China Developing Counterspace Weapons: DoD Deputy

Gregory Schulte.

Credit: U.S. DoD photo

4 Feb 2011 AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE / Defensenews

WASHINGTON - China is developing counterspace weapons that could shoot down satellites or jam signals, a Pentagon official said Feb. 4 as the United States unveiled a 10-year strategy for security in space. "The investment China is putting into counterspace capabilities is a matter of concern to us," Deputy Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Gregory Schulte told reporters as the defense and intelligence communities released their 10-year National Security Space Strategy (NSSS). The NSSS marks a huge shift from past practice, outlining a 10-year path for the United States to take in space to ensure it becomes "more resilient" and can defend its assets in a dramatically more crowded, competitive and challenging environment,