COLORADO SPRINGS — Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, warned that the U.S. is in a fast-moving race to defend its orbital assets, driven by growing threats from China. Speaking April 8 at the annual Space Symposium, Whiting outlined the command’s strategy to deter space-based aggression — including preparing for the once-unthinkable war in space.
“Our opponents, most notably China, have accelerated the terrestrial and on-orbit space weapons, expanded their space-enabled kill chains, and are moving at breathtaking speed,” Whiting told attendees.
He emphasized that while the U.S. does not seek conflict in space, it is preparing for it to prevent adversaries from gaining an upper hand. “There has never been a war in space, and we don’t want a war to start in space or to extend into space, and war in space is not inevitable,” Whiting said. Still, he added, “there is no longer any debate that space is a war fighting domain.”
U.S. Space Command, established in 2019 and headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, is one of the military’s unified combatant commands. While it doesn’t procure weapon systems directly, it plays a key role in shaping the Pentagon’s requirements and directing technology efforts through partnerships with private industry and allied governments.
Whiting said the U.S. is prioritizing capabilities such as advanced surveillance tools, maneuverable satellites, and on-orbit defensive and offensive systems. These tools, he argued, are needed to send a clear message to adversaries. Echoing Ronald Reagan’s philosophy, he framed the strategy as “peace through strength.”
“Our opponents have upped their game, so have we,” he said. “We are a combatant command and like all other combatant commands, we must be dominant at war fighting and war winning.”
China’s space arsenal includes satellites equipped for close-proximity maneuvers, refueling capabilities, and potentially offensive systems, said Whiting. The U.S., in turn, is stepping up its own development of dual-use technologies — tools that can perform benign functions like inspection or refueling but may also be used to disable or disrupt enemy systems.
One recent initiative to enhance surveillance of objects in orbit includes a radar installation by LeoLabs, funded with Space Command’s support, to enhance tracking in low Earth orbit. The radar will help the U.S. military monitor launches and satellite movements, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, where concerns about Chinese activity are highest.
“This effort will improve DoD’s ability to minimize gaps in space domain awareness coverage and provide early detection and tracking for space and missile launches in China,” said Whiting.
He also disclosed a new milestone in allied space cooperation: a bilateral proximity operation between the U.S. and France involving a rendezvous near a “strategic competitor spacecraft.” These inspector satellite missions are increasingly viewed as essential to maintaining awareness — and influence — in space.
‘Sustained Space Maneuver’
At the heart of the new push is what Space Command calls “sustained space maneuver,” a military application of the in-space assembly and mobility (ISAM) sector, where companies are exploring refueling, satellite docking, and mobility services.
“America’s rapidly expanding commercial space sector provides a significant asymmetrical advantage over our strategic opponents,” said Whiting.
Through a partnership with Space Force’s SpaceWERX innovation arm, Space Command last fall launched a technology challenge aimed at harnessing private-sector capabilities for maneuverable and serviceable satellites. The effort focuses on systems that can be refueled, perform rendezvous missions, or even deploy grappling arms — potentially usable for defensive or offensive operations in orbit.
“Sustained space operations require the right mix of responsive launch, sustained maneuver, and logistics to allow for the operational availability, movement, and maneuver required to achieve a position of advantage in space over an adversary,” Whiting said.
Out of the submissions, 10 companies were selected for “direct to Phase 2” Small Business Innovation Research contracts, each worth $1.9 million over a 15-month performance window. Their technologies are intended to support U.S. preparations for what military officials increasingly acknowledge could be a long-duration space conflict — even as they stress their hope to avoid one.
“Weapons in space used to be considered inconceivable,” Whiting said. “But they are now necessary in order to compete in the militarized space domain.”
