Global Counterspace Capabilities Expand as Jamming Surges, SWF Report Finds

Overview

• The Secure World Foundation's annual report, released Wednesday, counts 13 countries pursuing counterspace tools, with Germany newly added after its 2025 space security strategy and funding plan.
• Counterspace refers to tools that target satellites and their links, and the report groups them into direct-ascent missiles, co‑orbital craft, electronic warfare like jamming and spoofing, directed‑energy lasers, and cyber capabilities.
• Jamming of GPS navigation and satellite communications is on the rise in and out of wars, with the European Commission citing Russian interference affecting Baltic aviation and the International Telecommunication Union condemning peacetime jamming by Russia and North Korea.
• Active use in current conflicts remains non‑destructive, relying on electronic warfare and other reversible effects rather than physically damaging or destroying spacecraft.
• Several nations are pursuing “bodyguard” satellites and reusable spaceplanes for close‑proximity protection and response, with France, Germany, Japan, and India advancing concepts that blur defensive protection and offensive options.