Despite the name, Space Force doesn’t have much force in space. The service is trying to change that and build up its “orbital warfare” capabilities, according to the Chief of Space Operations for Space Force.
Earlier this month, Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman outlined ways he intends to add offensive elements to his branch. Speaking at the Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium, Saltzman mainly talked about the concept of “space superiority” — essentially the outer space version of air superiority — and what it would take to achieve that against near-peer adversaries. That includes “employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities through disruption, degradation, and even destruction, if necessary,” Saltzman said. “It includes things like orbital warfare and electromagnetic warfare, and its counterspace operations can be employed for both offensive and defensive purposes at the direction of combatant commands.”
However after his prepared remarks Saltzman got specific on what weapons the force wants. As ArsTechnica reported this past week, during roundtable comments to reporters, Saltzman outlined three categories of weapons that Space Force is seeking, each one containing ground-based and orbiting systems. Those include directed-energy weapons, better known as lasers, radio frequency jamming systems and “kinetic” options meant to outright destroy enemy ships and satellites. That mix of weapons is meant to give the widest range of capabilities and deal with targets at varying distances in orbit, according to ArsTechnica.
Those proposals are a notable change from past visions of space-based weaponry. During the Cold War and the height of the Space Race, the U.S. military, including the Army and Air Force, looked at potential ways to arm troops in orbit. That ranged from handheld pistols that would use springs to fire bullets to anti-satellite rifles based off of claymore mines. One Air Force video from the early 1960s imagined space planes that docked in orbiting stations firing missiles at enemies.
Notably weapons systems in space present unique challenges. As various tests have shown over recent decades, outright physical destruction from hard, kinetic interceptor strikes can cause a wide amount of debris that remains in space, presenting harm to other satellites and spacecraft. Lasers and jammers could take out enemy satellites without causing that. Saltzman did not get into exact specifics on what kind of jamming weapons he’s after, such as one that could cause a “Goldeneye”-type scenario.
Since its inception just over five years ago, Space Force has primarily been focused on building out the American military’s satellite network in orbit, for better communication and early warning missile launch detection capabilities. Late last year the service announced plans to deploy ground-based jamming systems meant to cut into adversaries’ satellites and overwhelm and disrupt their pick up capabilities. Saltzman’s comments to reporters this month shows that Space Force is looking to expand on that, but add in more outright destructive tools to its arsenal.
Its current space plane project, the X-37B, has completed seven relatively secret and long flights in orbit. The uncrewed, tiny spacecraft is unarmed but some art released by Space Force has imagined other, future space planes physically intercepting enemy satellites.
Saltzman also said at the symposium that the service would soon publish Space Force Doctrine Document One, which would outline Space Force’s vision for orbital control and warfare in detail But from his remarks this month, some ideas are clear. This won’t be U.S. Marines armed with laser weapons and transported via space ship a la “Moonraker,” but a broad array of terrestrial and orbital weapons are being eyed.