US Space Force tracks down North Korean missiles — RT World News
The new branch of the U.S. military recently established its first component command in the Indo-Pacific region
The US Space Force is working to create an early warning system for North Korean missile launches, a senior commander has said, hoping to step up surveillance after a record number of weapons tests by Pyongyang this year.
Speaking to a webinar on Tuesday hosted by the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies based in Washington, D.C., the head of US Space Command, General James Dickinson, outlined the plans for the service in the Indo-Pacific, where he put set up its very first component control unit last week.
“We are looking at how we are integrating a sensor architecture that gives us as much warning as possible in terms of any type of missile activity outside of North Korea,” he said, noting that Washington would share information with regional partners and allies and seek ways to “incorporate commercial sensors” in the new alert system.
Although Space Force only established its first operational unit in the Indo-Pacific just days ago, Dickinson observed that the branch was already maintaining a « coordinating relationship » with the entire army and would continue to develop these links.
Operating under INDOPACOM, the US command responsible for East Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the new Space Force unit appears largely focused on China. Prior to its creation, Chief of Space Operations B. Chance Saltzman said he is « essential that we set up the service component at INDOPACOM » since Beijing is America « threat of stimulation » and best competitor. With Dickinson’s latest remarks, however, Pyongyang also emerges as a priority for the new unit.
The decision to expand the Space Force presence in Asia comes amid rising tensions in the region. Led by the United States, recent joint drills with South Korea and Japan have sparked a wave of retaliatory missile tests by Pyongyang, including two ICBM launches this month alone. US lawmakers have also continued their periodic visits to Taiwan – angering Beijing, which considers the island part of its sovereign territory – while US warships have transited through the disputed Taiwan Strait on a near-basis. monthly this year.
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