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John Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations of the US Space Force, emphasized the need for international norms regarding space operations, noting the issues raised by Russia and China.
Raymond addressed the Aspen Security Forum on Tuesday, stating that China is growing its program at a fast pace: “China went from zero to 60 very rapidly. They are clearly at our pace. The challenge is because they are an economy that supports development.
“They are really doing two things. The first thing they are doing is building space features for their own use. So the space features we could integrate. As enjoyed, China said Raymond said, “A space program to do the same,” “this brings benefits to them, which poses risks to our troops. Others they are doing. It sees the benefits that space has brought to us as follows: Integrated space and cyber and multi-domain operations, and honestly, they don’t like what they see. . “
Raymond further explained that while space operations aren’t new, the region has exploded in recent years, making it much more difficult to manage.
“One of the challenges is that there are no rules or very few rules,” Raymond said. “It’s Wild, Wild West.”
Raymond said the United States is trying to lead and there is debate among other countries and the United Nations.
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“This is what we are trying to establish norms. If you do, it’s a road rule,” he said.
One example Raymond discussed was the issue of space debris. He mentioned how Vice President Kamala Harris announced that he would not conduct a destructive direct ascent anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) missile test while the United States was calling on other countries to make similar promises. ..
These tests create long-lasting debris in space that can threaten existing satellites and pose a danger to astronauts. Russia conducted such a test in 2021 and China did the same in 2007.
According to Raymond, Russian tests have blown up more than 1,500 satellites and Chinese tests have generated 3,000 debris. Raymond added that the United States is trying to control this kind of situation.
“We act as space traffic controllers in the world, keeping people from hitting space debris and other things,” he said.
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Meanwhile, China has accused the United States of invading space.
“The United States is the main impetus for turning outer space into weapons and battlefields,” said Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday.
Complicating the matter over the years is the ability of national and civilian stakeholders to send satellites into space. Only a few years ago, there were about 1,500 satellites in space. According to Raymond, that number is now close to 5,000, and Elon Musk’s SpaceX itself is over 2,000.
NPR interviewer Mary Louise Kelly likened the situation to cyberwarfare in that the rules were written when things were happening because of the novelty of the situation. Raymond agreed.
“This is not a new domain, but the domain has changed,” he said. “So what is the rules of engagement, what is hostility? Everything I’ve been thinking about for years and years in other areas, in that sense is a new area.”
Raymond admitted that while such “road rules” are as important as they believe they are, they will be difficult to enforce. Nevertheless, he believes they are valuable in identifying which types of behavior are considered inappropriate.
“There is a set of rules, and if you go through a red light, we can say you went through a red light,” he said, “it helps identify bad behavior.” I added.
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Another topic that emerged was the role that space could or could play in war and why the space force was so needed. Raymond warned that future wars could occur in space as countries could attempt to disrupt enemy communications or destroy satellites. One of the questions from the audience was about the idea of a “laser from space”. In particular, Raymond did not downplay them as a threat.
“Without any conflict or threat, from reversible disruption to kinetic energy destruction, there will be directed energy threats that we are also concerned about,” he said.