As geopolitical tensions extend beyond Earth’s atmosphere, the U.S. Space Force is sharpening its focus on dominating the electromagnetic spectrum.
Space electronic warfare — the art and science of protecting and denying satellite signals — has become a key part of how modern militaries fight and defend. Examples include jamming satellite communications, disrupting Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, or even disabling spacecraft through targeted electromagnetic pulses.
The U.S. Space Force is actively organizing specialized units to prepare for potential conflicts involving electromagnetic warfare. These units are trained to identify and neutralize enemy satellites, a capability that could prove decisive in future conflicts. By disrupting an adversary’s access to satellite-based communication and navigation systems, the Space Force can effectively blind and disorient their forces, giving the U.S. a significant tactical advantage.
An entity known as Space Delta 3 is responsible for organizing, training and equipping forces focused on electromagnetic warfare in defensive and offensive roles. This means forces have to be ready to protect U.S. space assets from electronic attacks and also deny adversaries the use of their space capabilities, said Col. Nicole Petrucci, commander of Space Delta 3.
Headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Space Delta 3 is part of the Space Force’s Space Operations Command, tasked with generating and sustaining combat-ready forces that include intelligence, cyber and space support units that deploy around the world in support of military combatant commands.
Petrucci, who took command of Space Delta 3 in June 2023, leads about 650 military service members and civilians, in addition to support contractors.Space Delta 3 and sister unit Space Delta 8 share responsibilities for defending U.S. satellite spectrum. Space Delta 8, based at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado, focuses on military satellite communications (SATCOM) and position, navigation, and timing (PNT) operations.
The Space Training and Readiness Command conducts a test of the Remote Modular Terminal (RMT), a new system designed for electromagnetic warfare. Credit: U.S. Space ForceSince the Space Force was established nearly five years ago, the service has increased investments in electronic warfare, both in weapon systems and training, Petrucci said in an interview with SpaceNews.
“We want to make sure that all the guardians and airmen that we are training to run these systems have expert knowledge of these weapons systems,” she said. The Space Training and Readiness Command, known as STARCOM, is increasingly adding electronic warfare in space operations training, “so we can make sure that we’re ready to go whenever we are called to do that.”
Electronic jammersWhile most of the Space Force’s electronic warfare systems and programs are classified, the service has publicized some of the new technologies it has developed in recent years.
A key piece of technology used by electronic warfare operators is the Counter Communications System (CCS) Block 10.2, a ground-based electronic jammer designed to temporarily disrupt adversaries’ geostationary communications satellites without causing permanent damage.
The Space Force in March 2020 revealed it fielded an upgraded version of the original CCS first developed by the Air Force in 2004. The modernized version, CCS Block 10.2 was touted as the service’s first offensive weapon system, designed to be transportable for rapid deployment.
The current CCS enterprise consists of 16 trailer-mounted systems located in strategic locations and operated by the U.S. Space Force and Air National Guard units. Each system includes a large dish and support equipment such as generators.
Most recently, the Space Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office developed a Remote Modular Terminal, a ground-based electronic warfare system designed as a more compact and lower-cost piece of equipment to be deployed in large numbers. These smaller terminals were designed to be more mobile than the CCS and to supplement the larger jammers. They can be operated remotely, allowing personnel to control it from a safe distance. STARCOM said the terminals performed successfully in recent tests.
The U.S. military also has a navigation warfare program designed to ensure that U.S. and allied forces can reliably access positioning, navigation and timing data. The Space Force does not comment publicly on its navigation warfare offensive capabilities but the U.S. has demonstrated them in military exercises, according to the Secure World Foundation, a nonprofit that publishes an annual report of global military space weapons.
U.S. Airmen from the 114th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron, Florida Air National Guard, prepared for exercise THUNDER MOOSE by loading cases of counter communications systems at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, in June 2023. The exercise, held at Bangor Air National Guard Base, Maine, focused on enhancing electromagnetic attack capabilities and emphasized the importance of mobility and equipment readiness in electronic warfare operations. Credit: U.S. National Guard / Tech Sgt. Chelsea Smith“The United States likely could jam military navigation satellite signals as well, although the effectiveness is difficult to assess based on publicly available information,” said the Secure World Foundation in its most recent report on space weapons published in April. The effectiveness of U.S. measures to counter adversarial jamming and spoofing against military GPS signals is not publicly known either.
The U.S. also has conducted research and development on the use of ground-based high-energy lasers that could dazzle, and possibly blind, Earth observation imaging satellites, said the Secure World Foundation.
Training exercisesRecognizing the critical role of electronic warfare in space operations, STARCOM two years ago launched a new exercise series called Black Skies, designed to provide personnel from across the military with realistic training scenarios to hone their electronic warfare skills and techniques in a simulated environment.
Petrucci said it’s important for Space Force teams to work closely with other parts of the military and friendly countries. This teamwork helps everyone get better at using and defending against electronic signals in space and in other domains, she said.
