
US space chief warns of emerging threats from China and Russia
'The PRC has developed what we've kind of, you know, tongue in cheek, called a 'kill web,' and it's nothing more than a series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor network that provide real-time updates, targeting quality information of our force,' Saltzman said, warning that the strategy represents the biggest threat in U.S. adversaries' growing space capabilities.
Saltzman emphasized the need to bolster U.S. capacity to disrupt the satellite network, saying it most acutely affects the Indo Pacific region.
But China's kill web isn't the only area of concern for the space chief. Saltzman also noted Beijing's 'accelerated ability to put capacity on orbit,' adding that Russia, another major U.S. adversary, is similarly demonstrating strength in that arena.
Russia, which is partnering with China to launch a joint lunar exploration project dubbed the International Lunar Research Station, also poses major threats to U.S. space defense, Saltzman said.
'The Russians are demonstrating reckless aggressive behaviors with regards to how they intend to contest the space domain that will have far-reaching impacts beyond any localized military effect,' Saltzman said, outlining three major areas of concern in Russian space technology development.
Russia's demonstrated kinetic kill capability, which saw it destroying a satellite and generating massive amounts of orbital debris in 2021 before launching its invasion into Ukraine; its cyber attack against Viasat the day it began its Ukrainian incursion and continued jamming efforts; and its ambition of putting a nuclear weapon on orbit all pose significant threats to security, the space chief said.
Saltzman's warnings come as the two U.S. adversaries ramp up their efforts to expand their space capabilities. Just last week, Beijing and the Kremlin signed a deal to build a joint nuclear power plant on the moon to power their planned International Lunar Research Station. The project aims to create a permanent base on the moon by the mid-2030s, in competition with the U.S.-led Artemis moon mission.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Dozens injured, including child, in Russian strikes using new type of bomb being tested on civilians
KHARKIV, Ukraine — Thirty-three civilians — including a 10-year-old and two teenagers — were wounded in strikes Thursday in Kharkiv, where Russian forces are testing out a new type of 'glide bomb' on innocent people. The Post was on scene as war crimes investigators, firefighters, humanitarian and emergency services arrived just minutes after the back-to-back strikes, which hit a residential apartment building and a textiles factory around 11:15 a.m. local time. 'I was just coming from my kitchen when I heard the bomb,' building resident Svetlana Shevcheko said. 'I never thought about leaving Kharkiv before, but I am thinking now.' 5 Thirty-three civilians were wounded in strikes in Kharkiv, where Russian forces are testing out a new type of 'glide bomb.' Edoardo Marangon/ZUMA Press Wire / 5 Residents leave the site of a Russian air strike. REUTERS The northeastern Ukrainian city is just 15 miles from the Russian border, so bombs and missiles can strike into the city before residents are alerted to an incoming air raid. The strike used a new kind of glide bomb, which is a repurposed Soviet-era weapon outfitted with aerodynamic wings for more targeted precision and range. The new bombs used in Kharkiv have a range of somewhere between 90 and 100 km — an increase of about 10 to 20 km — allowing Russia to strike further into the city. 5 The new bombs used in Kharkiv have a range of somewhere between 90 and 100 km, allowing Russia to strike further into the city. Edoardo Marangon/ZUMA Press Wire / 5 The glide bomb is a repurposed Soviet-era weapon with more targeted precision and range. REUTERS 5 The back-to-back strikes hit a residential apartment building and a textiles factory around 11:15 a.m. local time. REUTERS 'They are testing this out on civilians,' chief war crimes prosecutor for the Kharkiv district Spartak Borisenko told The Post. 'Patriot [air-defense systems, made by the US] are the only way to strike them down. The bombs carried 250 kg worth of explosives, he said, creating a blast radius of 500 meters.


CNBC
17 minutes ago
- CNBC
Nvidia addresses AI chip smuggling, says bootleg datacenters are a 'losing proposition'
Nvidia said Thursday that datacenters built with smuggled chips are a "losing proposition" and that it does not support unauthorized products. The statement came in response to a Financial Times report that at least $1 billion worth of its artificial intelligence chips illegally entered China. "Trying to cobble together datacenters from smuggled products is a losing proposition, both technically and economically," a spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. "Datacenters require service and support, which we provide only to authorized NVIDIA products." According to the FT report, at least $1 billion worth of the company's chips entered China as President Donald Trump rolled out restrictions on shipments of the company's H20 chips to the world's second-largest economy. Nvidia's B200 chips, which are prohibited from being sold to China, have become popular on the black market despite restrictions, the Financial Times reported, citing sales contracts, company filings and people familiar with the deals. Chinese distributors began selling the chips in May to data center suppliers whose customers include Chinese AI groups, the report said. For years, the U.S. and China have competed to lead the artificial intelligence race. China serves as a major market for chipmakers, but the U.S. has restricted many advanced processor sales there due to national security concerns. Last week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said it would soon resume selling its H20 chips to China after a breakthrough with the Trump administration on regulations. The U.S. government had effectively blocked sales to China in April when it told the company it would require a license. The chip was created to work around previous export controls on China. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has said he wants to sell more advanced chips than the H20 to China.

Engadget
an hour ago
- Engadget
$1 billion of NVIDIA AI chips were reportedly sold in China despite US bans
Financial Times is reporting that $1 billion worth of NVIDIA AI chips were smuggled into China in the three months after the Trump administration tightened semiconductor export controls . Citing sales contracts, company documents and people with direct knowledge, the publication says that a thriving black market arose for American semiconductors. Products sold included NVIDIA's top‑tier B200 chips, which have become the silicon of choice for American big tech when training AI models. Sale of these chips to China is banned by the United States. With journalists on the ground in China, Financial Times reports on a veritable web of third‑party data center operators, middlemen and purportedly smuggled ready‑built racks that have all materialized to meet the demand for NVIDIA's most powerful chips. Along with the B200, the H100 and H200 are also restricted yet highly sought after. All of these are far more capable than the weaker H20 chip, which was designed to comply with export restrictions for sale to China, though even that model has faced on and off export bans. NVIDIA, for its part, told Financial Times it has 'no evidence of any AI chip diversion' and that 'trying to cobble together data centers from smuggled products is a losing proposition, both technically and economically.' NVIDIA explained, 'Data centers require service and support, which we provide only to authorized NVIDIA products.' Images produced by Financial Times show boxes of server racks emblazoned with company logos such as Supermicro and ASUS being advertised on social media in China. Those companies deny any knowledge of how their products ended up on the Chinese black market, and Financial Times is not alleging any such involvement. Reporting suggests that some Southeast Asian countries have become hubs for Chinese groups to obtain restricted chips. Having these server racks shipped to Thailand or Malaysia may circumvent US export controls. The US Department of Commerce is reportedly considering increasing export controls on advanced AI chips to these countries. The demand for these products is without question, and as one Chinese distributor told Financial Times , 'History has proven many times before that given the huge profit, arbitrators will always find a way.'