US Space force's first offensive weapon is a satellite jammer

The US Space Force has received its first offensive weapon system, a jammer capable of preventing adversaries from accessing their own military communications satellites.

While that may not sound like much on the surface, it has huge implications for modern armed forces that rely on satellites to receive orders from home, Popular Mechanics reports.

The Space Force’s 4th Space Control Squadron, based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, received a Counter Communications System Block 10.2 system. The Pentagon described it in 2019 as a:

“...expeditionary, deployable, reversible offensive space control (OCS) effects applicable across the full spectrum of conflict. It prevents adversary Satellite Communications (SATCOM) in Area of Responsibility (AOR) including Command & Control (C2), Early Warning and Propaganda, and hosts Rapid Reaction Capabilities in response to Urgent Needs.”

Most modern military forces rely on satellites to one extent or another, including communications. The obvious solution would be to shoot such satellites down, but the problem with military communications satellites is that they orbit much higher than other satellites, in order to cover a wider swathe of the surface of the Earth. Satellites in geostationary orbit circle the planet at an altitude of 22,236 miles or higher, making them difficult to reach. Instead of expending a lot of time and effort to develop a weapon to shoot down these satellites, it’s easier to simply jam their signal.