The Australian government on Tuesday announced the creation of a military space command, modeled after the US Space Force.

“The space is increasingly crowded and is already being contested, not least because the boundaries between competition and conflict are becoming more blurred,” said Defense Minister Peter Dutton.

In a speech to the Australian Air Force, he stated that space “will assume greater military importance in this century.”

This new space “armed arm”, called “Space Command”, will be small at first, the minister said, without giving figures, and the objective will be to counteract the military ambitions of China and Russia in space, as well as of all ” countries that see space as territory to be taken, rather than shared”.

The agency will be led by Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts, who will oversee a team made up of members of the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as private partners.

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