Securing Space Supremacy

Xu’s comments that space is a “new commanding height for interna­tional strategic competition,” that competition in space is an “inevitable trend,” and “having control of space means having control of the ground, oceans, and electromagnetic space” are also common themes in PLAAF writings. PLAAF analysts assess that the role space plays in providing information and in link­ing units together into a networked force will turn the space domain into a contested battlefield. This conclusion is rooted in Chinese military doctrine that now regards the use of information as the main determiner of success on the battlefield. In fact, PLA analysts widely consider space as the domi­nant domain from which to collect intelligence and to facilitate network-cen­tric warfare practices.38

This conclusion is partially based on the U. S. military’s experience in the 1991 Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to Chinese analysis, the United States used over 100 satellites during the 1991 Gulf War and 70 satellites during Operation Allied Force. The use of these satellites and the C4ISR systems they supported were the primary reason for U. S. victories. These capabilities allowed the U. S. military to have an asymmetric superiority over its opponents gained through battlefield transparency and long-range precision strikes.39 The primacy of information gained from space has led many PLAAF analysts to conclude that space is the new commanding high ground of the bat­tlefield.40 Because of this, PLA analysts conclude that the primacy of information derived from space will make satellites irresistible targets. As a result, space will become a battlefield and seizing that battlefield will determine the success of air, naval, and ground operations.41 Operations to seize control of space are referred to as space warfare, called tian zhan (^$), taikong zhan (^Й№), or kongjian zhan (ЙЙЙ) in Chinese, involving military engagements that mainly take place in space between two parties trying to seize or maintain space superiority.

Space warfare is described as a new operational method in air and space integrated operations and an important method of achieving military superior­ity.42 Space warfare operations can be divided into space-based, air-based, and ground-based operations. These can include ground-based directed energy strikes and space-based kinetic energy strikes, airborne lasers, and electronic countermeasures. Chinese writers also refer to using space stations and space planes to conduct ASAT attacks.43 Space stations can also serve as a command and control base, a communications node, and a logistics and maintenance hub for spacecraft and as a platform for strategic weapons.44

Including the goal of achieving space supremacy in the definition of space warfare indicates that the PLAAF is attempting to take on the counter­space role. The same source that defined air and space integrated operations defines space supremacy as:45

During times of war, the control of a certain area of space for a certain period of time by one side. Its goal is to ensure one’s freedom of action in space and its full access to space resources and to limit the other side’s freedom of action in space and access to space resources.

Seizing space superiority is also described as one of the necessary condi­tions for achieving ground, naval, and air superiority, leading many analysts to conclude that whoever controls space will seize the initiative.46

This definition of space supremacy is largely consistent with other Chinese definitions of space supremacy, and is, as well, consistent with the U. S Air Force (USAF) definition found in Air Force Doctrine Document 2-2, Space Operations: 47

Space Superiority is that level of control in the space domain that one force enjoys over another that permits the conduct of operations at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by the opposing force. Space superiority may be localized in time and space, or it may be broad and persistent. Achieving space superiority is of primary con­cern since it allows control and exploitation of the space domain in order to provide space effects in and through space. The Air Force achieves space superiority through counterspace operations, including offensive and defensive operations, both of which are based on robust space situ­ational awareness.

One important difference between the two definitions is the Chinese ref­erence to space superiority occurring within a certain time and area, whereas the USAF definition states that space superiority “may be localized in time and space, or it may be broad and persistent.” The Chinese definition reflects doc­trinal writings, which stress seizing the initiative at a certain place and period of time in order to open a window of opportunity that can be used to strike a decisive blow. This limited goal also recognizes that the PLA, as a weaker force compared to the U. S. military, will most likely not be able to maintain the ini­tiative for long periods of time over an expansive area.