The United States launched this Wednesday its first Space Force unit in Japanwith the aim of improving the defense and deterrence of their alliance in the face of threats from Russia, North Korea and China. The sum of the first two, in addition to the Indo-Pacific, .
The US Space Forces in Japan were activated during a ceremony held at the Yokota Air Baselocated west of Tokyo. It is a field component of Washington in the Indo-Pacific and is subordinate to forces deployed in Japan.
The new American military unit will strengthen the space surveillance and missile warning capabilities of the host countryas reported by the Japanese news agency Kyodo News, and will guarantee a fluid coordination with the Space Operations Group of the Japanese Air Force.
Brigadier General Anthony Mastalir, commander of the US Space Forces in the Indo-Pacific, said that will deepen collaboration and synchronization between the United States and Japan in matters of national security. He mentioned the threats that Russia, China and North Korea pose to the stability regional.
In February, the White House confirmed that Russia had obtained a “worrying” emerging anti-satellite weapon after the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner, said that a space-based missile constituted a serious threat to national security.
In October, General B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations for the United States Space Force, who rapid development of Chinese military space systems es more worrying than possible Russian nuclear weapons in space.
In North Korea, after the successful launch of its first spy satellite in November last year, Pyongyang has promised to place several more spy satellites in Earth’s orbit by the end of this yearwith the goal of turning the nuclear-armed country into a “power space”.
The was created as the sixth branch of the US military in December 2019. Its objective is achieve superiority and protect and defend US interests in spaceas the threats posed by its strategic competitors, Russia and China, in this area are growing. “Our space capabilities will help deter adversary aggression and protect allied forces“said Col. Ryan Laughton, commander of the US Space Forces in Japan.
Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, head of U.S. Forces Japan, also said his forces are committed to working hard with their Japanese counterparts in the space domain, as well as to seek opportunities to integrate this domain into the alliance’s deterrence efforts.
During their meeting last month in the Australian city of Darwin, the defense chiefs of the United States and Japan affirmed their commitment to promote bilateral space cooperationincluding the development of low-Earth orbit satellites to counter hypersonic missile threats.
A hypersonic weapon can travel at Mach 5 or faster (that is, at least five times the speed of sound) and maneuver within the atmosphere during its flight towards the target. Russia, China and North Korea have all claimed to have this type of weapon in service.
This is the second time the US Space Force has deployed a unit to an Indo-Pacific country, which It is the priority theater of operations for the Pentagon. US Space Forces in Korea They were activated in December 2022where South Korea faces nuclear and missile threats from the North.
Japan and South Korea are allies of Washington under a security treaty, where 54,000 and 28,500 American soldiers are stationedrespectively. The United States also provided expanded deterrence to both allies, committing to use its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear.
