U.S. Space Force chief urges universal rules to keep China in check
Beijing would immediately target U.S. satellite in a conflict, Gen. Salzman warns
The Pentagon warns that China is rapidly developing a range of counterspace capabilities. (U.S. Space Force photo by Kathryn Damon)
RYO NAKAMURA, Nikkei staff writerNovember 1, 2023 02:09 JST
WASHINGTON -- When a Chinese fighter plane came within 10 feet of a U.S. B-52 bomber over the South China Sea last week, the U.S. military swiftly condemned the "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept. But when it comes to China's space operation, Washington first wants to see universal safety rules put in place.
Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, told Nikkei in a recent interview that China has recognized the American military's heavy reliance on space capabilities for intelligence gathering, early warnings and communications. And Beijing has made substantial investments to neutralize the U.S. space advantage.
"The pace with which they've been able to put those capabilities in play, and the scale at which they are putting those capabilities, is the most alarming," Saltzman said of Chinese space capabilities. It is a "fair" assumption that China would target U.S. space capabilities to disrupt operations and mobilization in the early stages of a conflict, the four-star general added. Immediately after the Russian invasion began in Ukraine, Moscow conducted cyberattacks against ground networks that enabled Ukrainian space operations, Saltzman said, demonstrating that space is critical for a wide spectrum of military operations.
The Pentagon's annual report on Chinese military power, released in mid-October, asserts that Beijing is developing a range of counterspace capabilities including directed-energy weapons, satellite jammers and ground-based anti-satellite missiles. While expressing concerns about China's experimentation with satellite-grabbing robotic arms, Saltzman stopped short of calling it unsafe.
He said that's not just because Beijing has practiced on its own satellites, but also because unlike air and maritime domains, there are limited universal rules governing space operations. "I'm not willing to say definitively unsafe," Saltzman said about Chinese space operations, except for the country's anti-satellite missile test in 2007. The test resulted in more than 3,000 pieces of debris that could still harm satellites operated by other countries if a collision occurred. "Until we establish those [rules] and get a commitment worldwide, globally, internationally, that says this is what acceptable behavior is [and] these are the norms of behavior in space, then they could always say, 'Well, that wasn't unsafe. That was just normal,'" Saltzman noted. China may say that it is just practicing with a robotic arm during peacetime, but it could be deployed for military purposes in a conflict, the general said. "We want to say that would not only be unsafe but unprofessional and even escalatory," he noted.
The Outer Space Treaty, which took effect in 1967, primarily prohibits arming satellites with weapons of mass destruction. Though China and Russia have called for a ban on space-based weapons systems at the United Nations, there has been difficulty reaching a consensus on defining weapons systems in space.
From the U.S. perspective, China's satellite-grabbing arms could be categorized as offensive capability, but China would think otherwise. In July 2021, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released guidelines for responsible behavior in space, further updated this year. These guidelines revolve around five core principles, including operating with consideration for other satellites and refraining from harmful interference in other parties' operations. "We certainly want to lead the discussion on establishing effective norms of behavior. We would love to see every nation adopt those norms of responsible behavior and commit to conducting operations with those," Saltzman said, suggesting that the U.S. is willing to discuss responsible behavior with China bilaterally. To deter China's actions, the Space Force plans to dispatch a small number of personnel to Japan to deepen operational cooperation in space. "Japan has been such a great partner over the years that I wanted the Space Force to be there and be able to act and interact on a routine basis with our counterparts in Japan, as a part of U.S. Forces Japan," the general said.
The allies have advanced a ride-share program where a Japanese satellite is equipped with an American payload. The arrangement is "a problem for China," Saltzman said, adding that the U.S. is working on similar arrangements with other nations like the U.K. and Norway. "They can't just attack the U.S. They have to say, 'No, we're willing to attack Japan and the U.S.,'" Saltzman said. "Partnerships, in and of themselves, create deterrence because the country has to decide whether they're willing to go to war against the whole world [and] because it's not going to be a one-on-one situation."
Gen.Saltzman is ONE FUNNY DUDE.
