TEHRAN, Apr 13 -Top Defense Department officials have detailed plans to develop the Space Force, including a massive network of satellites, recognizing that the "status quo is not sufficient" to confront adversaries in outer space.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan on Thursday appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee with Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson; and Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command.
For the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, Shanahan asked the committee to authorize the U.S. Space Force in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.
"America has enduring interests in space," Shanahan said. "And just as the U.S. Navy ensures freedom of navigation of the seas, America's Space Force must now ensure the freedom to navigate the stars."
In March, the Defense Department requested $143.3 billion for space-based defenses out of a total $718.3 billion in a strategy that "fully recognizes that future wars will be waged not just in the air, on the land, and at sea, but also in space and cyberspace, increasing the complexity of warfare. It modernizes capabilities across all warfighting domains to enhance lethality."
Specifically, it would cost $200 billion over five years to develop the Space Force.
Although the United States remains dominant in space, including from a military perspective, the officials warned that adversaries Russia and China are gaining ground.
In April, high-level officials testified before the committee on the importance of increased defense spending in the Pentagon's budget request for next year.
"Last month, I testified before you that China and Russia had developed capabilities to contest our ability to operate in all domains," Dunford said Thursday. "This includes space, which is now a fully contested warfighting domain along with sea, air, land and cyberspace."
The two nations,recognizing the benefits of space in the economic and military spheres, have worked to challenge the United States in space. That includes reorganizing their armed forces and developing robust space-based capabilities, included based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
"These steps provide the ability to more effectively target U.S. and allied forces," Dunford said. "China and Russia are also capable of searching, tracking and characterizing satellites in all Earth orbits in support of space and counter-space operations."
Shanahan said they are concerned "the next major conflict may be won or lost in space."
"There is widespread agreement the status quo is not sufficient: Change is required to stay ahead," Shanahan told the senators. "Approached correctly, this is an opportunity for a generational improvement. Future space capabilities should be system engineered from the start to include launch, commercial innovation, the network, the satellite, the ground segment, user equipment and cybersecurity."
Source:upi
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