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Arms Race In Space Prompts The US & Allies To Boost Cooperation, Establish Responsible Norms Of Behavior In Space

Recently, Military Space Chiefs from 15 countries attended a gathering hosted by the U.S. to discuss ways ahead for the development of joint operational capabilities and figure out what should be the responsible norms of behavior in space, in light of the growing arms race in the space domain.

“We are going to focus on how to mature our partnerships,” Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force Gen. John “Jay,” Raymond told SpaceNews in an interview at the 37th Space Symposium.




Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond speaks during the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 5, 2022.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond speaks during the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 5, 2022. (@SpaceForceCSO)

Countries attending the gathering included Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

This comes after Raymond recently visited Australia’s newly established Space Command and the space surveillance sites operated jointly by the U.S. and Australian forces. Raymond said that Australia and other allies have voiced the need for evolving current alliances “beyond just data-sharing partnerships, but make them truly operational.”

“We want to get to the point where we’re developing capabilities together,” said Raymond. “And so we’re going to continue to have those conversations with our closest partners.”

According to Raymond, it is U.S. Space Force is highly prioritizing the transition from its legacy constellations of “exquisite” satellites to a more diversified architecture thereby making it difficult for adversaries to disrupt.

“We can’t continue to acquire like we always have, where you have a handful of big exquisite satellites,” Raymond said.

Therefore, future U.S. space architecture could include satellites from allied countries as well.

“If you go to a more proliferated architecture, rather than the handful of exquisite capabilities, you then open the opportunities for more commercial collaboration and you open opportunities for more collaboration with our allies and partners,” Raymond further said.




File Image: An Atlas-V rocket US Space Force’s payload lifts off on April 15, 2018.

This new outlook for the joint operational capability in space comes on the backdrop of recent advances in counter-space capabilities demonstrated by Russia.

In late February, ahead of Russia’s military assault on Ukraine, there was a cyber-attack targeted at communications provider Viasat and its KA-SAT system which provides high-speed internet for customers in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

The attack targeted the system’s ground terminals rather than the satellite itself which is usually the case in such types of attacks however, experts suggest that the conflict can further escalate into space with more aggressive attacks against space systems such as laser blinding of imagery satellites or cyberattacks against satellite ground stations.

Moreover, in November 2021 Russia conducted a direct ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) test in which it destroyed one of its satellites that have been in orbit since 1982.




The Nudol PL-19, an anti-satellite weapon used by Russia for its direct ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) test on Nov. 15, 2021 (GlobalSecurity.org)

U.S. Army General James Dickinson, commander of the U.S. Space Command strongly denounced the test saying, “Russia is developing and deploying capabilities to actively deny access to and use of space by the United States and its allies and partners.”

The destruction of the inactive Russian satellite, known as Cosmos 1408 created a field of at least 1,500 trackable pieces of debris in low orbit endangering the safety of seven crew members on board the International Space Station who had to take cover multiple times as the station’s orbit intersected with the debris.

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