Kruse pointed to China’s advances in directed energy weapons, electronic warfare, anti-satellite capabilities as well as on-orbit technology with military applications.

The Sino-American space rivalry has intensified in recent years amid rapid expansions in satellite networks and associated technology.

Beijing has repeatedly stated a commitment to the peaceful utilisation of space. It contends Washington instigated and has driven the current competition, having first established a space force.

As China aspires to become a “broad-based, fully capable space power, both economically and militarily”, Kruse said, the US should think about how to defend space.

The DIA director described China as “the one country that, more so even than the United States, has a space doctrine, space strategy, and they train and exercise the use of space and counter-space capabilities”.

“Both Russia and China viewed the use of space early on, even ahead of conflict, as important capabilities to deter or to compel behaviours,” Kruse explained. “We just need to be ready.”

Speaking on the same panel in Colorado, General Stephen Whiting, head of the US Space Command, said the combatant command had to “help the joint force be protected against the space-enabled militaries of China and Russia”.

A screenshot of General Stephen Whiting, who took command of the US Space Command in January, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado on Wednesday.

“China is building a kill web, if you will, in space, tailor-built to find, fix, track, target and help provide engagement vectors for over-the-horizon fires against US and allied forces throughout the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility,” said Whiting.

“We have a role there to help defend those US forces from China’s more precise, more lethal and more far-ranging terrestrial army, navy and air force.”

The US Space Command chief also said China should “continue to incorporate responsible behaviours” in space safety.

“We want to have a way to talk to them about space safety as they put more satellites on orbit … so that we can operate effectively and do not have any miscommunication or unintended actions that cause a misunderstanding.”

Kruse believed space might be one of the national security areas that was “OK to talk to China about”, but warned about the dual-use possibilities of space technologies from the commercial sector.

“We, to some degree, should partner with them, or at least understand what they’re doing.”

China’s efforts in space technology, Kruse said, involved “applications and on-orbital regimes for what may be peaceful space-bearing reasons, but then move into potential uses that we could envision going forward”.

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