Russia and China Outmaneuvering the West in Weaponizing Space

China and Russia have been quickly building and deploying both ground and space-based weapons intended for destroying satellites. At the same time, China and Russia have been pressing the United States to agree to a treaty prohibiting anti-satellite weapons. The United States possesses a significant number of critical space-based military capabilities. When viewed from the outside, the treaty sounds ideal. Nobody desires a space-based arms race.

These space-based capabilities include communications, missile defense, intelligence, and other satellites. If the U.S. is to be successful in stopping aggression of authoritarian regimes, Washington needs to prevent being drawn into international treaties that other competing powers have no intention of respecting or following.

Beijing and Moscow have submitted The Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space and of the Threat or Use of Force Against Outer Space Objects (PPWT) to the United Nations. The PPWT obligates signing countries not to place any weapons in outer space. Additionally, the treaty prohibits countries from using or threatening to use force against satellites or other objects in space.

Outside the forum of the United Nations, both Russia and China have been rushing to deploy anti-satellite weaponry and have been successfully developing and fielding this weaponry for years. Space is already being contested and has been militarized by China and Russia. According to international diplomacy researchers such as the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, both China and Russia have previously tested their anti-satellite weaponry which is capable of destroying satellites in orbit. Additionally, these countries have already been deploying space-based capabilities that could be used to destroy satellites. A Russian satellite previously conducted a weapons test that fired what seemed to be a space torpedo. These weaponized satellites have been veiled in public discourse, by being disingenuously described as peaceful commercial satellites. It does not appear as if Russia or China have any intention of being honest or transparent about their ambitions to weaponize space.

Despite these realities, China and Russia have been rushing the PPWT to be signed. The PPWT states that all governments should not be the first to place weapons in space. In practice, this treaty would protect China and Russia’s already existing space-based weapons while stopping the United States from developing its capabilities. Moreover, the PPWT does not provide any actual mechanism for inspecting or checking that satellites are in fact used for non-military purposes.

The United States and its allies need to build the resilience and capability of military and intelligence space-based platforms. Organizations committed to the defense of democracies believe giving in to a treaty like the PPWT only handcuffs the United States while allowing China and Russia to maintain and build their space-weaponization capabilities. If rules are to be laid out for international conduct in space, they need to be done through genuine efforts that would produce actual compliance instead of advancing authoritarian regimes. Russia and China are already engaged in a space-based weapons race, and the United States and its allies need to be careful to prevent being outmaneuvered diplomatically.