Today, the Department of National Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct space operations with the defence departments of Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Combined Space Operations Initiative formalizes an existing partnership between our respective armed forces. This initiative enables the sharing of space-related information and resources. This will assist Canada and our allies to more effectively cooperate on activities such as identifying and understanding space objects, ensuring uninterrupted satellite operations, and avoiding satellite collisions.
Cooperation in space is important given Canada’s extensive military and civilian use of space-based capabilities. The Canadian Armed Forces rely on space for a wide-range of functions such as command and control, weather information, navigation, communications, mapping, and search and rescue.
“Canada has been a space-faring nation for more than half a century, and in that time the space environment has become a more crowded and complex environment in which to operate. By extending our cooperation with our closest allies, we can share our expertise, solve common problems, and ensure defence dollars are spent to maximum effect.”
The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls and Minister of National Defence
“The partnership announced today will help the Canadian Armed Forces to continue improving its use of space capabilities and protecting our critical space assets. Just as we work closely with our allies on land, sea, and in the air, so too should we combine our operations in space.”
Lieutenant-General Guy Thibault, Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff
“Partnering with our Defence allies on combined space operations makes sense. The information shared will help us in areas of mutual interest, including Space Situational Awareness, planning for space events, and collaborating on space capabilities to maintain the strategic advantage that space provides."
Brigadier-General Michel Lalumière, Director General Space
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
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