US military gears up for space war

The potential of a conflict erupting beyond Earth is likely to happen considering that governments have employed weapons in outer space. With this in mind, the US military is preparing to address such threat.

General John Hyten, head of the US Strategic Command, has pointed out that wherever man goes, conflict happens. Considering that miscalculations have occurred during the Wild West and have surfaced twice in Europe, the need to gear up is necessary.

It cannot be denied that currently, space is the next frontier. America, like any other powerful nation, sees the cosmos as an essential part of its arsenal.

Judging from the fact that the risks of cyber intrusions are very real, it is likely that infrastructures and satellites in outer space will be used to trigger confusion and misunderstanding that will eventually lead to war.

As communications get cut off, chaos steps in. World leaders will be restricted within their own backyards. The US military cannot get hold of their technologically-driven armaments such as drones in the Middle East. Missiles and bombs will become ineffective. Precautionary measures against imminent nuclear attacks will be of no use.

Catastrophic conflicts on Earth will likely start in space where systems infrastructures are established. The race to acquire the upper hand in the deep frontier will instigate a space war. This is what has been unraveled in the book entitled, 'Ghost Fleet: Novel of the Next World War, which was written by defense adviser Peter Singer.

America's notable foes in the event of a conflict in space are all too familiar. It is no secret that both Russia and China have already begun unraveling their cyber campaign against the US.

In fact, Moscow has already instituted its multiple satellites called 'Kosmos 2499,' while Beijing has released the satellite-annihilating weapon identified as the 'Shiyan.'

It should be noted that there are weapons already positioned at the International Space Station which is just a hundred miles up within the near Earth orbit. Around 22,000 miles in the geo-stationary sphere, sensitive military equipment and nuclear satellites are in place.

In addition to the US Air Force Space Command, the US military has set into motion the Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center to address deep frontier concerns. Aside from instituting countermeasures against armed threats in space, it is also the responsibility of this group to simulate space war-gaming situations.