A comprehensive new report suggests that the United States faces a significant risk of losing its strategic advantage in space, a domain crucial for modern military capabilities. The report urges Congress to take swift action as China intensifies its efforts to dominate space.
The bipartisan U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission's 745-page Annual Report to Congress, set to be released on November 18th, delivers a stark assessment of Beijing's ambition to become the world's leading space power. Established by Congress in 2000, the commission has been monitoring China's economic and military advancements for years. This year's report highlights the speed, scale, and ambition of China's space program, which U.S. military officials describe as "mind boggling."
Space Force Gen. Chance Saltzman, the U.S. chief of space operations, used that exact phrase in his testimony before the commission, detailing the rapid expansion of Chinese space-based systems designed to provide Beijing with a competitive edge in both peacetime and potential conflict scenarios. The report underscores Saltzman's warning that China's expanding arsenal of military space capabilities threatens the United States' reliance on satellites for essential functions like targeting, communications, and surveillance, especially in the Western Pacific where vast distances and dispersed U.S. forces depend on robust networks.
"China's rapid advancements in space capabilities should concern every American," the commission writes. It emphasizes the deep dependence of U.S. society on satellite services for various applications, including GPS navigation, banking, weather forecasting, and the power grid. Defense officials contend that this dependence remains underappreciated outside of national security circles.
A key point in the report is China's advantage stemming from its dual-use space program. Commercial enterprises, state-owned businesses, and the military operate as a unified system, enabling the People’s Liberation Army to seamlessly integrate commercial advancements into military applications. This advantage is particularly evident in counterspace technologies designed to disrupt or disable satellites. U.S. commanders view these technologies as potential tools China could use to blind or confuse the United States at the onset of a conflict.
The commission notes that Washington historically avoided developing offensive space systems to avoid accusations of weaponizing orbit. However, this restraint is diminishing as China increasingly treats space as a warfighting domain. The report highlights the Space Force’s March 2025 warfighting framework, which prioritizes space superiority in U.S. planning, including both offensive and defensive operations to safeguard critical satellites.
The report details China's extensive recent advancements. Beijing has increased commercial launch capacity, deployed initial stages of mega-constellations, and established a global network of ground stations, all designed for easy dual use. Furthermore, China is investing in quantum communication satellites for secure communications, reusable space planes, space-based computing and AI, nuclear thermal propulsion for quicker deep space missions, and space-based solar power for potential energy beaming to Earth.
The commission estimates that China has developed a state-directed commercial ecosystem in about a decade, with companies that appear private but adhere to government priorities. This provides Beijing with an industrial base that can scale quickly and support strategic objectives. The report describes this as a "formidable technological, economic and geostrategic challenge to the United States.”
The report concludes that China's long-term objective is to guide international space governance, shape global standards, and supplant the United States as the world's dominant space power. For Congress, the message is clear: falling behind in space would weaken U.S. national security, diminish global influence, and undermine American commercial strength in the expanding space economy. The commission recommends that lawmakers increase Space Force funding to achieve space control and space superiority. It also urges the Pentagon to expand space wargaming, enhance modeling and simulation of Chinese threats, and improve operator training on space warfare tactics.