International Relations
Spacecom: A New Pentagon Command
- 02 Sep 2019
- 2 min read
Recently, the US President has launched a new Pentagon command (Spacecom) dedicated to warfare in space.
- The US has announced this, due to threat perception it feels from China and Russia in Space.
- The Space Command is the Pentagon's 11th full command and the second to be launched in two years.
- In 2018, the Pentagon elevated its cyber warfare operations to CyberCom, recognizing that online attacks and defence constituted a unique theatre of combat.
- US president also announced that SpaceCom will be followed by the establishment of the United States Space Force as the sixth branch of the United States armed forces.
- There are 5 existing forces in the US: the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
- The U.S. Air Force already has a dedicated space warfare operation.
- However, the SpaceCom will elevate space facilities (largely the satellites and high-altitude aircraft essentials) to modern-day warfare, which has emerged as a focused theatre of combat.
- The challenges In the Space domain range from adversaries jamming communications and GPS satellites to ground-launched missiles used to physically destroy satellites.
- It can be noted that India recently tested its anti-satellite missile under Mission Shakti.
- Also, in order to address the new-age challenges to national security, the Government of India decided to set up three new agencies — the Defence Cyber Agency, the Defence Space Agency and the Special Operations Division in late 2018.
- Moreover, the newly instituted Defence Space Agency will administer the Defence Space Research Organization (DSRO) whose objective is to create weapons to deny, degrade, disrupt, destroy or deceive an adversary’s space capability.
