US Space Chief Says China, Russia May Escalate Space Conflict

China’s ‘kill web’ and Russia’s demonstrated willingness to destroy satellites or put nuclear weapons in orbit are top concerns, Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said.

U.S. Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, testifies about the fiscal year 2024 budget request during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 14, 2023. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said the United States’ potential adversaries Russia and China have demonstrated a “recklessness” and aggressiveness that show how much a space-related conflict could escalate, particularly through actions in the war in Ukraine.

“You see a tremendous use of space capabilities on the modern battlefield,” Saltzman said at the Politico Security Summit on May 15. “Denying a country access to their space capabilities does create [a] military advantage.”