Outer space

Space Wars: The Air Force Awakens

Space warfare isn’t quite at the level of X-Wings and TIE Fighters yet. At the moment, everything revolves around the satellites orbiting Earth. The advantages they provide to the Pentagon are numerous: the Global Positioning System and precision navigation, satellite communications, weather monitoring, ground surveillance and spying, detection of nuclear missile launches.

Yet U.S. space systems are some of the most vulnerable military assets the Defense Department has. A small chuck of metal can easily disable a satellite, as can lasers and other electronic weapons. On the ground, a cyber-attack could cut off the military’s ability to communicate with and control assets in space.

And a spy satellite becomes useless if someone spray paints over the camera — an actual offensive tactic that’s been discussed among space experts.

It’s not an academic exercise. In 1985, the U.S. was first able to destroy a satellite in orbit by launching a missile from a high-flying F-15 Eagle.