The US is testing satellite resiliency to threats from China and Russia kilometers above the Earth’s surface, just weeks after Russia shot down an aging communications satellite.
The computer-aided simulations include the possibility of having foes shoot down missile-tracking satellites, satellite jamming and other electronic warfare “effects,” but actual satellites are not being used.
During a visit to Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks witnessed the “Space Flag” space training exercise.
Hosted by US forces, it was the 13th such exercise, and the third to involve partners such as Britain, Canada and Australia.
“It happens in rooms like that ... people at a relatively junior level in many cases — collaborating and thinking through challenges, and trying to figure out concepts that seem to make sense and discarding ideas that go astray,” Hicks told reporters on the way to Hawaii.
This week, Pentagon leaders are touring US bases, while US President Joe Biden’s administration is drafting the 2023 budget.
The US Department of Defense hopes to move budget dollars toward a military that can deter China and Russia.
After Russia successfully conducted an anti-satellite missile test last month, US officials believe there is an increasing need to make the US satellite network resilient to attack and to use opportunities like Space Flag to train.
Satellites are vital to military communications, global positioning navigation and timing systems that are needed in the event of war.
The 10-day-long space war game attempts to simulate the cutting-edge capabilities that the US has in space.
The training exercise involved an adversarial group working to simulate an aggressor nation with space capabilities like Russia or China.
Russia is not the first country to conduct anti-satellite tests in space. The US performed the first in 1959, when satellites were new.
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