Space Cooperation

A day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates hosted his French counterpart Alain Juppe for dinner at the same tavern that Secretary of State John Quincy Adams hosted French Gen. Lafayette in 1824, the two signed a statement of principles for a U.S.-French space security partnership.

Some Gates excerpts:

Today, the minister and I sign a bilateral statement of principles on space situational awareness that will go a long way to addressing one of the key security challenges of the 21st century. As the new national security space strategy puts it, space is becoming increasingly congested, contested and competitive. A growing number of nations are using space for an expanding variety of purposes, manned spacecraft, satellites, the International Space Station and more, increasing the odds of accidental collisions.

At the same time, space-based technologies underpin many essential civilian and defense capabilities, precision navigation, climate monitoring, secure communications and natural disaster warnings. Space situational awareness agreements like this one help us mitigate these and other risks by sharing information and pooling our varied capabilities. This arrangement will foster safety and reduce the chances of mishaps, misperceptions and mistrust. Such cooperation is a key aspect of the national security space strategy.

. . . and some Juppe excerpts:

I want to emphasize the high level of confidence in this relation both at the level of the political dialogue and in the military cooperation between our two countries, which allows a closer cooperation, including in the most strategic domains like space. Secretary Gates and myself, signing a declaration of principles, laying the principles of a new and ambitious partnership in terms of space situational awareness is a symbol of this will to cooperate.

Signing such an agreement between the USA and another NATO country is a first. Through all our space capabilities, France is a reliable partner. In a mutual interest, our two countries have decided to reinforce their defense-space cooperation in order to safeguard access and use of space with a peaceful end in view.