Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he is holding with his NATO counterparts on proposals for the collective development of space-based weaponry for deployment by NATO nations other than the US.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Ministry of Defence does not comment on specific space capability developments of our Allies. In 2019, NATO Leaders declared space an operational domain, recognising its importance in keeping Allies safe and tackling security challenges, while upholding international law. NATO is in the process of refining their policy to implement space as an operational domain and the UK is actively engaged in the development of NATO Space policy alongside Allies. NATO’s role in space will be to act as a forum to share information, increase interoperability and coordinate action. It is not seeking to develop independent space capabilities and will continue to rely on Allies to provide national products and services to support the Alliance’s space requirements. NATO has no intention to put weapons into space.