NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenbeng noted that the center is being created to ensure that the actions of NATO states in space are more coordinated, since different countries have different capabilities

BRUSSELS, October 22. / TASS /. NATO Defense Ministers announced the creation of an alliance space center at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenbeng said this at a press conference following a video conference of NATO Defense Ministers.

“The ministers decided to create a new NATO space center, which will provide the exchange of space information and the protection of the alliance satellites,” he said. “The center will also allow the exchange of information on possible threats to NATO space objects.

“Much of what is on earth depends on the efficiency of our space infrastructure. At the same time, Russia and China are developing systems that can blind or destroy satellites. Therefore, we have created a new space center in Ramstein to ensure that the actions of NATO states in space were more coordinated as different countries have different capabilities. This center will also provide all the necessary space information and images to support NATO missions in different regions of the world, in particular in Afghanistan and Kosovo,” he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, announcing the center’s upcoming opening, Stoltenberg confirmed that the move was not aimed at bringing NATO weapons into space. In turn, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said that the center, in particular, would monitor space debris that could pose a threat to the alliance satellites.

In June 2019, NATO defense ministers approved the alliance’s military space concept. As Stoltenberg said at the time, it is aimed at “monitoring outer space, protecting communications, detecting rocket launches.” He stated that there was no talk of militarizing outer space.

The head of the European Space Agency (ESA), Johan-Dietrich Werner, told the DPA agency on Monday that he is “skeptical” about any kind of militarization of outer space. According to him, militarization “can destroy the trust that is necessary for international cooperation in outer space.”

However, Russia and China have accused the US and NATO of seeking to turn outer space into a new battleground. At the UN, Moscow and Beijing are promoting the idea of signing a legally binding agreement on banning space weaponization.

SOURCE: https://www.voanews.com/europe/nato-chief-alliance-build-space-center-ramstein-airbase-germany