China's space program has made remarkable progress over the last 10 years, increasing the need for military dialogue aimed at ascertaining Beijing's ambitions in Earth's orbit, the head of U.S. Strategic Command said yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 3).
"With regard to China's capabilities, I think anyone who's familiar with this business -- and particularly our history in this business over the years -- would have to be absolutely amazed at the advancement that China has made in such a short period of time, whether that be in their unmanned program or the manned program," said Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton.
"They have rapidly advanced over the last 10 years," he said. "Where they're heading I think is one of those things that a lot of people would like to understand better, what their goals and objectives are. But they certainly are on a fast track to improve their capabilities."
The number of nations pursuing space-based military capabilities is increasing, Chilton said, noting that Iran and North Korea have both attempted to place objects in orbit.
"What we've all come to understand is that space is a contested domain. It used to be looked at like a sanctuary. And clearly that's not the case today," he said.
When questioned about a high-level Chinese air force officer's call for Beijing to begin pursuing orbital weapons and defense systems, Chilton said "we'll want to explore and understand exactly what China's intentions are here, and why they might want to go in that direction and what grounds might accommodate a different direction."
A trip to Strategic Command last week by the Chinese military's second-in-command represented a move in the right direction, Chilton said (see GSN, Oct. 27).
"Maybe through dialogue we can better understand what their broader objectives are. I think that's one of the most encouraging things about the visit we had last week," he said, adding that Gen. Xu Caihou's trip was "an initial introductory visit" and that Pentagon officials were "looking for opportunities to begin follow-on dialogue."
Strategic Command is willing to share with Beijing its knowledge of nuclear strategy and space matters, Chilton added (Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, Nov. 3).