War In Space? China, Russia Can Shoot Down US Satellites

The United States military’s ability to conduct wars around the globe and its intelligence gathering and communication satellites could be open for attacks from other top superpowers like China and Russia, space experts said in a report published Wednesday.

Though all three military powers have puffed their chests in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Ukraine or the movement of troops and arms around NATO member countries, China and Russia’s increased activity in space could allow each to disrupt the U.S. on Earth and beyond its atmosphere.

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"While we're not at war in space, I don't think we could say we are exactly at peace either," deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command and Navy Vice Admiral Charles A. Richard said at a space security conference last week. "With rapidly growing threats to our space systems, as well as the threat of a degraded space environment, we must prepare for a conflict that extends into space."

Specifically, China or Russia could use their space technology hinder U.S. satellites responsible for communication and surveillance during a potential war. The satellites were also used to detect missiles, relay information to ships and carry out strikes. The biggest threat from countries with advanced space programs, like China and Russia, or even those with lesser satellite programs, was the potential to jam up satellites used for location, like GPS.

"Every major space-faring nation that can track a satellite and launch into outer space has the means to mess up a satellite," space security expert and co-founder of the Stimson Center think tank Michael Krepon told CNBC.

However, Krepon also said the U.S. currently should be able to outduel the Chinese and Russians in outer space.

"My guess is that our capabilities to carry out a war in space are a lot better than the Chinese and Russians," he said.

Of late, it did appear as if the U.S. was quite aware of just how important space was to its future and it’s military’s standing around the world.

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Though President Donald Trump had recently proposed deep cuts to many non-defense programs, like the State Department and Environmental Protection Agency, he largely offered up the National Aeronautics and Space Association the same budget it had last year. Trump proposed $19.1 billion to NASA for 2018, a slight dip from the $19.3 billion President Barack Obama allocated for the U.S.’s space arm last year.

USA Today reported earlier this month that a bulk of the Trump proposal, $3.7 billion, was earmarked for the Space Launch System, which is key to the U.S.' continued human space trek to Mars.