Director of National Intelligence Daniel R. Coats has stated in his report that in the era of global space expansion, some countries, such as Russia and China are seeking to create antisatellite weapons (ASAT) to reduce the military effectiveness of US (and its allies') forces on the ground. According to the report, these weapons will reach their operational capacity within a few years.
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National Intelligence claims that China has already formed special military units, which began training with existing missile-based ASAT weapons. According to the report, Russia "probably" has the same system under development, with no further details on the country's antisatellite program being given.
The report also elaborates the thought that some peaceful space technologies, such as satellite inspection, refueling and repair, may be allegedly used by these two countries to launch an offensive on US satellites.
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The report came out at roughly the same time as news resurfaced about the US plans to launch additional Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) (also knows as "doomsday") satellites, which can be used to establish reliable communications even after a nuclear attack or in the event of jamming devices being used. There are currently four such satellites in orbit and the US will spend $29.8 million to launch two more.
