Chief of U.S. Space Command says international conflict in space is possible

General Stephen Whiting believes U.S. armed forces need weapons to counter enemy satellite constellations in low Earth orbit.

Washington, October 15. /TASS/. General Stephen Whiting, head of the US Space Command, said that an international conflict in space is possible and therefore the US should expand its arsenals.

"I will always ask for more [weapons] because I believe it strengthens deterrence. But also, if we do have a conflict [with adversaries] in space — and that's not inevitable — it gives me a wider range of options to accomplish American goals," the general told Axios. He explained that this primarily concerns an arsenal of weapons designed to destroy satellites.

Whiting, who is due to retire in the coming months, said there are "significant gaps in the nation's arsenal" and called for more investment and increased capabilities to deal with emerging threats. "Some of those key gaps are protecting our valuable assets in orbit," he said.

The general believes that the US armed forces need weapons to counter enemy satellite constellations in low Earth orbit. He also said that an advanced orbital detection system is needed to detect threats.

Earlier, Gennady Gatilov, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, emphasized that the US statements about the placement of weapons in Earth's orbit do not help to create a favorable atmosphere for negotiations on the control of the nuclear arsenal.