Key ideas
- •The perception of space has shifted; it is now seen as a critical battlefield rather than just a support system for military operations. The collaboration between the US and Australia highlights the importance of controlling space in modern warfare.
- •China has rapidly increased its satellite count and has developed advanced capabilities to monitor and track US and allied forces. Their space program, which includes counter-space weapons, poses a significant challenge to the US and its allies.
- •Russia views space as essential for future military conflicts and has developed weapons to target US satellites. Despite facing technological and funding issues, Russia continues to invest in military space capabilities, raising concerns about their potential threat to global space operations.
In modern military history, the world powers focused primarily on land, sea, and air battles. Space served merely as a support system, providing communication and intelligence from orbit to support the ground operations. However, the century-old idea that whoever controls the sky controls the battlefield no longer applies. Today, the situation has changed, and space is now an important area to control.
The change is most visible in the Indo-Pacific region, where on June 3, Australia and the United States strengthened their collaboration in the space domain. Both nations signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to deepen cooperation in military space operations. The SoI recognized that space-based tools are essential for modern conflicts and for maintaining a safe and effective space environment. The collaboration aims to counter Russia and China’s space growth.
During a recent visit to Australia, Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, the commander of the US Space Force Combat Forces Command, said that space has clearly become a battlefield due to increasing threats from China and Russia. He also highlighted that the teamwork between the US and Australia gives them a special advantage in location and operations that their enemies cannot match. “We’re at another dynamic point in the history of warfare where the air is no longer the high ground. Space is the high ground,” Lt. Gen. Gagnon stated.
He pointed out that by leveraging the strengths and strategic locations of both countries, the Joint Force can identify enemy positions and maintain secure communications over long distances. He said these abilities are now essential for how allies conduct warfare.
China’s space expansion
In 2013, China had a few dozen satellites. Today, that number has increased to around 1,400. About half of these satellites are used for remote sensing in the Indo-Pacific region. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) uses these satellites to track US and allied naval and ground forces in real time, sending targeting information directly to its large number of long-range missiles.
“They are not moving out slowly. They are moving out like a world-class sprinter, and they are making gains,” said Gagnon, noting that the PLA’s space force is now three times the size of America’s. The use of space as a battleground is evident in China’s recent developments. The PLA has developed, tested, and deployed various counter-space weapons, including ground-based missiles that can destroy satellites, first shown in 2007, and ground-based lasers that can blind satellites.
In 2025, China launched 93 rockets into space and put around 370 payloads into orbit, according to the US Space Force. By the end of the year, China had more than 1,353 satellites in orbit. By mid-February, China had launched 108 G60 satellites and 154 SatNet satellites into low Earth orbit. These satellites are part of two large planned groups designed to compete with Western satellite networks.
China uses at least 10 of these satellites to improve its ability to monitor and track objects in space, helping the country to enhance its ground-based systems for watching and identifying space objects. In addition, the PLA is developing more advanced space capabilities and expanding its stockpile of remotely controlled weapons, enabling precise, long-range attacks against US and allied forces.
Russia not behind
Russia has also acted aggressively in space, launching prototype weapons and moving its satellites close to US assets. “They have built the weapons to attack us in space. They have practiced using those weapons to attack us in space,” Gagnon pointed out. “They didn’t do that just because they had nothing else to do.”
Russia has one of the world’s largest space programs and sees space as important for future military conflicts. In 2015, Russia combined its military space units into the Aerospace Forces. However, its technological progress has slowed due to funding constraints and international isolation. In 2025, Russia launched only 17 times, well below its average of over 26 launches per year from 1995 to 2015.
Russia has mostly stepped back from launching rockets internationally. Although it still has expertise in rocket engines and launch systems, it is falling behind the US and China. The country runs advanced satellites for intelligence, but it increasingly relies on civil and commercial companies. For instance, it buys images from Chinese firms for military use.
While promoting arms control talks, Russia is still building systems to attack satellites. In 2021, it tested a missile that can destroy satellites, creating a lot of space debris that puts all countries in low Earth orbit at risk. Russia has also launched several military satellites that could threaten the US. It has deployed Peresvet laser weapons that can hide missile launches and is expected to deploy more powerful ones by 2030. Moreover, it is working on a satellite that may have a nuclear capability to destroy satellites, which poses a serious threat to global satellite operations and space services.
Response of the US
In response, the US is trying to partner with its allies in the Indo-Pacific to counter Russia’s and China’s space growth, with Australia at the forefront. Relying only on defensive strategies is no longer effective for the US Joint Force and its allies, according to the US Space Command. “Controlling space is essential for the success of our allies and for operations across multiple domains.” A key part of this shared defense is Space Domain Awareness (SDA), which Gagnon highlighted as one of Australia’s most important contributions.
Australia’s position in the Southern Hemisphere makes it an ideal location to observe satellites and other objects in low Earth orbit. Gagnon said, “In Australia, there is a powerful telescope that detects things in space. It’s not used to look at stars; it’s used to look at satellites.” The United States Space Force’s geographic positioning is a major advantage. “Our strong partnership with Great Britain and Australia improves our strategic position because it gives us a geographic edge that our enemies lack,” Gagnon said. The spread of these three countries enables the alliance to maintain a near-constant watch over space.
In addition, the US and Australia are working together more closely in technology by sharing systems. They are coordinating on missile warnings, using the Wideband Global SATCOM satellite system, and discussing new low Earth orbit satellite networks. This cooperation also includes people from different countries. Australian, Canadian, and British officers work directly in US Space Force units to improve joint skills.
Recently, the first group of 16 individuals from the Australian Defense Force’s Space Initial Employment Training (IET) course, which ran from January 28 to May 14, also graduated. The course taught effective decision-making in space operations amid large amounts of information. It helped personnel turn complex technical data into clear mission goals through individual and team activities and assessments.
In addition to Australia, the US is enhancing its space partnerships with India, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Recently, Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of US Space Command, visited the US Indo-Pacific area for the Raisina Dialogue and discussions with US and Indian leaders. He discussed the US-India space partnership, including projects such as the Axiom-4 mission and the NASA-ISRO collaboration, and explored further security cooperation. Additionally, he participated in a commercial roundtable with industry leaders hosted by the Indian Space Association to strengthen defense integration and access to space.
The US Space Forces Japan will also have its own headquarters and add 60 new guardians next year. South Korea is becoming an important player in defense space activities, doing so quickly, even though it started later than Japan. In 2022, for the first time, the country launched its own satellite using a domestically built rocket. South Korea and the United States are working more closely together in space. While they have not yet developed joint capabilities, they have increased their discussions and activities related to space in recent years.
