Space Force warns of “grave threat” as China accelerates development of counterspace weapons

China is rapidly developing a full spectrum of counterspace weapons capable of disrupting and destroying US space assets, Space Force Chief of Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman warned Thursday in testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, as noted by Defense One.

Calling the threat “grave,” Saltzman outlined Beijing’s expanding portfolio of antisatellite capabilities, including ground-based lasers, jammers, and missiles—and space-based systems that can physically attack or “dogfight” US satellites. “We still haven’t developed the size and set of capabilities necessary to perform these new missions,” he said, noting that many of the service’s requirements remain unfunded.

China’s most aggressive development, Saltzman said, is a satellite-based “kill web” that can detect, track, and target terrestrial forces, a concept that would allow the PLA to leverage real-time space data in a conflict.

The testimony expands on prior warnings. China has practiced on-orbit maneuvers involving proximity operations and satellite grappling—technologies that could enable disabling or capturing adversary satellites.

Saltzman emphasized that the US must now pursue “space superiority” by developing not only defenses for US systems but also offensive capabilities to deny China’s use of space during a conflict. This includes investment across six categories of counterspace weapons—kinetic, directed energy, and jamming—both ground- and space-based.

However, with limited resources, Saltzman said the Space Force is prioritizing nonkinetic systems such as jammers, which are more cost-effective and pose less risk of creating debris. “Destroying something on orbit… should be a last resort,” he said, referencing the orbital debris crises following Chinese and Russian antisatellite missile tests in 2007 and 2021.