China preps for space warfare

Following recent tests of anti-satellite missiles and near-space hypersonic vehicles, China’s military will soon create a new Space Force within the People’s Liberation Army, a sign Beijing is preparing for future space warfare.

Military analysts say there has been no official announcement of the new space warfare unit; however, unofficial sources in China revealed the unit will be part of a new Strategic Support Forces service that will include nuclear missiles — currently under the Second Artillery Force — along with an electronic information forces, cyber warfare units and electronic and signals intelligence.

The shift to space and information warfare is part of a major military reorganization that has been underway in China for the past several years. It’s designed to transform the once ground forces-heavy PLA into a high-technology force.

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China conducted the sixth test of a hypersonic strike vehicle on Nov. 23, after having carried out an anti-satellite missile test on Oct. 30. Both weapons are part of China’s large-scale high-technology arms buildup.

A Chinese Internet military blogger posted photos of a purported flight test on Dec. 13 in northwestern China of what was described as either a missile defense interceptor test or anti-satellite missile test.

As reported by Inside the Ring on Oct. 15, the annual report of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission warned that “China is pursuing a broad and robust array of counterspace capabilities, which includes direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital anti-satellite systems, computer network operations, ground-based satellite jammers and directed energy weapons.”

“The Strategic Support Forces appear to have been inspired by the U.S. Strategic Command, which also controls missiles, space assets and cyberwarfare,” said Rick Fisher, a Chinese military affairs specialist. “It appears that the Space Force will control China’s military and commercial satellite program, its manned space program plus an increasing number of space combat programs.”

The new unit also is expected to control China’s future strategic missile defense forces.

Mr. Fisher, with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said in addition to ground-launched anti-satellite missiles, future PLA space weapons may include aircraft-launched ASATs, laser-armed low earth orbit combat platforms, low earth orbit bombers and dual-use civilian military space shuttles.

Mr. Fisher said there are increasing signs that China plans to send astronauts to land on the moon in the late 2020s to early 2030s, and the missions will include military capabilities.

“It is also possible that the first commander of the Space Force has real ‘Star Wars’ experience,” Mr. Fisher said. “An unofficial list of new PLA commanders listed Maj. Gen. Li Shangfu as the first commander of the Space Force.”

Gen. Li currently is deputy chief of the PLA General Armaments Department and the manned space program, and is likely chief of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, where the PLA has carried out early ASAT tests, perhaps including its first successful satellite interception on Jan. 11, 2007.

That missile test against a Chinese weather satellite created tens of thousands of pieces of space debris that still threaten both manned and unmanned space flights.

Mr. Fisher believes the primary mission of the new Space Force is “to achieve control of low earth orbit in order to defeat the United States on earth.”

“There should be no ‘civil’ space cooperation with China as long as there is any chance its exposure to U.S. space technology could help China to kill Americans,” he told Inside the Ring.

President Obama, who has said he hopes to visit Cuba before leaving office, has defended his conciliatory approach to the regime of President Raul Castro claiming a new policy was needed because the old policy failed.

“Decades of U.S. isolation of Cuba have failed to accomplish our objective of empowering Cubans to build an open and democratic country,” the White House said in a statement.

CIA ON CHINESE HYPERSONICS

The CIA recently published an internal report on China’s development of hypersonic strike vehicles. The report, “Chinese Ballistic Missiles Using Hyperglide Vehicles: A Quick Reference Guide,” reveals several strike vehicles are being developed by the Chinese military for use on Beijing’s arsenal of missiles.

The list includes the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle that U.S. intelligence agencies believe will be used to deliver nuclear warheads against strategic missile defenses.

The Pentagon also is developing hypersonic strike vehicles, but U.S. weapons designers are focused on non-nuclear high-speed maneuvering attack vehicles as part of the Prompt Global Strike Program. The program is seeking advanced conventional weapons and technologies that can strike any place on earth in minutes.

