‘Stunningly fast’: Top US official warns China could dominate outer space

[beijingwalker]

‘Stunningly fast’: Top US official warns China could dominate outer space​

ByMatthew Knott​

November 30, 2022 — 5.00am

China’s “stunningly fast” advances could soon make the rising superpower the dominant nation in outer space, a top United States official has warned during a visit to Australia.

Lieutenant-General Nina Armagno, the US Space Force director of staff, said it was possible Beijing could overtake the US in space technology within the next 10 to 20 years.

US Space Force’s Nina Armagno says American intelligence analysts now concede China has moved much faster to dominate space than they predicted just a few years ago.CREDIT:BLOOMBERG

“I think it’s entirely possible they could catch up and surpass us, absolutely,” Armagno told a conference organised by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Sydney.
“The progress they’ve made is stunning – stunningly fast.”

Armagno said American intelligence analysts now conceded China had moved much faster to dominate space than they predicted just a few years ago.
“Why are they doing this?” she asked. “I think they see space as an advantage. I think they see space as our Achilles heel.”

Former US president Donald Trump created the Space Force as the sixth branch of the US military in 2019, a move aimed partly at better competing with China in the emerging 21st-century space race.

Beijing has alarmed Western governments by seeking to develop technology to mine asteroids and minor planets for natural resources.

China has also said it wants to become a world leader in collecting and harvesting solar energy using solar-powered satellites – enormous spacecraft with solar panels.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has described the space industry as a critical element of China’s “overall national strategy”, saying: “To explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is our eternal dream.”

The US, meanwhile, has launched the Artemis program with a goal of returning astronauts to the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in December 1972. If successful, the mission will include the first woman and first person of colour to land on the moon.

Armagno said China had conducted “reckless” missile tests that created dangerous amounts of space debris in recent years.

“These debris fields threatened all of our systems in space, and these systems are vital to all nations’ security, economic and scientific interests,” she said.

Brigadier-General G. Michael Adamson, the Royal Canadian Air Force’s director-general for space, told the conference: “The pace of advance of the Chinese enterprise is eye-watering.
“I’ve been operating in this sort of field for the last 2½ years now and even just the change in that 24 to 30 months has just been incredible, disconcerting,” he said.

Adamson said Beijing was working towards a clearly articulated plan to dominate the space domain.

“I don’t think we can claim to be caught by surprise when they’re out doing space mining and things in the decades coming,” he said.

Ye Peijian, the head of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, has likened the moon and Mars to contested islands in the South China Sea that Beijing is attempting to claim.

‘Stunningly fast’: Top US official warns China could dominate outer space

The US Space Force’s director of staff tells a Sydney conference that Beijing could overtake the US in space technology within the next 10 to 20 years.

www.smh.com.au

 

[JSCh]

Well, doesn't look like US attempt to kneecap China space since the Cox report(1999) and then the Wolf amendment(2011) is having its intended effect.

But, I expect US would continue even if it is proven futile.

 

[beijingwalker]

Well, doesn't look like US attempt to kneecap China space since the Cox report(1999) and then the Wolf amendment(2011) is having its intended effect.

But, I expect US would continue even if it is proven futile.

In a couple of years, US will start to say the same thing about China's chip industry

 

[Beny Karachun]

Lieutenant-General Nina Armagno, the US Space Force director of staff, said it was possible Beijing could overtake the US in space technology within the next 10 to 20 years.

So basically she is saying China is 10-20 years behind the US.

 

[beijingwalker]

So basically she is saying China is 10-20 years behind the US.

Not that long, and just in some sectors, in other sectors China is already on par or surpassing, China used to be behind US for half a century, you can be behind someone for 10 years and catch up in just 2 years. Depends on how fast you develop.

US doesn't have a space station while China does.

 

[Beny Karachun]

Not that long, and just in some sectors, in other sectors China is already on par or surpassing, China used to be behind US for half a century, you can be behind someone for 10 years and catch up in just 2 years. Depends on how fast you develop.

US doesn't have a space station while China does.

Not really, she quite clearly says China might be able to overtake the US in 10-20 years.

Anyways, those are all hypotheticals.

You might not know those tricks. It happens here as well. Defense officials always present you the worst case scenario to get more funding. If the US military would say "China is a joke, US has no potential rival" do you think the American people and government would constantly grow the US military budget, giving more money to the defense contractors?

If you would notice it carefully, it applies to many sectors. Whether it's the health fields, hospitals claim they will not have money for crucial medicine (but they do have money for fat pension payments, salaries etc), or a governmental company says it will have to fire many people because they can't pay their small salaries but they can pay for a car for every executive and 5 million dollars per year for the manager and their fat pensions.

It's all about money.

 

[beijingwalker]

You might not know those tricks. It happens here as well. Defense officials always present you the worst case scenario to get more funding. If the US military would say "China is a joke, US has no potential rival" do you think the American people and government would constantly grow the US military budget, giving more money to the defense contractors?

China military chief did say Chinese military was a joke before they finally met what the joke can do in Korean war

It's all about money.

True, and this is China's strength. China can always outspend, outproduce her rivals

 

[Beny Karachun]

China military chief did say Chinese military was a joke before they finally met what the joke can do in Korean war

I would hardly call having 3-5 times the casualties and failing to conquer South Korea a success.

Also that's why the US was caught with its pants down in South Korea. Because they thought their enemy is a joke. It's better to view them as a constantly growing threat and to grow yourself in a competition with them than say "nah they're a joke".

And as I said there's always the financial incentive.

True, and this is China's strength. China can always outspend, outproduce her rivals

Will you really? How would you cope with every ship inbound to China not being able to arrive into China in case of a prolonged war? US and the west would have naval control over pretty much all of the world.

Also, I doubt the outspend part.

 

[beijingwalker]

Also that's why the US was caught with its pants down in South Korea. Because they thought their enemy is a joke. It's better to view them as a constantly growing threat and to grow yourself in a competition with them than say "nah they're a joke".

So either your master US did A or B, you can always find excuses to show your master must be always right.

Will you really? How would you cope with every ship inbound to China not being able to arrive into China in case of a prolonged war? US and the west would have naval control over pretty much all of the world.

So when are they going to stop this?

 

[beijingwalker]

Also, I doubt the outspend part.

“In purchasing power parity, they spend about one dollar to our 20 dollars to get to the same capability.”

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