Wicker: Chinese Anti-Missle Test Is Security Concern

Press Release

WICKER: CHINESE ANTI-MISSILE TEST IS SECURITY CONCERN

Last month The People's Republic of China conducted its first successful ant-satellite weapons test, an action that could threaten U. S. economic and national security interests. The Chinese demonstrated this new capability by launching a ground-based ballistic missile that destroyed one of their own weather satellites orbiting 537 miles above the Earth.

The operation was conducted without warning or consultation with the U.S. or other countries that have space-based assets, and it drew widespread condemnation around the world. A White House spokesman said, "China's development and testing of such weapons is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that both countries aspire to in the civil space arena." The Japanese government said it raised concerns "from the viewpoint of security as well as the peaceful use of space."

SATELLITES ESSENTIAL TO DEFENSE

I recently attended a classified hearing on Capitol Hill where U.S. intelligence and defense officials outlined the danger this action could pose. Our country depends on satellites for wide-ranging military and commercial uses such as real-time battlefield intelligence, countless communication activities, financial services transactions, and weather forecasts. This successful satellite "kill" indicates that China now has the ability to track and destroy these types of assets in low-Earth orbit. A series of hits to our satellites could cause enormous disruptions to commerce in the U.S. The threat to military assets is even more ominous.

One of the key reasons our armed forces are the best in the world is the technological capability provided by U.S. spy and communications satellites. An adversary could counter that high-tech advantage by knocking out our "eyes and ears" in space.

CHINESE INTENTIONS QUESTIONED

The Chinese action is troubling for other reasons as well. The test runs counter to their recent push for a ban on space-based weapons and their public opposition to any form of "weaponization" of space. It also flies in the face of Chinese assurances that their only interest in space is for peaceful purposes. Destruction of the satellite created another debris field that will remain in orbit for years to come. This space junk, comprised of hundreds of metal objects traveling at tremendous velocity, could damage other satellites or even the Space Shuttle.

Congress and the Bush Administration have been working to safeguard U.S. space-based assets. In 2006, the Republican Congress directed the Defense Secretary to develop a strategy to assess possible threats and propose actions to counter them. In this current fiscal year, an Operational Responsive Space Program Office was created to plan contingencies for rapid responses to a potential attack on our satellites.

ENHANCING SPACE POLICY

President Bush authorized a new space policy in August 2006, asserting a right to "freedom of action" in space and pledging the U.S. will deter others from impeding those rights. The policy also includes the right to deny adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to the U.S.

The Chinese put astronauts into orbit in 2003 and 2005 and expect to launch 100 civilian/military satellites over the next eight years. These developments, punctuated by the anti-satellite test on January 11, should prompt our government to be wary of their intentions and redouble our efforts to protect U.S. space assets.

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