China's Space Military Capabilities Reach 3x US Size; Pentagon Requests Record $71.1B Space Budget

Gate News message, April 23 — A senior US Space Force official warned this week that China has developed and tested technology to attack American and Australian forces from space, as the Pentagon released its largest military space budget in history. Lieutenant-General Gregory Gagnon, who leads US Space Force combat operations, stated that China now operates the world’s largest space force, three times the size of America’s, with satellite numbers growing from 70 in 2013 to 1,400 today.

Gagnon said Chinese satellites can already track movements of Australian and US troops and relay information to long-range missile systems. He warned that China has built anti-satellite missiles, directed-energy weapons, killer robot satellites, and AI-driven targeting systems. China’s methods include satellite jamming disguised as technical faults, GPS spoofing presented as routine errors, and supply chain disruption, aimed at gradually eroding US capability. The Pentagon’s Future Operating Environment 2040 report also describes Chinese research into brain-computer interfaces that could allow a single operator to manage entire satellite fleets, reducing decision times from minutes to milliseconds.

On April 21, the Department of the Air Force requested a record $338.8 billion for fiscal year 2027, with the Space Force receiving $71.1 billion—a 124% increase. Space control systems will receive $21.6 billion (up 158%), satellite communications $6.7 billion, missile warning systems $6.8 billion, and cyber protection for satellites $500 million. Meanwhile, Australia’s new 10-year defense plan commits between $9 billion and $12 billion to space, though a recent analysis found the country lags behind allies in space capabilities and lacks a clear strategy to catch up.