Mitigating China’s Growing Space Threat

In its first year of existence, the U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific Command (USSPACEFOR-INDOPAC) faces the biggest threat in its theater and looks to industry for innovative solutions. 

Established in 2019, the U.S. Space Force has proven its necessity as adversaries make progress in advancing their technologies. 

“The [People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA's)] rapidly growing space program, which is now second only to the United States in the number of operational satellites is really a source of national pride, and it’s part of President Xi’s China dream to establish a powerful and prosperous nation,” stated Col. Jason N. “Gazer” Schramm, deputy commander for USSPACEFOR-INDOPAC. 

Schramm delivered the morning keynote address on the final day of TechNet Indo-Pacific 2023 in Honolulu. 

“The [Chinese Communist Party (CCP)] expects space to play an important role in future conflicts,” he added. By enabling modern capabilities such as long-range precision strikes, maintaining a lack of transparency and denying other militaries from using their space-based assets, the CCP poses a growing threat to the region. 

In 2015, the PLA designated space as a new domain of warfare, Col. Schramm shared. Additionally, the nation established a strategic support force to integrate space and cyberspace and electronic warfare capabilities into their joint military operations. 

The colonel went on to list important facts and figures about Chinese space-related military operations.

In 2022, the PLA conducted 62 successful space launches, putting over 200 payloads into orbit—more than half were intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites. They have developed new rockets, quick-response launch vehicles and commercial lift systems. Since the end of 2015, the country’s orbit presence has grown by 379% with the addition of 561 satellites. As of April, they have more than 709 satellites in orbit. 

“The PLA benefits from over 360 ISR satellites, they’ve got optical multispectral radar and radio frequency sensors and those increase its ability to detect U.S. aircraft carriers and expeditionary forces and airwaves,” Col. Schramm stated. 

BeiDou, China’s satellite-based radio navigation system is threatening to dominate the landscape with global 24-hour accurate position, navigation and timing. The capability enables precision attacks and has allowed the Chinese military to launch two reusable experimental spacecraft.  

“The first was on orbit for two days, but the second was on orbit for nine months, and both were observed releasing objects,” Col. Schramm said. 

With minimal information on the purpose of their space operations, Col. Schramm shared that intelligence suggests the PLA’s use of counterspace initiatives to deter and counter U.S. military intervention in a regional conflict. In fact, Chinese academics stress the need to destroy, damage and interfere with the “enemy’s reconnaissance and communication satellites in order to blind and deafen the enemy.” 

The list goes on with anti-satellite weapons, ground-based laser weapons and the world’s first fractional orbital launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle in 2022. 

“The PLA’s aspirations in space, they are lofty, and they are putting their money where their mouth is,” the USSF spokesman said. “China is pacing challenge for us, and they are rapidly improving their space capabilities to track and target our forces.” 

These threats emphasize a vital need for preparation, Col. Schramm noted. With priorities such as integrated deterrence, operation synchronization, realignment of its posture and space capability advancement, USSPACEFOR-INDOPAC's goal is to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

The solution requires novel ideas for the space domain and a more rapid movement in the delivery of capabilities. The reality of long lead times associated with the process of designing, acquiring and launching is a significant challenge, Col. Schramm stated.

“It takes three to four years, or even a super-responsive 18 months to build that system and launch it, and by that time, the threat's already evolved,” he added. “And even if the threat hasn’t evolved, we tend to launch things that are already no longer on the cutting edge of technology.” 

With that, the deputy commander offered his own ideas for industry to take on and assist in protecting the nation. 

1. Software-defined radios to be able to change waveforms on satellite communication platforms almost instantaneously; 

2. Satellite systems that are reprogrammable on orbit and can handle modifications; 

3. The ability to service on-orbit payloads to keep systems refueled and updated, which would require accessible and swappable hardware; 

4. Bringing things back to Earth to fix and relaunch back on orbit; 

5. Building more resiliency into all systems; 

6. Multi-mission ground systems and command and control systems for more efficient operations; 

Col. Schramm also directed industry members to the Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) initiative, which demonstrates the Space Force's capability to acquire, launch and operate space vehicles within shorter and operationally relevant timelines. 

Additionally, he noted Space Force Pitch Days, which invite small business to present ideas for new technologies directly to decision-makers. 

Through innovation, the USSF seeks to deter adversarial threats in an increasingly complex Indo-Pacific region. “We’ve got to do what we can to be ready now,” Col. Schramm stated.  

“We need your help to accelerate your innovation in the space domain and bring us the capabilities that we need to stay in front of our adversaries.”