In today’s rapidly evolving security landscape, the importance of military space capabilities cannot be overstated. Through satellite-based communication, precise navigation, real-time intelligence and surveillance, and other capabilities, space operations are woven into the fabric of modern military operations. In the European theater, space assets support a wide range of missions, including deterring potential adversaries, responding to crises and protecting the Joint Force and our Allies and partners. The recent establishment of United States Space Forces Europe and Africa (SPACE-EURAF) underscores the vital role space capabilities play in advancing our defense objectives in Europe. European Command, alongside our European Allies and partners, will leverage these assets to deter conflict and uphold peace and security in the region.
Critical role of space in modern conflict
The Department of Defense has increasingly recognized space as an important operational domain. The development and testing of anti-satellite capabilities by major powers signifies a shift in the strategic landscape of space. It reflects the importance of space in national security and the evolving nature of military power in the 21st century. The department, recognizing this shift, identified the need to adapt its policies, doctrine and capabilities to protect U.S. interests in space and to deter and, if deterrence fails, defeat aggression against our Allies and partners. The creation and continued evolution of the U.S. Space Force and other recent reforms remain critical to U.S. leadership in space.
The conflict in Ukraine underscores the crucial role of space in modern warfare. As USSF leaders previously stated, Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine with a cyberattack on a space ground station and continues to regularly leverage these capabilities, underlining the importance of continued development of our space capabilities and space defense.
Today, our modern…
Read the full article here