Chinese hypersonic gliders also are expected to be used for conventional precision strike, in much the same way as the new DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile. The road-mobile DF-26 was unveiled during a military parade in Beijing in September, and can be armed with either a nuclear warhead or a precision guided conventional warhead capable of hitting ships at sea, Chinese officials have claimed.

China is building up both nuclear forces and conventional military as part of a strategic forces modernization that remains hidden behind a cloak of secrecy.

China has conducted six tests of the DF-ZF, all boosted with ballistic missiles. The vehicle is estimated to fly at speeds of between Mach 5 and Mach 10, between 3,836 mph and 7,680 mph.

In October, the Chinese military technical journal “Winged Missiles” stated: “Hypersonic guided weapons, which are based on boost-glide ballistics, can score long-range, rapid, precision strikes. They demonstrate excellent defense penetration performance, which is in line with U.S. mindset.”

Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said in an interview in July that the hypersonic glide vehicles are an emerging threat.

“As I look at that [hypersonic] threat, clearly the mobility, the flight profile, those kinds of things are things we have to keep in mind and be able to address across that full kill chain,” he said.

MMA fighter Jeff Monson: I feel deep down that Russia is my home

The 44-year-old American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Jeff Monson fought his first fight under the Russian flag on Christmas Day, losing to Cameroon’s Donald Njatah in the town of Khimki near Moscow. In an exclusive interview with RBTH, the fighter, who has been granted Russian citizenship and has plans to settle permanently in the country, talked about his connection to Russian people, Russian literature and traffic jams in Moscow.

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Jeff Monson. Source: Getty Images
RBTH: How did you come up with the idea of getting Russian citizenship? What connects you to Russia?

Jeff Monson: I’ve been coming to Russia for five years already and it was really love at first sight. I really felt deep down right away that this is my home — the one place where I feel whole and at peace with myself and my surroundings. Home isn’t necessarily the place you were born.

I love Russian art, culture and literature — especially [writer] Leo Tolstoy. I’m actually rereading War and Peace at the moment. It has so many historical themes that still have meaning today. Russian literature is fascinating for just that reason — it never loses relevance and each time you reread a Russian classic it’s as if you are reading it for the first time.

But it’s the Russian people more than anything else that keeps me here. They’ve provided me with so much support over the years. Russians are a generous, strong and thoughtful people, who embody many of the characteristics that you find in the world’s best leaders and fighters.

RBTH: Are you planning on living in Russia permanently?

J.M.: I do plan to live in Russia on a permanent basis. The only thing preventing me from doing that now is that my family is still in America. My goal is to permanently relocate to Russia by this time next year.

Shifting track: Foreign athletes who took a Russian passport
Shifting track: Foreign athletes who took a Russian passport
I have already started studying the language and will take things up a notch in 2016. Russian is such a difficult language, but I’m extremely competitive with everything I do and will see this through. As the Chinese say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!

RBTH: How do you find Russia in everyday life? Is there anything hard or bizarre to get used to?

J.M.: I prefer life here because there is an authenticity and a humanism in Russia that is unfortunately lacking in today’s heavily consumer-driven Western societies. Russia has such a kind spirit and it resonates with me. That’s why I’m here.

It’s funny you mention things that are hard to get used to. That would have to be the traffic. I’ve competed all over the world but I’ve never seen thicker traffic jams than in Moscow! Well, with the exception of the Philippines! But as soon as I get a handle on the language and Moscow metro, it shouldn’t be much of a problem.

RBTH: You said that you were going to open martial arts schools in Russia. What exactly do you want to teach Russians?

J.M.: There are two primary goals. The first will be to teach adults self-defense. It increases your confidence and your ability to deal with unpredictable situations. Self-defense is not just about fighting. It’s about becoming more attuned to your surroundings and learning to control yourself.

The second will be to teach children martial arts for free. I’m interested in helping all children but especially those in problematic situations. I’m a child psychologist and care more than anything about helping kids.

