I'm John Batchel with Henry Sikovsky, the Non-proliferation policy education center executive director.

We turn now to the question of satellites being used as spy eyes on American bases in the Middle

East. It's not theoretical. It's not chapter one of a thriller. It's documented by the Financial Times in these last days.

China permitted a so-called independent commercial enterprise with a satellite in low Earth orbit.

To allow that satellite to be used by the IRGC, it has very good focus to target American bases in the Middle East.

One in particular, the one in Kuwait City, was struck by an attack by the People's Republic of China,

and there were deaths and destruction of equipment as a result.

While we're dealing with here is weaponizing space.

And Henry, does Space Force, does the Air Force?

Does anyone have right now a way to neutralize that satellite to your knowledge?

I'm going to say, in theory, I do we have anti-satellite capabilities would we do

that probably not part of the problem is what you identified that if someone says something is a

commercial imagery satellite we have lots of those too.

And when I say we, the United States and a lot of our commercial Western friendly nations

and allies have them.

And so you're now talking about shutter control, which is, is it the case that

certain things shouldn't be pictured and you can't sell imagery of it? Well, oh, this gets

controversial very quickly. So the worry is that we're relying more and more on commercial

systems for military purposes,

and more than us can play that game.

China and Russia can play that game, and they are.

Not only that, you can buy Western satellite imagery

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