China is rapidly becoming a 'tremendous threat' in the solar system, says US Space Force leader

US Air Force Space Command Vice Commander Lt. Gen. David Thompson testifies before the Senate Aviation and Space Subcommittee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 14, 2019 in Washington, DC.

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• A leader in the US Space Force said China is building satellites at twice the rate of the US. 
• Gen. David Thompson told "Fox News Sunday" that the US needs to adapt to outpace China.
• At this rate, China could become the leader in space by the end of the decade. 

The vice chief of operations at the US Space Force warned that China is rapidly expanding its space capabilities and may soon overpower the US. 

While Gen. David Thompson told "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace the US is still the world leader in space operations, China is on track to surpass the country. 

"I don't think it's a foregone conclusion they will be the leader in space at the end of the decade, but they are on an incredible pace," Thompson told Wallace.

China is already launching twice as many satellites into space as the US. Thompson called this advancement a "tremendous threat."

"Our capabilities are the best in the world of space, but they're moving aggressively," Thompson said. "They're moving quickly and we need to adapt our approach."

Thompson told Wallace that China may have the potential to take out US sensors in the near future, but as of now, the country already has robots in space that can conduct attacks against US operations. 

"They can conduct jamming attacks and laser dazzling attacks. They have a full suite of cyber capabilities," Thompson added. 

Axios reported that China launched a hypersonic missile that Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned was "very concerning." He described it as something similar to a 'Sputnik moment." 

Thompson also addressed the threat Russia posed in space, adding that the country launched a destructive test last month that took out its own defunct satellites. 

He said Space Force needs to understand and adapt to these threats and develop solutions to prevent them. 

"It's our job in the Space Force to ensure, should they propose to attack us with something like a space robot or other things, we have countermeasures, we have tactics and we have means to employ to prevent that attack from being successful," Thompson said.

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