US Must Deter Chinese Aggression In Space And Be Ready For War, General Says

General John Hyten, leader of the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), has recently said the U.S. must be prepared for any aggression in space by China. Hyten made the statement at the Stanford University while giving a speech on Jan. 24.

According to the general, China tested its capability to destroy a low-Earth orbit satellite in 2007, and it continues to test that ability today at numerous orbital regimes. "In the not-too-distant future, they will be able to use that capability to threaten every spacecraft we have in space," Hyten said, according to a Defense Department press release. "We have to prevent that, and the best way to prevent war is to be prepared for war. So the United States is going to do that, and we are going to make sure that everybody knows we are prepared for war."

Defending and protecting the space environment is one of his two jobs as leader of STRATCOM, Hyten said, the other being defending the American people against any threats. The general has also said that given the number of critical systems like communications, missile warnings and GPS that the U.S. depends upon, it has become more important than ever to deter aggression in space.

According to a Space.com report, Hyten also mentioned about the need to defend the nation against any threat to the geosynchronous orbit. Furthermore, the general also added that to keep space safe and to deter a war will also need cooperation from the Air Force.

"A lot of people in the military think it does not pertain to us," Hyten said. "But it creates an economic environment that the United States military will have to defend at some point, and it creates an opportunity for us to take advantage of a commercial sector" that can provide remote sensing, launch and other services.