COLORADO SPRINGS—U.S. Space Command signed two new agreements with partner nations within two days this week as the Pentagon plans to further increase its space information sharing.
SPACECOM Commander Gen. James Dickinson on April 6 signed a memorandum of understanding for enhanced space cooperation with UK Royal Air Force Vice-Marshal Paul Godfrey, the commander of the UK’s SpaceCom. The agreement is a nonbinding framework for more military cooperation in space, including information sharing, collaboration with requirements and identifying potential collaborative studies, projects or activities, an announcement said.
The signings were disclosed at the Space Symposium here.
On April 7, Rear Adm. Michael Bernacci, SPACECOM’s director of strategy, plans and policy, signed a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) sharing agreement with Maj. Gen. Carl-Johan Edstrom, commander of the Swedish Air Force. This is part of a broader effort for spaceflight planning and enhancing the safety and security of space operations, an announcement said.
This marked the 30th SSA agreement between SPACECOM and a partner nation, the command said.
Dickinson says international cooperation on missions such as satellite communications has become increasingly important, and highlighted Australia as one ally that has closely worked with the U.S. on the Wideband Global SATCOM system.
“[There’s an] understanding of our allies and partners of how important it is for us to integrate ourselves and work together, particularly in one of our core functional areas, which is satellite communications,” Dickinson says.
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