Training events like Black Skies “enable us to do advanced electronic warfare training in war-like scenarios,” she said. Operators routinely train in virtual simulators “but there’s nothing better for training than when you bring in partners, you have command and control, and you can practice how you’re going to fight.”
For Space Delta 3, one of the main challenges is staying ahead of rapid technological advancements, said Petrucci, which necessitates exercises like Black Skies to continuously adapt tactics and reflect the evolving capabilities of potential adversaries in the electromagnetic battlespace.
Lessons from Eastern frontThe conflict in Ukraine has emerged as a real-world laboratory for space electronic warfare, providing insights into the consequences of orbital electromagnetic combat.
Since the start of the war in 2022, Russia has employed electronic warfare techniques such as jamming, spoofing and hacking of satellite networks to disrupt Ukrainian military operations. This has included attempts to interfere with GPS signals, which are crucial for the accuracy of guided munitions and unmanned systems used by Ukraine.
The Secure World Foundation noted that Russia has a multitude of systems that can jam GPS receivers within a local area, potentially interfering with the guidance systems of unmanned aerial vehicles, guided missiles and other precision-guided munitions. “New evidence suggests Russia may be developing high-powered space-based electronic warfare platforms to augment its existing ground-based platforms,” said the SWF in a recent report.
China also is believed to have advanced jamming systems to disrupt satellite communications and navigation, “although the exact nature is difficult to determine through open sources,” said the SWF, “and there is no public evidence of their active use in military operations.”
While military officials are cautious about drawing direct comparisons between the situation in Ukraine and potential future conflicts with other adversaries, they continue to draw insights from the conflict.
“We are always watching,” said Petrucci. “We are always seeing what’s going on around the world and seeing how people are using technologies. And so we are taking that and learning any lessons that we can so that we can apply those to not only our exercises, but also our training with our operators, and then also our intelligence professionals.”
U.S. Space Force Col. Nicole Petrucci is the commander of Space Delta 3, a unit focused on space electromagnetic warfare. She spoke at the 2024 Air & Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado. Credit: U.S. Space ForceSpace Force evolutionTodd Harrison, a veteran defense strategy and budgeting analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, highlighted the Space Force’s evolving approach to electronic warfare.
“The Space Force is starting to get more focused on how important electronic warfare has become,” Harrison noted. There is also a growing need for inter-service cooperation in this area, he said. “The jamming may be affecting space systems, but it affects forces in all the domains.”
The impact of these activities extends beyond the military, he added. “Commercial satellite operators are in the middle of this, too, so it’s really gotten the community to pay much more attention to what’s going on in Ukraine.”
Offensive jamming is an emerging area of focus for the Space Force, Harrison said. This aligns with the vision articulated by Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, which calls for the service to not only defend U.S. space assets but also to deny adversaries the use of space.
There is strategic rationale behind this, Harrison explained, “specially because we know countries like China are absolutely going to use their space capabilities to target our forces. So the Space Force has a job to counter that.” This means potentially “jamming the downlink from their imaging satellites or blinding the sensors on those satellites.”
U.S. Space Force service members participate in the Black Skies training exercise at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, held in September 2023. The Black Skies series focuses on space electromagnetic warfare. Credit: U.S. Space ForceAI in electronic warfareThe Space Force continues to evolve its electronic warfare capabilities, Petrucci said. Although the details about new technologies remain classified, she did highlight plans to exploit artificial intelligence in support of electromagnetic warfare.
“I’m very interested in automating processes through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning,” Petrucci said. “For a lot of the systems we have, a lot of the tasks are very manual.” The goal, she added, is to “use computing power to help disrupt enemy satcom or detect it and identify and geolocate it faster.”
AI and ML algorithms could be used to autonomously probe, sense and characterize electronic threats in real-time, for example. Such capabilities would allow for rapid identification of jamming or spoofing attempts and generate appropriate countermeasures. Moreover, Petrucci suggests that AI and ML could help decision makers by analyzing complex data sets to identify patterns and predict outcomes.
The Space Force’s own software developers, known as Supra Coders, have already been supporting Space Delta 3 in its electronic warfare initiatives, Petrucci said, highlighting their contribution in automating information flow to ensure critical data reaches commanders faster.
Looking to the future, Space Delta 3 is gearing up for a series of training events, not just with other space units but with joint forces and combatant commands worldwide, said Petrucci. She noted that STARCOM plans to invest in next-generation simulators and training systems for space operations, including those for electromagnetic warfare.
It’s important to coordinate the development of weapons and training systems, she said, noting that her unit has put forth “specific requirements on what we want simulators and training to look like.” In years past, she added, weapon systems and simulators were developed in isolation, often resulting in poor integration.
This push for efficiency aligns with Saltzman’s designation of Space Delta 3 as one of the Space Force’s experimental “integrated mission deltas.” Under this model, operations, training and sustainment are co-located, breaking down traditional silos.
“We get work done faster,” said Petrucci. She expressed confidence that this streamlined structure will help keep the Space Force at the cutting edge of electronic warfare technology and tactics in the rapidly evolving space domain.
This article first appeared in the September 2024 issue of SpaceNews Magazine.