Moscow and Beijing, being Washington's "strategic rivals," have "means to attack space operations, wherever they are carried out." This was stated by the head of the space command and chief of staff of the United States space operations, General John Raymond, during his virtual speech at the London conference on the air and space forces. According to him, "the ensured superiority in space and the informational benefits" of the United States "can no longer be taken for granted."
“Strategic rivals such as China and Russia have the means to attack space operations, wherever they are, kinetic or non-kinetic, on Earth, in orbit, in cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum,” Raymond said.
The head of the space command also emphasized that the protection of space assets in the future "will depend less on individual capabilities and more on close and operational interaction with allies and partners, especially Great Britain."
“Together we are stronger, especially in outer space,” he said. - The United States does not fight alone. I can not imagine a better friend and ally than the Royal Air Force (UK. - RT ). Our alliance is a pillar of peace and stability throughout the world. ”
Speaking about the cooperation between the two countries in the space sector, Raymond recalled that the United Kingdom's Joint Space Operations Center at the Vandenberg Air Base (California) involved employees from the United Kingdom, which also held key management positions.
According to the commander, this structure coordinates the coalition forces (including Canada and Australia), as well as performs space operations designed to provide support for space allied forces around the world.
According to Raymond, the US Department of Defense also plans to support the British Air Force as part of the Artemis transatlantic program, which includes the delivery of military satellites.
The Pentagon is also considering partnering with the UK on satellite communications projects, the general added.
- Head of Space Command and Chief of Staff of the United States Space Operations General John Raymond
- © Joshua Roberts / Reuters
As Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, explained in an interview with RT, Raymond’s statement is “primarily intended to knock out additional funding” for new joint developments of the USA and Great Britain.
“At the same time, the American general wants to emphasize the existence of some special relations between Washington and London,” the analyst noted.
According to Bruter, the Pentagon is betting on Britain as an ally of the United States in space, because in today's Washington they are "skeptical of the possibilities of a united Europe in this area."
“At the same time, such an alliance with the British side adds little to American military power in the space sector. Here we are talking more about maintaining our reputation as a country whose activities in space are supported in the world, ”the expert noted.
Britain's Opportunities
Military expert Alexei Leonkov recalled in a RT comment that the UK’s ability to develop the aerospace industry is much less than the United States.
“In the UK, the space industry was quite developed in the 1990s. The British actively developed projects to create systems that are able to bring the payload into space. However, later the US hegemony in this area became overwhelming, and many British companies that were engaged in space programs, in fact, became branches of American companies, ”the analyst said.
As Sky News previously reported, the United States currently has about 830 military orbiting satellites, while the British side has no more than 54.
In 2018, London launched the Carbonite 2 satellite, which is equipped with a full-color HD video camera that allows you to receive images of the Earth from space. Data will be used by the Royal Air Force.
As experts emphasize, in the space industry, the United States and Great Britain perform in different weight categories.
“As for the military-space programs of London, their UK is far from always completing it. So, it was planned that the OneWeb project would be completed by 2020–2021, but its implementation was initially slowed down, and then the company declared bankruptcy in March of this year, ”Leonkov said.
In his opinion, the project “stalled” also because “the USA actually became direct competitors of OneWeb by launching a program related to 5G and Starlink satellites”.
Space strategy
Raymond's statement is fully within the framework of the new US military doctrine on outer space, Bruter notes.
Recall, on June 17, the Pentagon published an annotation of the open version of the US “Defense Space Strategy”, defining the priorities for the military department regarding the space sector for the next ten years, as well as ways to implement them.
- US Space Force Form
- © US Space Force / Handout via REUTERS
The first in the list of priority areas of activity is the provision of "American military superiority in space." At the same time, the American side is considering outer space as a training ground for combat operations. It is also noted that the use of space by the United States and its allies, as well as partners, must be supported by military force. In this case, we are talking not only about defensive goals and deterrence, but also about “defeating the enemy in the hostile use of outer space”.
In addition, one of the key positions of the strategy is Washington’s interaction with allies and partners in space. The document notes that the Pentagon will expand the network of such partnerships through cooperation with the State Department. In particular, it is proposed to concentrate on the formation of standards and norms of “safe and responsible behavior” in space that meet the interests of the United States and its allies.
As a motivating part for all these measures, the Pentagon points to a “strategic threat” from Russia and China. The document says that these countries, by strengthening their own fighting efficiency, “challenge the freedom of action” of the United States in space.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the new US strategy a document confirming the "aggressive focus of Washington’s course in the space sector." As noted in a comment by the Russian foreign ministry, "the Pentagon’s activities will be focused on the military use of space potential."
“As a justification for the implementation of this destructive course, provoking an arms race in outer space and destabilizing the situation in the field of international security, Washington resorts to the usual tactics of blaming others. American colleagues claim the Russian and Chinese “greatest strategic threats” in space, of course, without bothering to present any evidence, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the Russian Armed Forces "have been given purely defensive tasks in relation to outer space."
“The threat to strategic security”
Vladimir Bruter believes that the Pentagon’s new space strategy was written in order to “refer to it as a document justifying the illegal actions of the American side.” The expert also emphasized that US accusations against Russia, both in Raymond’s statement and in the new doctrine, are unfounded.
“The idea of moving the war into space is an initiative of the United States, not Russia. Statements by the American military leadership that the activities of the Russian Federation and China in space supposedly tie Washington’s hands are a twitch, since the United States itself is forcing Moscow and Beijing to take retaliatory measures, ”the analyst said.
- Part of the Delta IV Heavy Booster
- © @SpaceForceDoD
Analysts agree that US actions to build up arms in outer space can lead to serious consequences for the whole world.
“The militarization of outer space, which the United States is already carrying out and wants to intensify, poses a serious threat to world security, since it removes the obstacles to unleashing a full-scale arms race,” the analyst noted.
The director of the Institute of the USA and Canada Valery Garbuzov holds a similar position. In his opinion, the United States is not interested in "withdrawing space from the military-political confrontation." At the same time, Garbuzov emphasized that in such a situation Russia would be forced to take symmetrical measures.
“The buildup of military capabilities in space by the United States, together with their NATO allies, including Great Britain, is perceived by the Russian side as a threat to strategic security. Therefore, the Russian response will not be long in coming. This is the logic of international politics, ”the analyst summed up in an interview with RT.