One of the things that I like about Russia is that people with a lot of money feel obligated to help others. Unfortunately, this is lacking in the West where there is so much senseless hoarding.

RBTH: Do Russian fighters have the potential to set the pace in the leading MMA promotions?

J.M.: Absolutely. There is no doubt in my mind that Russia will be the number-one MMA country in the world in a few years’ time. MMA is more developed in America simply because it’s been around longer. In Russia you have this wonderful tradition of sending your kids to study martial arts at a young age — sambo, judo, boxing… America unfortunately doesn’t have this tradition.

If I compare MMA in Russia five years ago to MMA in Russia today, it’s night and day. MMA here is fierce. This is thanks to fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, who I truly think is the best MMA fighter to have ever lived. For 12 years he faced the best fighters at the highest level and never lost. It’s something that’s really beyond the realm of comprehension. He’s the best of the best and I hope to help him develop the future of martial arts in Russia.

RBTH: Have you been to the Caucasus? Dagestanis and Chechens are traditionally strong in the martial arts. What are your thoughts on that?

2015 in review: 8 key trends of the year in Russian sports
2015 in review: 8 key trends of the year in Russian sports
J.M.: Yes, I've visited [the Russian republics of] Ingushetiya and Chechnya. There is a storied martial-arts tradition in the Caucasus. Dagestan and Chechnya are known for their top-level wrestling. [Chechen president] Ramzan Kadyrov has played a big role in further popularizing sports in Chechnya by building infrastructure for children and also through promotional work in the media. He regularly works out with friends on camera and invites well-known athletes to the republic.

RBTH: You're 44. For how long do you plan to perform? Roy Jones failed to reach his previous level after becoming a Russian citizen. Does his experience worry you?

I’m not worried. First, let me say that Roy is a legend. He’s one of the greatest fighters who ever lived. His opponent just happened to fight better that day. It’s true that you always feel pressure before a fight but I do feel a bit more now because I owe it to the Russian people to win. I do realize that I am closer to the end than the start of my career, but I plan to keep going until I start to feel as though I am slowing down. Until then I will fight whoever they put in front of me in the ring. I don’t care who he is. I am a fighter. This is who I am and what I do.

RBTH: Do you go to other regions of Russia?

I have traveled all over — from [Lake] Baikal to Nizhny Novgorod. And every time I visit a new city I think to myself: “Hmmm. Maybe this is where I will move for good!” That’s a nice problem to have, isn’t it? Russia is such a lovely country. I don’t think there’s any other country in the world quite like it. No kidding.

RBTH: What qualities does Jeff Monson value the most in people?

Kindness and thoughtfulness. The ability to look beyond oneself — to see the whole picture and that life isn’t just about “me” and “more, more, more.” If people understood that better, the world would be a much nicer place.

Most people know I’m a communist and a primary reason why is exactly that — that we’ve become so consumed with material things that we’ve forgotten we’re all human and how to care for each other. We need a fairer division of wealth and opportunity.

Russia’s experience with communism was in no way unambiguous but I do think that it created a certain rift between the culture here and the materialism of other developed nations. It’s really tangible to me and something that I feel in my bones whenever I spend time with Russian people.

Moscow protects Russians, Russia-oriented ones in Donbas - Putin

Russia cannot leave people residing in southeastern Ukraine to the nationalists, and there is nothing excessive about this position, Putin has said

Russia cannot leave people residing in southeastern Ukraine to the nationalists, and there is nothing excessive about this position, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

"Everyone perfectly understands everything but they think they need to pressure Russia more so that it yields something somewhere. By the way, this is not our business to yield something or to insist on something. We have only one thing in mind - we cannot leave people living in the southeast to the nationalists," Putin said in an interview in a documentary, "World Order," of the Rossiya-1 (VGTRK) television channel.

This is not just about Russians living in Donbas but also about those oriented towards Russia, he said.

"There is nothing excessive about this position," the Russian president added.