian Federation, which "has reappeared global ambitions."

“Russia has come to the conclusion that gaining and maintaining dominance in outer space will play a decisive role in future conflicts, and believes that the availability of space defense equipment will deter opponents with space capabilities. It is clear that Russia is improving its high-tech military assets, bridging the gap in the field of military superiority, ”the document says.

The head of the Space Command, John Raymond, believes that Russia is capable of interfering with communications satellites and GPS and inflicting a "destructive kinetic strike with a rocket." Donald Trump agrees with the general’s opinion about the vulnerability of the American orbital group.

In an interview with RT, the founder of the Military Russia portal Dmitry Kornev said that the American leadership is hinting at the possibility of anti-satellite weapons, which are developed by Russia and China. At the same time, the expert believes that Washington is deliberately exaggerating the degree of threat to its spacecraft.

“The military significance of outer space is really extremely great. However, today there is no reason to place lethal weapons there. Yes, we can agree that US satellites are vulnerable to certain types of weapons that Moscow and Beijing create. However, it is important to understand that the use of anti-satellite weapons is a measure unacceptable in peacetime. A satellite strike is possible only as a response to military aggression, ”Kornev emphasized.

  • Satellite in orbit
  • © intelsat.com

The expert explained that the fact of the existence of missile systems and electronic warfare systems capable of incapacitating satellite equipment cannot serve as a pretext for the United States to deploy strike systems in space. Such "speculation by the American establishment" is caused by the desire to increase military spending, Kornev is convinced.

Pavel Zolotaryov believes that the US leadership is striving to solve a problem that is unrealistic from a military point of view. In his opinion, the buildup of weapons in space is not able to close all issues related to national security. Moreover, such a policy only provokes retaliatory measures from Russia and China.

“The complex of problems surrounding the military use of space is caused by the reigning distrust between the leading powers. Now Russia, the USA and China do not have an idea of ​​what kind of devices are entering orbit. All sorts of suspicions arise from this. For this reason, it is necessary to create a channel for the exchange of data on activities in space, and ideally, to conclude an agreement banning the deployment of percussion weapons in orbit, ”concluded Zolotarev.