America House Pressure is conducting a coaching train designed to coach guardians learn how to conduct “stay fireplace” satellite jamming.
The coaching, often called “Black Skies,” is a part of a brand new sequence of workouts designed to deal with particular expertise wherein Space Force expects its guardians to be proficient, based on a report published by Breaking Defense (opens in new tab). Following Black Skies, which is targeted on satellite jamming, the service will conduct “Crimson Skies” to coach in orbital warfare, adopted by “Blue Skies,” which is able to deal with cyber warfare.
The coaching comes as each ground-based and orbital threats to personal and U.S. military-owned satellites proceed to proliferate, threatening to show space right into a battlefield within the occasion of a serious battle between space-faring nations.
Associated: Russia is jamming GPS satellite signals in Ukraine, US Space Force says
In response to Breaking Protection’s report, the train concerned using a industrial satellite leased from a non-public agency to function a coaching goal. It was not said which firm allowed its satellite to be jammed.
Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton, commander of House Coaching and Readiness Command (STARCOM), informed Breaking Protection that STARCOM is wanting into whether or not or not it may purchase its personal satellites to function devoted “stay fireplace” coaching workouts like Black Skies. The command is exploring partnering with universities that function their very own cubesats to construct out a fleet of goal satellites. “We’re in planning, and looking for the suitable approach ahead,” Bratton mentioned.
As militaries worldwide proceed to rely on satellites for crucial intelligence, communications, and early warning programs, it is no shock that the flexibility to jam or otherwise disrupt them is changing into a prime precedence for armed forces worldwide.
U.S. House Pressure officers have beforehand reported that GPS satellites have been jammed all through Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. “Ukraine might not be capable to use GPS as a result of there are jammers round that forestall them from receiving any usable sign,” Gen. David Thompson, the House Pressure’s vice chief of space operations, said in April 2022. “Definitely the Russians perceive the worth and significance of GPS and attempt to forestall others from utilizing it.”
The House Pressure already performed “simulated on-orbit combat engagements” in a “contested, degraded and operationally-limited surroundings” at a earlier STARCOM coaching train in August 2022.
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