The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom are publicly increasing their focus on space control, a mission area dedicated to defending assets in orbit and countering adversarial capabilities. This strategic shift involves significant financial investments and a move toward greater international cooperation in what is now widely considered a contested domain.
Key Takeaways
- Australia has designated space control as one of four key investment priorities for its Space Command, committing billions to enhance its capabilities.
- The U.S. Space Force is openly discussing concepts like orbital warfare and has defined space control as the ability to disrupt, degrade, or destroy adversary systems.
- The United Kingdom views space control as a foundational capability in its goal to become a competitive space power by 2035.
- All three nations emphasize that international partnerships are essential for building resilient and effective space architectures due to high costs and complex threats.
A Strategic Shift in Orbital Defense
As competition in space intensifies, leading nations are adjusting their defense postures. The change was highlighted during the U.S. Space Command’s Global Sentinel '25 Capstone event, where participants collaborated on complex space scenarios. This exercise reflects a broader trend where officials are now more openly discussing the realities of conducting orbital warfare, a topic previously confined to classified settings.
This evolving perspective acknowledges that space is no longer a peaceful sanctuary but a critical environment for national security and economic stability. Consequently, the language used by military leaders has become more direct, signaling a readiness to protect national interests beyond Earth's atmosphere.
What is Space Control?
Space control refers to the military capabilities required to ensure freedom of action in space for friendly forces while, if necessary, denying it to adversaries. This includes both defensive measures, like protecting satellites from attack, and offensive measures that could involve kinetic (physical) or non-kinetic (electronic) means to affect an opponent's space assets.
Australia's Major Investment in Space Capabilities
Australia is making a substantial commitment to its space defense infrastructure. Brig. Christopher Gardiner, Australia’s space and cyber attaché in Washington, confirmed that space control is one of four primary focus areas for the nation's Space Command. This emphasis is backed by significant funding announcements made in 2024.
The Australian government plans to allocate between $9 billion and $12 billion AUD for enhanced space capabilities. This is part of a larger defense spending boost of $25 billion AUD (approximately $16.27 billion USD). The investment will be guided by a revamped national defense strategy set for release in 2026.
The Four Pillars of Australian Space Investment
According to Gardiner, Australia's 2024 defense strategy update identified four "big call-outs" for space investment:
- Space Control: The ability to ensure access to space and counter threats.
- Space Domain Awareness: Monitoring and tracking objects and activities in orbit.
- Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR): Using space assets to gather critical information.
- Satellite Communications: Ensuring secure and reliable communication networks.
Australia has also introduced a new operational framework called Concept Selene, which prioritizes building space resiliency through partnerships. Gardiner noted that a purely sovereign approach is not feasible.
"Within that, it actually recognizes that we don’t have enough resources to build that resilient architecture in a sovereign sense. We need to partner and we need to cooperate to generate the resiliency effect," he stated during a webinar hosted by the Air and Space Forces Association on October 8.
The United States Defines Its Doctrine
The U.S. Space Force has taken a leading role in clarifying the meaning and importance of space control. Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Chief of Space Operations, has been a vocal proponent of building robust international alliances and breaking down classification barriers that have historically hindered cooperation.
Projected Growth in Partnerships
The U.S. Space Force anticipates supporting $10 billion to $12 billion in foreign military sales for space domain capabilities by 2030, with allies showing strong interest in space control and space domain awareness assets.
At an Air and Space Forces Association symposium in March, Gen. Saltzman provided a clear definition of the mission.
"Space control encapsulates the mission areas required to contest and control the space domain–employing kinetic and non-kinetic means to affect adversary capabilities, from disruption to degradation to destruction," he said. This statement underscores a more assertive U.S. posture. In July, the service also released its first-ever international strategy, further cementing its commitment to collaborative defense in space.
The UK's Ambition as a Space Power
The United Kingdom shares a similar vision, identifying space control as a critical component of its national security strategy. During a July 24 workshop hosted by the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies (RUSI), the mission area was described as a "foundational capability."
UK Space Command Commander Maj. Gen. Paul Tedman emphasized that these capabilities are vital for London to achieve its goal of becoming a "competitive space power by 2035." The UK's approach includes developing assets for space domain awareness, command and control, and both co-orbital and terrestrial counterspace systems.
Collaboration as a Core Strategy
Like its allies, the UK recognizes that collaboration is key, especially amid constrained global budgets. The RUSI workshop summary highlighted that public-private and international partnerships are essential for accelerating capability development. One potential avenue for deeper cooperation is with Japan, building on the 2023 Hiroshima Accord.
"The sharing of capacity within sovereign satellite constellations presents one route for greater collaboration between the two nations on military satellite communications, ISR, in-space service assembly and manufacturing, and space control," the RUSI report noted. This collaborative model is becoming the standard as nations work together to secure the high ground of space.