WASHINGTON, January 11. /TASS/. China and Russia have been evolving their military doctrines that can target GPS and other space-based systems, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said as she alleged that the two nations are seeking to undermine the US military potential.
Delivering a speech in Colorado, she said that "more than ever before space is integral to military operations." "And our competitors know it. They realize how much the American way of life and the American ways of war depend on space power, and they want to undermine our advantage here," the senior US military official said in her remarks that were broadcast on the Pentagon’s website.
For this purpose, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) "is rapidly expanding its space and counterspace capabilities and integrating them into a broader strategy to challenge our joint force." "It's why Russia has used counterspace threats to bolster its attempts to thwart US interests and those of our allies and partners," Hicks maintained.
"Both Russia and the PRC are evolving their military doctrines to extend into space. They're both deploying capabilities that can target GPS and other vital space-based systems. And we've seen both countries conduct operations against us and our allies and partners to degrade our space advantages," the US deputy defense secretary insisted.
According to Hicks, Moscow and Beijing seek to "turn space into a war-fighting domain." "But I want to be clear, conflict is not inevitable in space or anywhere else. And the United States of America is committed to preventing conflict through deterrence by making clear to our competitors that the costs of aggression would far outweigh any conceivable benefits," she warned.