Gen. Steven Whiting, commander of the U.S. Space Command staff, referring to developments related to the Islamic Republic and the war in Ukraine, said these conflicts have shown that space is no longer only a support environment for military operations, but has become one of the main domains of battle.

According to the National Defense website, Whiting, at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Alabama, said that America’s enemies are targeting space assets and missile defense systems more than ever. He added that the Islamic Republic, despite having relatively moderate military capabilities, considers these infrastructures to be valuable targets and chooses them for attack.

Whiting also warned that America’s enemies threaten space infrastructure by disrupting communications, cyberattacks, anti-satellite weapons, and other technologies. He called China the biggest space threat to the United States and said Beijing is developing capabilities that could disrupt communications and intelligence systems of U.S. forces. According to him, cooperation with allies and the private sector to counter these threats is becoming increasingly important.