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U.S. Satellites Are Being Attacked Every Day According To Space Force General
The War Zone ^ | November 30, 2021 | Joseph Trevithick

Posted on 12/01/2021 8:16:53 AM PST by PIF

Space Force general details how jamming, blinding lasers, cyber attacks, and other satellites have America's space-based capabilities under siege.

US. Space Force's General David Thompson said last week that Russia and China are launching "reversible attacks," such as electronic warfare jamming, temporarily blinding optics with lasers, and cyber attacks, on U.S. satellites "every single day.

“The Chinese are actually well ahead of Russia. They're fielding operational systems at an incredible rate.”

... when asked, Thompson could not confirm or deny whether any American satellites had actually been damaged in a Russian or Chinese attack. Beyond that ... even if such a thing had occurred, that very fact would be classified.

There may come a point where we demonstrate some of our capabilities so that our adversaries understand they cannot deny us the use of space without consequence,” then-Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson had said

“That capability needs to be one that’s understood by your adversary,” she added. “They need to know there are certain things we can do, at least at some broad level, and the final element of deterrence is uncertainty. How confident are they that they know everything we can do? Because there’s a risk calculation in the mind of an adversary.”

To date, the only publicly acknowledged offensive counter-space weapon it has is a variant of the Counter Communications System. Space Force operates the Block 10.2 version of the CCS, but a Block 10.3 type is now in development

U.S. officials have at least strongly implied that the U.S. military's offensive counter-space capabilities are not limited to CCS.

“It's not enough to stand in the ring and take punches,” then-U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said at the same event. "You have to have the will and capability to punch back.

(Excerpt) Read more at thedrive.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: satellite; space; weapons
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Think about this next time your cell phone doesn't work or your TV signal sound drops out and the picture freezes as examples of our use of space which can be denied at any given time.
1 posted on 12/01/2021 8:16:53 AM PST by PIF
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To: PIF

Weakness invites attack. It’s only going to get worse.


2 posted on 12/01/2021 8:22:12 AM PST by brownsfan (It's going to take real, serious, hard times to wake the American public.)
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To: PIF

“Think about this next time your cell phone doesn’t work ...”

Wonder how vulnerable all of that stuff is. We know about the ransomware, etc.

Odd we haven’t heard of the attacks on satellites before. Is the general trying to justify the Space Force’s existence?


3 posted on 12/01/2021 8:25:09 AM PST by cymbeline
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To: brownsfan

“Woke” military is going to get us into a world of hurts.


4 posted on 12/01/2021 8:28:56 AM PST by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: PIF

That’s an act of war.

Where’s the “For God’s sakes, DO something!” meme?


5 posted on 12/01/2021 8:29:40 AM PST by SaxxonWoods
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To: PIF

The threat is very real. Remember Russia just destroyed one of its (old) satellites just to show us they can do it. And China’s hypersonic projectile-launching missiles seem to’ve caught everyone off guard. Yes, the threat is very real. And the US and Nato insist on poking the Bear . . . We’d better hope our nifty Space Force has got something similar or better up its sleeve.


6 posted on 12/01/2021 8:31:18 AM PST by Blurb2350 (posted from my 1500-watt blow dryer)
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To: PIF
The fact that our military is revealing this information publicly indicates one of two things:

1.) They don't want to get blamed when China/Russia launches an attack and we're caught with our pants around our ankles, or...

2.) The weakness is only a pretense.

Which is more likely?
7 posted on 12/01/2021 8:32:34 AM PST by Antoninus (Republicans are all honorable men.)
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To: PIF

bttt


8 posted on 12/01/2021 8:32:47 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.)
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To: PIF

And I was blaming Netflix all this time....


9 posted on 12/01/2021 8:33:57 AM PST by Magnum44 (...against all enemies, foreign and domestic...)
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To: PIF

Just remember the middle and bomber gap the Pentagon and cia lied about back in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s in order to extort bigger budgets for the Pentagon. This is most likely the same kind of lie as back then.


