IN the ongoing strategy and military competition, space has become a new battlefield in the current era, where major global powers are heavily investing in defensive space capabilities.

This new front is distinct from traditional weapons and is primarily focused on satellites, communication networks, and other space assets.

Undoubtedly, modern advancements and the expansion of space technology have significantly increased its importance in the defense sector.

A report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the US warned in its “Space Threat Assessment 2023” that space has become the centre of power competition.

Space technologies have dual applications, including navigation systems and Earth observation satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) equipped with high-resolution cameras.

The inclusion of these systems in defense strategies not only enhances operational capabilities but also facilitates intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), command and control (C2), as well as early warning, communication links, and precision targeting.

The role of space systems is central to modern warfare.

Consequently, in light of the strategic significance of space, the US, China, Russia, India, and other countries are allocating a large portion of their budgets for this purpose.

According to the Space Foundation, the global military space budget was $57 billion in 2023, accounting for 56% of government space expenditures in that year.

A comparative analysis of military capabilities in space reveals that the US........

© Pakistan Observer