Head of U.S. Air Force Space Command says threat to military satellites reached tipping point

The U.S. Congress was told by Gen. John Hyten, commander of the Air Force Space Command, that the threat to U.S. military and intelligence satellites have reached a tipping point.

“ASAT Weapon Conception” by unknown, DoD photo – http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imagery.html#guid=4d775e63c0d24847a41a115b52e7cf7ed4e11fb7. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

“Adversaries are developing kinetic, directed-energy, and cyber tools to deny, degrade, and destroy our space capabilities,” Hyten said in a prepared statement for a hearing of the House Armed Service strategic forces subcommittee.

To counter the threats, a new Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center is up and running to monitor space threats, such as anti-satellite missile launches, covert killer robot satellites, and ground-fired lasers that can blind or disrupt satellites, Hyten added.