By Franz-Stefan Gady
Pentagon officials are deeply worried about Chinese and Russian anti-satellite weapons. Are their concerns justified?
This year, the Pentagon will try to step up its weapons modernization programs and boost investments in cutting-edge defense technology. As the principal rationale behind the Pentagon’s push, top Department of Defense officials cite the fear that the United States will lose its relative technological superiority thanks to the burgeoning technical capabilities of the Chinese and Russian militaries .
Yesterday, speaking at the McAleese/Credit Suisse Defense Programs Conference, Robert O. Work, deputy U.S. secretary of defense, noted that “because of budget uncertainty and restrictions imposed by Congress, and because of our unrelenting focus on the readiness of forward deployed forces, we’re chronically underinvesting in new weapons and capabilities.”
He further emphasized, “That should give all of us pause because our technological dominance is no longer assured (…) We see several nations developing capabilities that threaten to erode our long-assured technological overmatch and our ability to project power.” Chinese and Russian growing military capabilities are particularly worrisome for the Pentagon’s leadership.
Read the full story at The Diplomat