“From an intelligence perspective … about half of what we do is focused on China. About 25 percent of what we do is focused on Russia, and a lot of that has to do because of the current conflict,” US Space Force intelligence deputy chief Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon said, The Defense Post reported.
He further revealed that the US now has 1,500-plus space intelligence professionals, most tasked with paying specific attention to the two other military superpowers.
The remaining 25 percent of intelligence-gathering, according to Gagnon, is allotted for “the rest of the world” and the commercial sector.
The decision to focus on China and Russia was influenced by US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s statement about the two nations being Washington’s key peer adversaries.
Gagnon stated that Beijing receives persistent monitoring because of the pace at which it has been improving its space capabilities.
“About three or four years ago, the [People’s Republic of China] was just getting to 400 satellites. Today, they’re about to punch through 800,” he disclosed.
Earlier this year, US Chief of Space Operations General Bradley Chance Saltzman warned that China and Russia remain the “most challenging threats” in space for the US military.
Kendall also cautioned that Beijing has the potential to put weapons in space that could strike its enemies.
US officials have expressed concern at various times about the alliance between Russia and China and the growing power of these two countries. Former US President Donald Trump claimed that the alliance between China and Russia is the most dangerous thing for the United States.
The United States is trying in every way to weaken Russia in the international community, and reports show that American aid to Ukraine alone has exceeded one hundred billion dollars.
SKH/PR
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