Russian and Chinese Space Weapons a Major ‘Concern,’ Says Top Canadian Commander

A Long March-2C rocket, carrying the Einstein Probe satellite, lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang, in southwestern China's Sichuan province on Jan. 9, 2024. STR/AFP via Getty Images

A top military commander has raised the alarm about Chinese and Russian space-based weapons, saying a recently launched Russian satellite weapon is a “concern” for the Canadian Armed Forces.

“That’s certainly an issue that concerns us significantly. We’re working with the American Space Force and Space Command in order to understand what that threat might be and understand what implications that might pose,” said Brigadier-General Michael Adamson, Commander of the 3 Canadian Space Division.

Speaking to MPs on the national defence committee, Brig.-Gen. Adamson said he did not believe the new satellite weapon posed “any imminent” danger to Canada, but that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and its allies were attempting to understand the full nature of the threat. He added there was a “possibility” that the weapon may use nuclear weapons to destroy satellites.

The United States warned in February Russia had launched a “troubling” anti-satellite weapon with the capability of causing “physical destruction” on Earth. U.S. officials were tight-lipped about the details, citing the need to keep information classified in light of the new threat, but said they had briefed the Canadian government on the weapon.

However, U.S. government officials told CNN the weapon system could use a nuclear weapon to destroy satellites, which would both cripple military communications and impact the ability of citizens to use the internet and cellphones.

U.S. officials have also claimed the weapon would violate the Outer Space Treaty, which has been signed by more than 130 countries. Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution April 24 about preventing a nuclear arms race in space, calling it a “cynical ploy.”

When it came to Russia’s space-based capabilities, Brig.-Gen. Adamson referred to the country as a “space power in decline” due to a reduced satellite launch rate. “They continue to launch, but not nearly at the rate that they would have in the past, and certainly not at a rate that I think they would continue to enjoy,” he said.

“They continue to field significant capabilities to deny us use of the domain, but we don’t see them using the domain in nearly the same way or nearly as reliant as we have been.”

Chinese Space Weapons

There has been a “huge increase” in the number of satellite launches from Russia and China over the last few years, according to Brig.-Gen. Adamson. He said he was uncertain about the purpose of the satellite launches, adding that “not all of that is necessarily for peaceful academic or scientific use.”

Brig.-Gen. Adamson told the committee Canada’s adversaries had been working on capabilities to deny Canada and its allies the ability to conduct operations in space. “Everything we do, whether it’s aircraft, or ships or tanks, or a soldier walking through the woods, relies on some kind of space-enabled capability,” he said.

The same GPS signals used by the CAF are also used by Canadians to complete tasks like finding their way to a grocery store or responding to emergencies, Brig.-Gen. Adamson warned. “So certainly there’s added interest and impetus for us to be able to address those things,” he said.

Brig.-Gen. Adamson also addressed a leaked U.S. intelligence report claiming China is building a cyber weapon to take control of enemy satellites, “rendering them useless for data signals or surveillance during wartime.” He said the CAF’s Joint Force Cyber Component is equipped to understand and counter those threats.

Brig.-Gen. Adamson’s testimony came a day after Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, told reporters China was moving at “breathtaking speed” to develop space-based weapons. He said over the last six years, China had tripled its surveillance and reconnaissance satellites in orbit.

“That obviously is a cause for concern, and something that we are watching very, very closely,” he said.