Chinese Satellites Practice ‘Dogfighting’ in Space

China is practicing satellite-destroying orbital combat maneuvers that pose a serious threat to the United States, reported Defense One on Tuesday.

• The U.S. Space Force identified five Chinese satellites practicing antisatellite tactics in space.
• Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein likened the maneuvers to a kind of “dogfighting in space.”
• Guetlein warned that the gap between the abilities of the U.S. and its competitors has “significantly narrowed.”

Vulnerable: The U.S. has grown increasingly dependent on satellites for navigation, observation and communication, as well as other crucial military and naval functions. The U.S. is far more dependent on satellites than any other nation.

China’s strides toward becoming a formidable power in space expose America’s vulnerability to technology sabotage. Frank Rose of the Brookings Institution noted that the Chinese may even be willing to self-sabotage because they “believe space represents an asymmetric vulnerability of the United States.”

China is determined to become the primary power both on Earth and in space. It will do whatever it can to overtake and dominate the U.S., even if it sustains damage in the process.

Learn more: Read “The Satellite Slayers.”