China is rapidly building space capabilities to be able to launch precision strikes on Taiwan, the US and its allies, US Space Force leaders said at a recent conference in London.
China is developing counterspace warfare capabilities including GPS jamming systems and anti-satellite missiles at “breathtaking speed,” said General Stephen Whiting, commander of the US Space Command.
In the past six years, Beijing tripled its number of dedicated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites, while rapidly fielding dual-use satellites, Whiting said, adding that the capabilities are honed for detecting movements at sea.
Photo: Reuters
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) might have already achieved substantial benefits from Beijing’s space warfare program in the form of enhanced targeting range, precision and lethality of its arms, and the development of the Signal Support Force, its latest independent military branch, Whiting said.
The force is believed to be focused on leveraging space technology to augment China’s space operations, cyber and information warfare, and logistics, he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Galen Thorp, commander of the US Space Force 1st Space Operations Squadron, said that China’s new space capabilities allow the PLA to attack Taiwan directly and significantly extend the range of its ballistic missiles.
These capabilities would make it more challenging for the US military to intervene in a Taiwan conflict, he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Travis Anderson, commander of the US Space Force 75th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron, said that China’s new satellites allow Beijing to find and attack US and allied warships across the Indo-Pacific region.
The PLA’s ability to target ground troops of opposing forces has also been elevated through the use of space technology, he said.
China displayed a clear intent to use space-based capabilities to enhance force projection, including the ability to deliver over-the-horizon fires on targets thousands of kilometers away, US Space Force 2nd Delta Squadron Commander Colonel Raj Agrawal said.
The PLA aims to make it too cost-prohibitive for US and allied forces to maneuver in the Indo-Pacific region, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS