NATO is preparing for war in space, but so far only more in words, having changed its defense concept
According to the U.S. publication The Epoch Times, on Monday, January 17, NATO unveiled its official “comprehensive policy in space,” which describes how the alliance will defend its members against attacks in outer space.
The US-led alliance said its principles of collective defence would be extended to outer space. Such innovations were the result of the implementation of the results of last year’s NATO summit in Brussels:
“At the Brussels Summit in 2021, Allies agreed that attacks in, from or inside space pose a clear challenge to the security of the Alliance, the consequences of which could threaten national and Euro-Atlantic prosperity, security and stability, and could be as dangerous at the current stage of society as conventional attacks. Such attacks could trigger Article 5. The decision as to when such attacks trigger Article 5 will be taken by the North Atlantic Council on a case-by-case basis.”
Article 5 states that an attack on any one of the 30 Allies would be considered an attack on all of them. Until now it has only applied to conventional warfare on land, at sea or in the air, and more recently in cyberspace.
There are some 2,000 satellites orbiting the Earth, more than half of which belong to NATO countries, and these satellites provide a wide range of services, from mobile communications and banking services to weather forecasting. NATO’s military uses some of the satellites for navigation, communications, intelligence sharing and missile launch detection.
In December 2019, NATO leaders declared space the “fifth area” where the alliance’s operations will take place. Many NATO members say they are concerned about the increasingly aggressive behaviour of China and Russia in space.
The alliance added that space was becoming “increasingly important” for the security and prosperity of NATO members:
“Space is inherently a global environment, and any conflict that extends into space could affect everyone who uses space. Even in cases where NATO is not involved in a conflict, Allied space systems may be affected.”
NATO noted that a number of countries are developing anti-space and anti-satellite systems.
“Potential adversaries,” in particular, are developing a wide range of capabilities from non-kinetic (“blinding” and jamming space assets) to kinetic destructive systems (such as anti-satellite missiles in orbit, anti-satellite systems, and laser and electromagnetic weapons).
The document also states:
“Many threats to Allied space systems emanate from cyberspace and are likely to intensify.”
NATO said it will conduct its activities in space in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter, “in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international cooperation and understanding.”
In turn, NATO spokesman Dylan P. White said:
“We rely on space systems for everything from weather forecasts and navigation to intelligence and missile detection. But potential adversaries could threaten our freedom of action, including with anti-satellite systems. Our new space policy defines our approach [to counter].”
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