Australia launches Space Command to counter China’s extraterrestrial military ambitions

The security arm will be led by Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, who will oversee a team drawn from across Australia’s Army, Navy and Air Force

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the new agency would be modest to start with

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Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 4:06pm, 22 Mar 2022

Australia’s government on Tuesday launched “Space Command”, a new defence agency with echoes of the United States’ Space Force that has been tasked with securing the country’s place in an “already contested” cosmos.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the new defence arm would be modest to start with, though he gave no detailed staffing or budget figures.

In a speech to the Australian Air Force, he said space “will undoubtedly become a domain that takes on greater military significance in this century”.

“Space is becoming more congested and is already contested, particularly as the boundaries between competition and conflict become increasingly blurred through grey-zone activities,” the minister said.

Dutton positioned Space Command as a clear counter to China and Russia’s extraterrestrial military ambitions, namechecking both nations in his speech along with all “countries that see space as a territory for their taking, rather than one to be shared”.

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