Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten believes that China and Russia have been attempting to outpace the U.S. in military matters with regard to space and that the Pentagon is now moving to counter the foreseen “challenge” of possibly being outmaneuvered and outgunned in space. If a World War 3 scenario were to actualize, he thinks the U.S. should be prepared to meet said challenge.

The Washington Times reported last week that Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, who has been chosen as the next commander of Strategic Command, told Congress’ Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S. is moving to counter the threat of a space war disadvantage with China and Russia. He said China and Russia are currently in the process of developing anti-satellite missiles, laser guns, and maneuvering killer space robots that could, once deployed, knock out or incapacitate strategic U.S. communications, navigation and intelligence satellites. As military experts know, these craft are crucial to the maintenance and actionability of America’s high-technology warfare systems.

“The Department of Defense has aggressively moved out to develop responses to the threats that we see coming from China and Russia. I believe it’s essential that we go faster in our responses.”

Committee chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) noted that he had received classified information from the general about the rapid buildup of the other countries and had found the news “deeply disturbing.”

“I keep up with what is going on in the world, but I was not aware of the significance of the depth of the challenge until our conversation yesterday,” McCain added, referring to a private meeting he’d had with Gen. Hyten on Monday.

Hyten made it clear that the present state of America’s space war capabilities were still sufficient to contest and defeat potential enemies. However, he also made it clear that he had doubts concerning the U.S. military’s capability of doing so in the future.

“I do have some concerns for our ability to move fast enough to build those capabilities that we need to respond to the specific threats I shared with you [Monday, September 19], sir. We’re moving much slower in certain areas than our adversaries. We need our industry and our acquisition process to move faster, sir,” General Hyten said, directing his words at Sen. McCain.

The general went on to detail that strategic threats were “many and complicated” and went on to list a few: the spread of advanced arms technology, advances in ballistic missiles, and threats in space and cyberspace.

Hyten also pinpointed nations that seemed to be the most likely to become opponents in the aforementioned threat areas.

“And most concerning [is] the increasingly provocative and destabilizing behavior by potential adversaries like Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.”

General Hyten highlighted Russia and China as particular likely adversaries, given that the countries are building electronic warfare capabilities like those used in Russia’s takeover of Ukraine, and by China in its provocative island-building in the South China Sea.

As the Inquisitr has reported, the war drums and saber-rattlings of several nations have prompted fears of scenarios where World War 3 could easily become a reality. Worse, retired NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove warned (also reported by the Inquisitr) that NATO, in its present state, was ill-prepared to stop an aggressive Russia from overrunning Europe and, given its air and naval superiority, cutting off the continent from aid from the Western Hemisphere.

Gen. Hyten’s warnings bring into focus the importance and necessity of space-based technology for modern warfare, even if a limited World War 3 scenario were to play out with conventional forces.

Source: Inquisitor