China could overtake US capabilities by 2030, space force general warns

China is
developing its space capabilities at “twice the rate” of the US, vice chief of space operations for the US Space Force General David Thompson has warned. 

Speaking at a meeting, featuring
US space experts and leaders, at the Reagan National Defence Forum, Thompson said “if we don’t start accelerating our development and delivery
capabilities” China will “exceed us”.

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“The fact, that in essence, on
average, they are building and fielding and updating their space capabilities
at twice the rate we are means that very soon, if we don’t start accelerating
our development and delivery capabilities, they will exceed us,” Thompson said, adding, “2030 is not an unreasonable estimate.”

Thompson was joined by Representative Jim
Cooper, a Tennessee Democrat who chairs the House Armed Services Committee’s
strategic forces subcommittee, which helps oversee the Space Force’s budget,
and Chris Kubasik, president and CEO of L3Harris Technologies, a defence
contractor that develops Space and Airborne Systems.

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Cooper said, “Hell yes,” when
asked if the US is competing in a so-called space race with China. Both Thompson and Kubasik agreed with Cooper’s assessment.

Of late, Cooper has been advocating for the
Space Force but said it is not moving fast enough to “keep up” with
private industry.

“It’s great that the private sector is
so much more innovative than our Air Force was, and we need to get the Space
Force to be much more innovative and try to keep up with the private
sector,” Cooper said.

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“To really be superior, we’ve got to
go beyond Elon Musk’s imagination, Jeff Bezos’ imagination, beyond their
pocketbooks. (The) budget right now is $17 billion — that’s a lot of money,
but considering how crucial space is, are we doing enough?” he added.

Cooper said the Space Force should be more
like the National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees government space
satellites and provides satellite intelligence to several US agencies.

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“The NRO has actually done a pretty
amazing job,” Cooper said. “They’re not as well-known as some other
agencies. … But I had a recent side-by-side briefing with the NRO and Space
Force. My conclusion after that briefing was: thank God for the NRO. I
anxiously await the day that I can say the same about the Space Force.”

When sought his response in the forum
discussion hosted by CNN, Gen. Thompson said, “As Congressman Cooper
noted, every time we meet, Congressman Cooper asks what he can continue to do
to help, and my request of him is always the same: continue to be our strongest
supporter and our toughest critic, and I can say this morning he continues to
perform effectively in both of those roles.”