{"id":49010,"date":"2021-06-16T21:39:39","date_gmt":"2021-06-16T21:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/06\/16\/the-space-force-wants-to-use-directed-energy-weapons-for-space-superiority\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:35:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:35:19","slug":"the-space-force-wants-to-use-directed-energy-weapons-for-space-superiority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2021\/06\/16\/the-space-force-wants-to-use-directed-energy-weapons-for-space-superiority\/","title":{"rendered":"The Space Force wants to use directed-energy systems for space superiority"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>This story was updated with a comment from a U.S. Space Force spokesperson.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The head of the Space Force acknowledged that the U.S. is developing  the \u201cappropriate\u201d directed-energy systems to maintain American space superiority, although he declined to provide details in the unclassified setting of a June 16 congressional hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Noting that directed-energy systems could be a possible defensive tool for American satellites, Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., asked Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond whether the United States was adequately developing a directed energy portfolio \u201cto be an effective capability for space dominance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes sir, we are,\u201d Raymond responded, suggesting that they discuss the issue in more detail in a classified setting. \u201cWe have to be able to protect these capabilities that we rely so heavily on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to C4ISRNET, a Space Force spokesperson said, \u201cGeneral Raymond has stated many times that China and Russia have directed energy capabilities that are designed to damage or destroy our satellites. His response to Congressman James Langevin\u2019s question was confirming that our architecture developments in the face of these threats are appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Missile Defense Agency has explored using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/smd\/2018\/08\/14\/space-based-laser-weapons-could-ultimately-take-out-missile-threats-in-boost-phase\/\" target=\"_blank\">space-based lasers to intercept ballistic missiles<\/a> in the past, and other nations have fielded ground-based laser dazzling weapons that can blind on orbit sensors. However, the Space Force has been effectively mum on what weapon systems \u2014 conventional or directed energy \u2014 it is developing to protect its satellites or defeat enemy satellites. Raymond\u2019s acknowledgement at the hearing might be the first time he\u2019s publicly confirmed the directed energy systems are under development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government cited the development of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons by China and Russia as a justification for the creation of Space Command and the Space Force, and since their establishment military space leaders have been quick to criticize ASAT development and testing. U.S. Space Command\u2019s Gen. James Dickinson has heavily criticized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2020\/04\/15\/russia-conducted-anti-satellite-missile-test-says-us-space-command\/\">direct-ascent missile tests by Russia<\/a>, which demonstrated the ability to take out satellites in low Earth orbit and the potential to cause dangerous space debris. Perhaps more concerning is a mysterious Russian satellite that has shown the ability to fire a projectile in space. Raymond refers to the spacecraft as an on-orbit weapon system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRussia has made space a war-fighting domain by testing space-based and ground-based weapons intended to target and destroy satellites. This fact is inconsistent with Moscow\u2019s public claims that Russia seeks to prevent conflict in space,\u201d said Dickinson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2020\/12\/16\/space-command-calls-out-another-russian-anti-satellite-weapon-test\/\">after a Russian ASAT test in December<\/a>. \u201cSpace is critical to all nations. It is a shared interest to create the conditions for a safe, stable and operationally sustainable space environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the Space Force \u2014 and the Air Force before it \u2014 have always been secretive about what ASAT weapons the U.S. military has or is developing. The one with the most public details is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/electronic-warfare\/2020\/04\/08\/this-is-what-the-space-force-will-use-to-jam-enemy-satellites\/\">the Counter Communications System<\/a>, a transportable system that can jam enemy satellites. And while the Air Force is developing laser weapons, it\u2019s not clear what plans \u2014 if any \u2014 there are to attach them to space systems or direct them at enemy satellites. The U.S. also has missiles that can reach satellites in low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2020\/01\/08\/what-we-know-about-irans-counter-space-weapons\/\">Reports from the intelligence community<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2020\/03\/29\/countries-keep-investing-in-weapons-to-take-out-satellites\/\">observers<\/a> have highlighted the development of kinetic weapons \u2014 such as those mentioned above \u2014 as well as non-kinetic weapons \u2014 such as ground-based jammers or laser systems that can effectively blind satellite sensors \u2014 by nations deemed American adversaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a report earlier this year, the Center for Strategic and International Studies suggested that the Space Force develop orbital laser weapons to defend American satellites. Titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2021\/02\/26\/report-broadens-conversation-on-space-militarization-and-space-force-satellite-defense\/\">Defense Against the Dark Arts in Space<\/a>,\u201d the report lays out the various types of ASAT weapons and describes several ways the Space Force could defend against them. That includes passive defenses, like building a redundant space architecture that could survive the loss of one or even multiple satellites, and active defenses, such as satellite-mounted lasers that could blind incoming threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. has invested heavily in building passive defenses, such as a distributed architecture like the one described in the report, but it\u2019s less forthcoming on its active defenses. Other nations are less secretive. Most notably, France has stated that it could equip its satellites with weapons \u2014 possibly lasers \u2014 to defend themselves from adversaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Raymond\u2019s brief comments didn\u2019t give any insight into what the U.S. is developing in regards to directed energy systems for space, they didn\u2019t rule out the types of weapons laid out in the CSIS report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a limited exchange, but the context of the statements and the statements themselves certainly leave the door open to nonkinetic defensive space capabilities of some kind,\u201d said Todd Harrison, director of the CSIS Aerospace Security Project. \u201cAs we noted in our report, on-board electronic countermeasures, such as laser dazzlers and radar jammers, can be an effective way to defend satellites against certain types of kinetic attacks. And it has the advantage of protecting satellites without producing space debris, which is important to the long-term viability of the space domain for all users, not just the U.S. military.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The chief of space operations acknowledged that the U.S. is developing a directed-energy portfolio that will help America maintain space superiority.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":31739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":23,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,33,163,36,23],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3385],"class_list":["post-49010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-military-space-report","category-newsletters","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EPRBESWIOZCDTGDCUS7QGFGGCA","arc_canonical_url":"\/battlefield-tech\/space\/2021\/06\/16\/the-space-force-wants-to-use-directed-energy-weapons-for-space-superiority\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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