CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 9

ARTSRUN HOVHANNISYAN
ing. In subsequent campaigns, when China’s reconnaissance-strike net-
work gets completely expanded and assigned to operational readiness, US
destroyers and cruisers armed with cruise missiles might get under attack
during combat application of their main weapons. Similarly, if Carrier
Strike Groups (CSG) have to maintain distance in order to avoid anti-ship
ballistic missile attacks, the use of carrier aviation with combat payload,
for both execution of combat mission and return to the estimated area will
require several circles for air refueling. 20
Some experts say the situation is not good in the space domain as well.
Russia and China are developing capabilities for creating attack laser sys-
tems in order to carry out direct attacks (hit-to-kill), creating satellite in-
terceptor aircraft, to accurately arrest anti-satellite systems, direct-ascent
anti-satellite (ASAT) intercepts and co-orbital attacks. 21 The former direc-
tor of National Intelligence J. Clapper noted: “Chinese and Russian service-
men realize the unique information benefi ts provided by space systems and
therefore they develop capabilities to deny use of space to the US”. 22
There are certainly even worse assumptions in relation to the use of
ground forces, which is quite natural. Thus, the increasing vulnerability
of military bases located in the immediate vicinity of the theater, capa-
bilities to hit large surface ships and CSGs with ballistic and long-range
cruise missiles, without entering air defense zone, development of joint
air defense system, as well as the potential loss or weakening of space-
based key capabilities can qualitatively change the capacity of American
potential. Such actions can be enhanced by other threats, such as aggres-
sive electronic cyber-attacks on centralized command and control nods,
communication networks, U.S. intelligence computer systems.
Diff erent View
Certainly, it is hard to ignore all these concerns, as China and Rus-
sia today evidently and intensively are developing their off ensive and de-
fensive potential, creating weapons and new tools of warfare; and it is
obvious by doing this they are rapidly reducing their backwardness from
20
21
22
Martinage, “Toward a New Off set Strategy,” 28.
Andrea Shalal-Esa, “China‘s Space Activities Raising U.S. Satellite Concerns,” Reuters, Jan-
uary 14, 2013, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-usa-satellites/chinas-space-activi-
ties-raising-u-s-satellite-security-concerns-idUSBRE90D08620130114 (accessed November
4, 2018); Brian Weeden, “China‘s BX-1 Microsatellite: A Litmus Test for Space Weaponiza-
tion,” The Space Review, October 20, 2008, http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1235/1
(accessed November 4, 2018).
James Clapper, Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, Director
of National Intelligence, Statement for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Janu-
ary 29, 2014, 7, https://www.dni.gov/fi les/documents/Intelligence%20Reports/2014%20
WWTA%20%20SFR_SSCI_29_Jan.pdf (accessed November 2, 2018).
9