Russia has launched two satellites in the last year, including one "a few weeks ago," that are viewed as suspicious and potentially threatening, a senior U.S. Air Force officer said. These launches, coupled with China's launch in July of what U.S. military officials said was an antis-atellite missile, are hard indicators that the threat to U.S. satellites is only increasing, said Lt. Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, commander of Air Force Space Command's 14th Air Force and of Strategic Command's Joint Functional Component Command for Space. Speaking April 14 at a luncheon here at the 31st Space Symposium, Raymond said the growing threats revalidate several national imperatives including enhancing U.S. space domain awareness, more closely integrating U.S. military and intelligence space operations, and strengthening space-related ties with U.S. allies and commercial space operators.
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