USA China Surges Ahead in the Military Space Race, US Warns of Shrinking Technological Lead

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China Surges Ahead in the Military Space Race, US Warns of Shrinking Technological Lead

 

China is rapidly transforming space into a battlefield, developing military capabilities at a pace that has alarmed top US defence officials. General Stephen Whiting, commander of the United States Space Force (USSF), has described China's advancements as “breathtakingly fast,” warning that the country’s ability to use space-based systems to complete its “kill chain”—the process of identifying, tracking, and destroying a target—has become “very concerning.”

 

The space arms race is intensifying between the world’s major powers, with the United States, China, and Russia all pouring resources into military space technology. While the US pursues initiatives like Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defence system, China is pushing forward in three crucial areas: space-based targeting, anti-satellite weapons, and the fusion of space assets with conventional forces.

 

 

According to Gen Whiting, Beijing’s space-based targeting systems pose a direct threat to US and allied military forces, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. These systems enable China to “track and target US and allied forces,” supporting precision, long-range “over-the-horizon” strikes. General Anthony Mastalir, who oversees USSF operations in the Indo-Pacific, echoed this concern, saying that China’s ability to strike depends heavily on space-based technologies. “Space tech is how China closes its kill chain and strikes its targets with precision,” he said.

 

China’s space surveillance and reconnaissance capacity has grown dramatically. The USSF estimates that by the end of 2023, China operated over 500 satellites capable of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). Over the past ten years, the country has launched close to 900 satellites. In 2023 alone, China deployed 260 satellites, 67 of which had ISR capabilities. Earlier this year, Chinese scientists unveiled what they claim is the world’s most powerful satellite tracking camera, capable of capturing millimetre-level images from over 100 kilometres away.

 

Equally troubling to US officials is China's development of counter-space weapons designed to neutralise enemy satellites. These include reversible cyber-attacks, GPS and satellite communication jamming, high-energy lasers, direct-ascent anti-satellite (Da-Sat) missiles, and co-orbital ASATs—satellites that threaten other satellites in orbit. General Whiting explained that these systems are “an important part” of China’s growing space arsenal.

 

China demonstrated its capacity to destroy satellites as far back as 2008 and has since conducted multiple anti-satellite tests. In March, the USSF reported that Chinese satellites were executing complex, synchronised manoeuvres in orbit. General Michael A. Guetlein, deputy chief of US operations at the USSF, interpreted this as evidence that China is “practising tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another.”

 

Such systems are capable of launching kinetic kill vehicles, designed to destroy other satellites using sheer force, or even cause collisions. While this creates dangerous debris fields in orbit, other methods like jamming can quietly disable satellites without physical destruction. Jamming technology targets the communication link between satellites and their operators, rendering them inoperable. Experts have long warned that the US remains vulnerable to GPS jamming and “spoofing,” where signals are manipulated to mislead or shut down military operations. These disruptions could disable munitions, reroute drones, or cripple critical infrastructure.

 

The third area of concern, according to Gen Whiting, is China’s seamless integration of space assets into its broader military framework. He noted that through “space-enabled services,” China has made its army, air force, and navy “more lethal, more precise and more far-ranging.” A major military overhaul in 2016 saw the creation of a military aerospace unit within the People’s Liberation Army’s Strategic Support Force. In April 2024, this structure evolved further, dividing into three branches: an aerospace force, a cyberspace army, and an information support arm, highlighting the strategic value of space in modern warfare.

 

Despite the US having roughly 8,000 satellites in orbit—compared to China's 1,000—both nations are estimated to operate around 250 military satellites. General Guetlein remarked, “There used to be a significant capability gap between the United States and our adversaries, driven by our technological advantage. That gap, once massive, has narrowed considerably. If we don’t change our approach to space operations, we risk seeing that gap reverse, putting us at a disadvantage.”

 

The United States’ answer to this challenge is the $175 billion “Golden Dome” project, a space-based missile defence system expected to be operational by 2029. Designed to detect, track, and destroy incoming missiles, this network would primarily shield the US homeland. However, in a hypothetical conflict with China—such as one involving Taiwan—Washington could find itself not only outgunned on the ground but outmanoeuvred in space.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from CNN  2025-06-28