A recent Fox News op-ed suggested that the first space war is imminent, and the US must prepare to win. This comes amidst concerns about Russia potentially placing a nuclear weapon in space. New Zealand is also involved in these space-related discussions.
In March, New Zealand’s Defence and Space Minister, Judith Collins, was briefed ahead of a meeting with the US AUKUS ambassador. The US is planning to use ‘integrated deterrence’, which involves using all national power levers with allies and partners across various conflict domains, including space.
In April, Collins met with US Space Command commanders in Colorado Springs. Among them was General Stephen Whiting, who previously stated that China had a network of satellites over the Pacific and the US needed to catch up.
Space is already crucial to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), and partnering with other countries is key. However, the NZDF does not currently have any space assets and relies entirely on partners’ or commercial assets.
The US Space Force, which Collins visited, has grown significantly since 2019, with a budget of $47 billion. The force is looking for commercial launch partners to build America’s satellite network and wants to involve allies more.
New Zealand’s Rocket Lab won an $840 million contract last December with the Space Force’s Space Development Agency. A Technology Safeguards Agreement with the US has also helped Rocket Lab by enabling sensitive technology transfer.
New Zealand is now considering “ground-based space infrastructure” and “enhanced access to space effects”. The country’s new defence capability plan, due to be presented to the Cabinet soon, emphasizes working with international security partners to meet collective security challenges. Over the next 15 years, the NZDF is expected to deploy more often and in a wider variety of situations.
