US Efforts To Thwart Rival GPS From China To A Plan To Form A Space Force

US Air Force illustration (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) renewed its space defense strategy on Wednesday, June 17. The goal is to maintain military and commercial dominance that China and Russia are currently competing with. One of the latest programs is to form a special unit to escort space.

Citing SCMP, the news released by the Pentagon came out a day after China postponed the launch of the BeiDou-3 satellite due to technical difficulties. This satellite is the final set of 29 satellites that have been launched to create the BeiDou navigation system. When completed, this technology is likely to rival the US's Global Positioning System (GPS) run by its Air Force.

In its report, the Pentagon identified China and Russia as the US's biggest strategic threats. The report reads: the actions, intentions and military strategies of a potential adversary have turned space into a battlefield.

The Pentagon identified the two countries as having armed space to reduce the strength of the US and allied militaries "and challenge our freedom to operate in space," the report said. According to them, the rapid development of space activity internationally adds to the complexity of the environment.

"Space police"

To address this threat, the US Department of Defense plans to make a number of changes to the space program over the next decade. Some of them form space forces, a new branch of the US military.

In addition, they will also harmonize operational authorities, synergize between other government departments and private companies in the commercial sector, and cooperate with allies. And one of the manifestations is related to the plan of the US Space Development Agency to launch 150 hypersonic weapons-launching satellites in orbit by 2024.

He Qisong, a space defense expert from Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said a similar strategy had previously been used to contain China in the military and trade fields. "The US already has an advantage in the space sector by dominating nearly half of the existing 320 military satellites and dual use in orbit, then comes Deer and China," he was quoted as saying by SCMP.

"What Washington wants is actually to widen the gap with China and Russia, especially China which is close to completing its BeiDou navigation program," Qisong said.

In addition, according to military expert from Beijing, Zhou Chenming, the Pentagon's new strategy could create many obstacles to BeiDou's plans. "Washington may be using BeiDou's global plan as an excuse to curb its development. Meanwhile the Pentagon's space dominance makes it easier for it to work with Japan, Australia and other allies to control China," he said.

For information, Beijing has poured a large investment in BeiDou. This satellite was first launched in 2000 and the system has grown from military use to commercialization to large-scale application programs.