Additionally, and perhaps more crucially, the large military satellites have now been supplemented by hundreds of small, civilian, low resolution polar orbit units who's data is relatively easy to access. The places to hide are rapidly running out.
Excellent point! On the other hand......
Please consider the following: What military planner in a kill chain is going to rely on uncertain data from an uncertain random civilian source with uncertain propagation delay, to launch a ballistic missile at a moving target in a sea filled with lots of other moving targets? And knowing that their action will be an act of war against a nation with the certain ability to cause devastating harm to their nation. And knowing that the S. China Sea is the most densely navigated bit of water on the planet, with many of those "targets" being their own. I believe these are all considerations that need to be included in the overall equation.
I may be wrong, but I believe there's a big difference between generally keeping tabs on a battle group, and generating actionable targeting coordinates in real time of a mobile target amidst many other mobile targets, even ignoring night and uncooperative weather. These are international waters with countless other nations operating in them, mostly commercial, but more than a few military. It's a very complex problem. I welcome corrections to this view.