Since wars may also take place in space in the future, NATO wants to build a first space center in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Another location is being planned.
Brussels -
NATO
is apparently continuing to prepare for a possible
alliance defense
in
space
.
The defense ministers of the 30 member states want to announce this Thursday that a
space center is to be built
in
Ramstein
,
Rhineland-Palatinate
, the
German press agency
and the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
informed
.
It should
belong
to
the
NATO
air force command
on site and act as a coordination point for the surveillance of space.
That means: information about possible threats against
satellites
will converge there.
In addition, it should
be possible to expand
the
Space Center
into a command center for defense measures.
In addition to the
Space Center
, NATO wants a kind of
think tank
for the
space activities
of
NATO
establish.
The planned locations were Kalkar in
North Rhine-Westphalia
and Toulouse in France.
The competence center for the
NATO air forces
is currently located in Kalkar,
and the French national
space
command is currently being set up in Toulouse
.
NATO case in space attack?
The
Space Center
and the think tank created as a result of measures taken in 2019 landmark decision, the
All
to explain to an independent operation area.
For example,
through the decision,
NATO
can
request allies to provide capacities for satellite communication or image data transfer.
In addition, the extent to which possible attacks from or in
space are
considered an alliance case
is now discussed in more detail
.
"
NATO
has no intention of stationing weapons in space, but we have to make sure that our missions and operations have the appropriate support," said
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
last year.
For example, for
early warning systems
, communication and navigation,
space is
very important.
The Norwegian was alluding to the fact that
NATO is
increasingly dependent on technology in space.
For example, communication during
military operations
, reconnaissance and espionage takes place via satellites and navigation systems.
An attack on it could
seriously impair
NATO's
defense
.
But public life would also be affected by attacks on
satellites
, for example with regard to cashless payment transactions or
navigation systems
* in road, sea and air traffic.
In addition to the USA *, which belongs to
NATO
, Russia, China and India have recently expanded their space activities.
Russia, for example, carried out several tests of
anti-satellite weapons
, India had already successfully
shot down
its own
satellites
with a corresponding
missile
as a test
.
NATO: The USA is also setting up locations for space missions
"When it comes to defending America, it is not enough just
to have
an American presence in
space
," said US President
Donald Trump *
at the time.
"We must have American supremacy in space." The enemies of the US could
attack
satellites
in orbit around the earth with new
technology
* which are "crucial for our operations on the battlefield and for our lives at home".
The
US armed forces put
their new command command for operations in space into operation in 2019.
A new
space operations center for
the German
Air Force
was recently
opened in
Uedem, North Rhine-Westphalia
.
The so-called
Air and Space Operations Center
(ASOC) is primarily intended to help protect satellites from interference and attacks.
In addition, it should observe missiles that could pose a threat to populated areas when they re-enter the atmosphere.
This is not about
space weapons
, emphasized the Inspector of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, but about space objects and the so-called space debris.
(dpa)
* Merkur.de and tz.de are part of the Ippen digital network.
List of rubric lists: © Nasa / dpa
