NITECH ››› ENSURING ACCESS TO CRITICAL DATA
VIEW FROM THE NATIONS
FRANCE
DEVELOPING SPACE FOR THE ALLIANCE AND ITS MEMBER STATES Data collection and distribution is becoming an ever-greater facility of the Alliance’s newest operational domain – space. France’s Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, highlights the importance of space for NATO and its Member States, and how the new Toulouse-based NATO Space Centre of Excellence will assist with the development of this vital domain
away on the other side of the exo-atmospheric border.
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Some 60 years have passed since John F Kennedy’s memorable speech that established space as “a new frontier”. Over the past 60 years, the world has changed a lot; frontiers have been pushed back and humanity has never stopped pushing the limits of our knowledge. Today, as I write these few lines, Thomas Pesquet, a French astronaut, and his American and Japanese colleagues are at work in the International Space Station at an altitude of more than 400km, far
As technologies and ways of life have been changing simultaneously, space has gradually become a decisive element of international security. It is both a provider of essential services and a carrier of many threats. It is now a new area of rivalry between state powers, jeopardizing the very functioning of our societies, as well as our ability to conduct our military operations. Because I believe it is the bedrock of tomorrow’s defence, I made space one of my priorities as France’s Minister of the Armed Forces. The release of our Space Defence Strategy and the creation of a national Space Command in 2019 are key milestones of our space policy. In November 2019, by declaring space the fifth operational domain for NATO, Allies collectively decided
to invest in this strategic field. This was a most timely and necessary step. However, it is only a first step towards protecting our freedom of access and manoeuvre in space, and the unimpeded use of space guaranteed under international law. As our strategic competitors have already started to invest in this domain, we must be at the forefront to protect our interests. With the creation of the NATO Space Centre of Excellence, we are setting a real ambition for the Alliance. The message is loud and clear: NATO is in motion, and while space is no longer our new frontier, we know it is a potential battlefield.
A FUTURE SPACE HUB In January 2021, NATO formally accepted France’s offer to host the future NATO Space Centre of Excellence in Toulouse. The new NATO space hub will be located at
