U.S. Counterspace Capabilities
September 11, 2024
What Is Counterspace?
Counterspace operations can be either offensive or defensive. Offensive counterspace operations aim to
deceive an adversary, disrupt the use of a space system (such as a satellite), temporarily deny the use of a
space system, degrade or impair an adversary’s space system, or permanently eliminate a space system.
Defensive counterspace operations protect space assets from attack, interference, or other hazards. The
military uses counterspace operations to gain space superiority, which is the ability to use space for U.S.
military purposes or deny an adversary’s use of space, the area beyond 100 km above sea level.
Background
The United States government and private entities have long operated military and civilian spacecraft,
including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the NASA-led International Space Station, largely
without the threat of disruption or attack by other nations. As adversary space capabilities have improved,
U.S. policymakers have discussed how best to protect U.S. interests in space and from space-based
threats, including hostile action as well as hazards such as debris from testing or using counterspace
weapons. According to the Defense Intelligence Agency, foreign governments, primarily China and
Russia, have developed counterspace weapons that may challenge U.S. capabilities in space. The FY2020
NDAA established the Space Force and the current iteration of Space Command (SPACECOM) in 2019.
The Space Force is developing counterspace capabilities to defend against and deter potential adversary
attacks. (See CRS In Focus IF12610, Defense Primer: The United States Space Force, by Jennifer
DiMascio.)
Under several international treaties, including the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, signatories agreed not to
place weapons of mass destruction in space and to use space for peaceful purposes. In 2022, the White
House issued a moratorium on testing a type of counterspace capability, direct-ascent anti-satellite (DA-
ASAT) weapons, promoting a test ban as a potential international norm for responsible behavior in space.
The White House also said a “shared understanding of what constitutes safe and responsible space
activities” can reduce the “risk of miscommunication and miscalculation.”
