By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Worthy News) -The commander of America’s military space operations has warned that Communist-run China’s space military could soon threaten its capabilities.
General Stephen Whiting’s comments highlight concerns about an arms race in space involving China and its ally Russia and others, as well as the United States.
Whiting leads the United States Space Command for military operations in outer space, especially all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and greater above the Earth’s surface.
“We are seriously focused at U.S. Space Command on our pacing challenge, which is the People’s Republic of China,” General Whiting told reporters during a recent conference call from Japan.
“The People’s Republic of China is moving at breathtaking speed in space, and they are rapidly developing a range of counter-space weapons to hold at risk our space capabilities,” he added. “They’re also using space to make their terrestrial forces—their army, their navy, their marine corps, their air force—more precise, more lethal, and more far-ranging.”
The general stressed that “we’ve seen the announcements of China’s ambitions to go to the moon. And those appear to be exploratory and scientific on the surface. But the Chinese aren’t very transparent with what they do in space, and so we hope there’s not a military component to that, but we would certainly welcome more transparency.”
Whiting also spoke about reports that Russia is considering using nuclear anti-satellite weapons, reminding Moscow that “Russia’s a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty just like the United States and most of the international community, and that treaty was signed in 1967, and it prohibits the placement of nuclear weapons or weapons – other weapons of mass destruction on orbit. And we would certainly call on all nations to abide by the terms of those treaties.”
US PARTNERSHIP WITH JAPAN
Whiting stressed that the United States welcomes “the partnership the United States has made with Japan in submitting a United Nations Security Council resolution that essentially asks member states to endorse the Outer Space Treaty.”
He said he was “excited for the Japanese to bring on board their deep-space radar capability that they’ve been working for many years and that we’ve been partnering with them.”
The general spoke to reporters in a phone call after his trips to South Korea and Japan, two key allies of the United States in Asia at a time of growing Chinese influence.
China seeks to put its astronauts on the moon by 2030. Pakistan, South Africa, Belarus, and Nicaragua are among a group of nations that have signed up for a planned moon base led by China and Russia.
The moon project is officially known as the International Lunar Research Station, but the general made clear that Washington will closely watch whether the project will be used for military purposes.
It added to concerns of a new Cold War standoff moving beyond previously known boundaries of military conflicts.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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