In the book The Art of War, written by Sun Tzu in the 6th century B.C., it says,
“in combat it is necessary to use predictable actions to gather strength and unexpected actions to achieve victory. War involves only obvious actions and unexpected actions and there is an infinite variation in their use”. There is an undeniable
link between the new Chinese military doctrine described in Unrestricted Warfare
and the ancient one of Sun Tzu. The essence of the conflict does not change, but
new tools, such as satellites, and unexpected tactics, such as orbital attacks, could
be easily considered as a new Art of War.
In 2007, a Chinese KT-2 missile launched from the Xichang base destroyed an
out-of-order satellite that orbited at an altitude of 500 miles, producing a cloud of
over 3,000 pieces of debris. These will remain in orbit for decades. US officials
claimed
24
that Beijing, after many attempts,
25
had successfully carried out an antisatellite test at low Earth orbit. To re-establish mutual deterrence, the following
year, the US launched a modified ballistic missile from a warship in the Pacific
Ocean to destroy another inactive satellite at 155 miles over the Earth.
26
On May 13, 2013 the Chinese conducted a test launch of Kunpeng 7, a sounding rocket said to be for a scientific mission
27
to study the magnetosphere.
28
The
rocket was supposed to release barium powders at an altitude between 6,200 and
18,000 miles. However, the US tracking stations detected a trajectory culminating
much higher
29
than the declared one, much closer to geosynchronous orbit.
30
Since
a sounding rocket is not able to reach such altitude, observers began doubting the
real reason behind that launch. Their doubts were soon confirmed after some amateur photographs taken from Hong Kong were published online, showing a huge
rocket taking off
31
from Xichang.
A few days later, the Washington-based US-China Economy and Security
Review Commission published a report stating that the Chinese rocket had burned
re-entering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean less than two hours after takeoff.
32
Using the few available elements, Dr. David Wright of the Union of
24
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1539948/Chinese-missile-destroys-satellite-inspace.html.
25
International Institute for Strategic Studies. 2010. China’s Successful Anti-missile test.
Strategic Comments, Volume 16. http://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-comments/pastissues/volume-16-2010/february/chinas-successful-anti-missile-test/.
26
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/20/satellite.shootdown/.
27
NOTAM (Notice To Air Men). Source: Spaceflight101.com.
28
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/05-14/4817925.shtml.
29
Apogee: The point of an orbit travelled by a satellite when it is at the greatest distance from
the Earth; it contrasts with the perigee, the closest point in orbit to the Earth.
30
http://spacenews.com/35410china-launches-suborbital-rocket/#.UfkxoY3vswo.
31
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=31898.msg1051306#msg1051306.
32
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. 2013. 2013 Report to US
Congress, Chapter 2, p. 219.
106 Battlestar Galactica: The Space Cyberwar of the Future
“in combat it is necessary to use predictable actions to gather strength and unexpected actions to achieve victory. War involves only obvious actions and unexpected actions and there is an infinite variation in their use”. There is an undeniable
link between the new Chinese military doctrine described in Unrestricted Warfare
and the ancient one of Sun Tzu. The essence of the conflict does not change, but
new tools, such as satellites, and unexpected tactics, such as orbital attacks, could
be easily considered as a new Art of War.
In 2007, a Chinese KT-2 missile launched from the Xichang base destroyed an
out-of-order satellite that orbited at an altitude of 500 miles, producing a cloud of
over 3,000 pieces of debris. These will remain in orbit for decades. US officials
claimed
24
that Beijing, after many attempts,
25
had successfully carried out an antisatellite test at low Earth orbit. To re-establish mutual deterrence, the following
year, the US launched a modified ballistic missile from a warship in the Pacific
Ocean to destroy another inactive satellite at 155 miles over the Earth.
26
On May 13, 2013 the Chinese conducted a test launch of Kunpeng 7, a sounding rocket said to be for a scientific mission
27
to study the magnetosphere.
28
The
rocket was supposed to release barium powders at an altitude between 6,200 and
18,000 miles. However, the US tracking stations detected a trajectory culminating
much higher
29
than the declared one, much closer to geosynchronous orbit.
30
Since
a sounding rocket is not able to reach such altitude, observers began doubting the
real reason behind that launch. Their doubts were soon confirmed after some amateur photographs taken from Hong Kong were published online, showing a huge
rocket taking off
31
from Xichang.
A few days later, the Washington-based US-China Economy and Security
Review Commission published a report stating that the Chinese rocket had burned
re-entering the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean less than two hours after takeoff.
32
Using the few available elements, Dr. David Wright of the Union of
24
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1539948/Chinese-missile-destroys-satellite-inspace.html.
25
International Institute for Strategic Studies. 2010. China’s Successful Anti-missile test.
Strategic Comments, Volume 16. http://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-comments/pastissues/volume-16-2010/february/chinas-successful-anti-missile-test/.
26
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/20/satellite.shootdown/.
27
NOTAM (Notice To Air Men). Source: Spaceflight101.com.
28
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2013/05-14/4817925.shtml.
29
Apogee: The point of an orbit travelled by a satellite when it is at the greatest distance from
the Earth; it contrasts with the perigee, the closest point in orbit to the Earth.
30
http://spacenews.com/35410china-launches-suborbital-rocket/#.UfkxoY3vswo.
31
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=31898.msg1051306#msg1051306.
32
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. 2013. 2013 Report to US
Congress, Chapter 2, p. 219.
106 Battlestar Galactica: The Space Cyberwar of the Future