Outer space

Commentary: US Needs To Prepare for Space War

The United States needs to prepare for war in space. For many years, conventional wisdom held that readying to fight in space was unduly provocative and destabilizing. Many hoped that military competition and war could be confined to Earth.

This may or may not have been a noble aspiration, but it is no longer in touch with reality. The United States therefore needs to face facts and develop the strategy and capabilities to fight and prevail in a war that reaches into space.

The basic reason why is that potential US adversaries — and particularly formidable nuclear-armed ones like Russia and China — are gearing up to take any war with the United States into space. China has conducted several anti-satellite missile tests in recent years, including one out to geosynchronous orbit, where many crucial US satellites are located.