Pentagon Accuses China of Massing Anti-Satellite Weapons

Says China 'probably' intends to develop anti-satellite capabilities

A new Pentagon report is accusing China of amassing a quantity of anti-satellite weapons and speculates that China probably intends to further develop its anti-satellite capabilities in the future, despite opposing the militarization of space.

This is the latest in a series of Pentagon reports on what China “probably” intends, which are all policies which would justify the various US military programs associated with them. In this case, the formation of Space Force was done with an eye toward China threatening US satellites.

China has not admitted to any new anti-satellite weapons program in years, but was known to have develop such missiles in the last decade, and the Pentagon assumes research on other missiles was also adapted to that.

The heavy reliance on satellites for communication and military surveillance makes them potential targets in a war. Though there is no sign China is specifically developing such capabilities, they would be aware this is a possible theater of operations, as US-China relations continue to worsen.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.