Modernizing technology to prepare for conflict in space
By: Charis Hanner
This week, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the Air Force and Space Force are “fundamentally changing” the character of war through new technologies. Kaitlyn Johnson, associate director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS, explains that this is an evolution of narrative experts have been seeing within the Trump administration. That narrative includes accusations that Russia and China are weaponizing space through killer satellites and directed energy weapons.
“I think Russia and China have incredible capabilities in Space, but at the same time, so do we, but even more so. What is maybe alarming is Russia and China are becoming more bold in their testing of capabilities…that’s making people inside the department [DoD] and around the globe a little worried,” said Johnson.
Johnson tells “Government Matters'” Francis Rose that the key to keeping a leg up on our adversaries’ capabilities in space is building more resilient satellite architecture that is designed to withstand attacks. She explains that modernizing technology to prepare for potential space conflict is not a new concept on the table, but rather a concept that is now being put on the table for policy makers to help DoD make the necessary changes.