10 posted on 12/01/2021 8:43:13 AM PST by fatman6502002 ((The Team The Team The Team - Bo Schembechler circa 1969))
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To: fatman6502002

The missile and bomber gap. Effing autofil.


11 posted on 12/01/2021 8:43:58 AM PST by fatman6502002 ((The Team The Team The Team - Bo Schembechler circa 1969))
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To: Antoninus
The fact that our military is revealing this information publicly indicates one of two things:

1.) They don't want to get blamed when China/Russia launches an attack and we're caught with our pants around our ankles, or...

2.) The weakness is only a pretense.

Which is more likely?


I'll go with Door #2 - they clearly don't care about blame after the fiasco in Afghanistan. It won't matter.

"Weaknesses" are always a pretense, in order to push funding levels up.
12 posted on 12/01/2021 8:45:00 AM PST by larrytown (A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do. Then they graduate...)
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To: PIF

As in every war, the proper response is to destroy the enemy’s command and control system. The Chinese cannot use this capability if we destroy their ability to control it.

Attack this at its ground source.

There are personnel and computers directing this. TAKE THEM OUT.


13 posted on 12/01/2021 8:46:12 AM PST by Gnome1949
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To: PIF

I recall Jerry Pournelle mentioning in one of his non-fiction books that we have had ‘hunter killer’ type satellites since at least the late 70s. He was pretty matter of fact about it if I recall, all they supposedly did back then was get really close to another satellite and blast it with a shotgun until it was rendered non-functional.

Freegards


14 posted on 12/01/2021 8:46:49 AM PST by Ransomed
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To: Ransomed

Doesn’t have to be anything that dramatic. I have read of a device that, when planted on a satellite, creates a slight oscillation. The targeted satellite attempts to compensate by firing its attitude rockets to stabilize itself. Over time the satellite runs out of fuel and is effectively a mission-kill. Best part: it looks like a typical malfunction from mission support’s perspective.


15 posted on 12/01/2021 9:03:37 AM PST by Tallguy
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To: Blurb2350

We destroyed one of our failing satellites like 10-12 years ago with a SM-3 missile fired from a guided missile cruiser so Russia is just now showing us they a similar capability


16 posted on 12/01/2021 9:07:02 AM PST by srmanuel (`)
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To: PIF
Think about this next time your cell phone doesn't work or your TV signal sound drops out and the picture freezes as examples of our use of space which can be denied at any given time.

We know it is "The Dawg" and "Miss Hillary" who gave the Chicoms all the technology to do this garbage.

Obama helped them out by using Miss Hillary to give this info to the Chicoms.

Believe me Obama is not a Saint on this garbage.

17 posted on 12/01/2021 9:13:10 AM PST by TheConservativeTejano (The Business of America is Business)
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To: cymbeline

Odd we haven’t heard of the attacks on satellites before


We haven’t because, as he said, the existence of attacks has been classified. Specific attacks and the results still are classified. He saying that attacks are happening and we have a capability to do something about it, but have not to date (unless they have and are classified). Further, nothing more will be revealed unless it goes into open space war.


18 posted on 12/01/2021 9:17:19 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: TheConservativeTejano

Neither Clinton gave or sold them this tech, as far as anyone knows - they may have stolen it from us or the Russians, who are notoriously laid back about selling their stuff for cash.

What St. 0bama did or did not do in this regard is just speculation ; Bill’s treason is documented. We have no idea what the SAP files were on Stinky’s PC because they are classified, only that she had some SAP files about something classified. More than that is presently, just speculation.


19 posted on 12/01/2021 9:24:07 AM PST by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: PIF

Yeah baloney. If there really was a threat they would have never fired Col. Lohmier, who was a demonstrated first class officer, because he reported up the chain when he saw training that was marxist and directly opposed the US Constitution.

They must not have any real threats to worry about and just want more money.


20 posted on 12/01/2021 9:38:54 AM PST by DesertRhino (Dogs are called man's best friend. Moslems hate dogs. Add it up....)
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