Paris – At the Space Defense and Security Summit held in Paris on Tuesday, leaders of space forces from multiple NATO countries stated that space has become a domain of operations, an assessment that requires theoretical changes and the ability to intervene more quickly in space.

Major General Jürgen Schröder, head of the department responsible for space affairs at the German Ministry of Defense, said, "The international order based on rules in the space domain is nearing its end. We must acknowledge that space is a tested domain, a domain of operations, and is gradually becoming one."

This statement marks an escalation compared to the more diplomatic assessment at last year's summit. Last year, military space leaders discussed the growing threats to orbital assets but did not describe space as a potential theater or battlefield. Data from Novaspace, the organizer of the summit, shows that over the past two years, government budgets for space have allocated more funds to defense than to civil space. The consulting firm reports that global government spending on space defense and security reached $73.1 billion in 2024, with more than a third being classified.

Hermann Ludwig Möller, director of the European Space Policy Institute, told Defense News during the meeting, "You will find that now it's the military that is leading. This is very clear compared to last year, and both the wording and the meaning behind it have changed."

Major General Christopher Horna, commander of the Canadian Space Force, stated that there are over 200 anti-satellite weapons orbiting Earth at different altitudes. Although he did not specify the nature of these weapons, he said that this number of weapons is sufficient to threaten allied space capabilities, including satellite communications and Earth observation.

Major General Vincent Souchon, who took command of the French Space Command in August, said that while hostile actions in space are not new, "the situation is accelerating. Space has become a fully operational domain, and we are discussing space operations."

Souchon said that Russia has full capabilities, ranging from satellites capable of rendezvous and close proximity operations, orbiters that can carry smaller satellites like Russian nesting dolls, to anti-satellite missiles, electronic warfare, laser blinding, and cyber attacks.

Major General Isaac Manuel Crespo Saragossa, commander of space operations for the Spanish Air and Space Force, said that meanwhile, China is accelerating its space activities to gain an advantage in the space domain. According to data from Novaspace, China spent $9.3 billion on space defense and security in 2024, ranking second, while the United States spent $53.1 billion. Russia spent $2.3 billion, France $2.1 billion, and Germany ranked eighth with $655 million in spending.

Major General Michael Traut, commander of the German Space Command, said that the major change is that Germany "finally realizes" that space is a domain of operations. The German commander said, "Due to technological developments, space is becoming increasingly tactical, and the kill chain needs to be faster. When we talk about the kill chain, we're talking about seconds and minutes, not creating information backgrounds for strategic decisions anymore."

Traut gave the example of integrated missile defense, stating that without early warning and alerts from space systems, its effectiveness would not be so significant. The German space commander said that the German military will design a military space defense architecture by the end of this year to support multi-domain operations. The first step will be to build a "multi-functional, multi-orbit constellation" and related ground infrastructure by 2029.

Traut believes that it is necessary to develop a common space doctrine, such as how to protect allied assets or counter enemy offensive actions. He said that this is an issue that has emerged in the past one or two years at the operational level.

Traut said, "Developing a common space doctrine is still an unresolved issue for us. How will we act? Who will make decisions under what circumstances? How will we manage our space combat?"

Horna said that although Canada's stance is changing, "we cannot yet publicly declare that space is a domain of operations." He joked that policy officials in the audience felt embarrassed when he avoided using that phrase.

However, Horna said that the change in wording allows people to openly discuss future defense strategies, including the necessity of taking both offensive and defensive actions in space to protect critical infrastructure. "A year ago, these were not even real discussions," he said.

Horna asked, "Beyond the major strategic plans and projects, how do we maintain an operational or decision-making advantage when the fighting begins? How do we quickly replenish our operational capabilities?"

Horna said the answer may not lie in those "large school bus-sized objects" in geostationary orbit, but rather in "tactical response capabilities that allow us to maintain an operational advantage. How can we respond quickly to deploy a tactical capability within 96 hours?"

Major General Schröder from Germany said that rapid response launches and "very quickly" putting new satellites into space when existing ones are damaged also have a deterrent effect. He said that at the tactical level, Germany found that its satellites "have had many accidents," and observed intentional interference from the ground and space, including multiple instances of temporarily blinding observation and reconnaissance satellites.

Major General Bertrand Lemaire, head of the Directorate for Defense Strategy, Non-Proliferation and Strategic Foresight at the French Ministry of Defense, said that NATO forces' space assets face asymmetry in cost, with some offensive capabilities "much cheaper."

Lemaire said, "I guess we will see many countries developing these capabilities in the coming years because space is becoming increasingly accessible."

Lemaire said, "Our space assets are like a honey pot, very expensive and very sophisticated. Therefore, from a global data perspective, the situation is unfavorable for us."

Major General Traut from Germany said that in addition to the functional space capabilities used by the armed forces for decades (such as Earth observation and communication), there is now a need for "space-based and for space" operational capabilities to protect these functional capabilities.

Traut said, "These operational capabilities include defensive and offensive means. I can officially restate this: defensive and offensive means, that is, shield and sword."

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