Space Force looks to bulk up against anti-satellite weapons

Brad Dress 

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The 5-year-old U.S. Space Force is moving quickly to confront what is becoming its priority challenge: the threat of anti-satellite weapons (ASATs) from foreign adversaries, including Russia and China.

The Space Force is building up its space defense architecture to help modernize the Space Surveillance Network (SSN), which monitors objects and potential threats in space. It comes as the military branch has struggled to close gaps in space domain awareness.

Officials are also exploring a myriad of other ways to improve detection and defenses, including launching hundreds of military satellites into low-Earth orbit, all part of an effort to get the Space Force ready by 2026 for a more contested environment above Earth. The U.S. has warned that Moscow is even developing a nuclear ASAT.

Charles Galbreath, a senior resident fellow for space studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said the American public should “understand what’s at stake if we go to conflict and an adversary starts attacking our space capabilities.”

“It’s not just going to be impacting the lives of our military members. It’s going to be impacting the lives of all of our citizens and people around the world,” he said. “There’s so much riding on protecting those space capabilities and the way of life that they enable.”

Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander of Space Systems Command, which is focused on acquiring new weapons systems at the Space Force, said earlier this year the efforts across the military branch are a “call to action.”

“The idea is a big sense of urgency. The adversary isn’t stopping,” he said at a May event. “We need to be prepared and we need to make sure the [defense systems] we have we can use.”