Pentagon Confirms China's Anti-Satellite Laser Test

The Pentagon has confirmed that China has tested its anti-satellite laser and jammed a U.S. satellite but wouldn't say which satellite was involved. The U.S. has 30 Global Positioning Satellites that it relies on for a number of tasks. That ranges from military uses such as targeting bombs and finding enemy locations to consumer uses such as automobile navigation systems and bank automatic teller machines. The Pentagon's National Reconnaissance Office Director Donald Kerr acknowledged the incident to Defense News last week, but said it did not materially damage the U.S. satellite's ability to collect information. "It makes us think," Kerr said. Air Force Space Commander General Kevin Chilton said, "We're at a point where the technology's out there and the capability for people to do things to our satellites is there. I'm focused on it beyond any single event."