NATO Expands Defense Network to Space with Joint Satellite Interception Weapons from China and Russia...

Land, Sea, Air, Cyberspace, and Now the 5th Defense Domain
Cooperation to Counter Low Earth Orbit Satellite Interceptor Weapons

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has reportedly included outer space in its collective defense network for the first time, considering space warfare with adversarial countries such as China and Russia. This is interpreted as a declaration to establish an interception weapon defense system against low Earth orbit satellites being developed by China and Russia.

According to foreign media including The Times in the UK on the 14th (local time), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at a press conference following the NATO summit, "An attack on satellites and other space assets could trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which specifies collective military response," adding, "NATO member countries have agreed to cooperate in space warfare." This is the first time NATO has officially included outer space in its collective defense network.

In a joint statement released after the summit held in Brussels, NATO leaders said, "An attack on space assets can cause as much damage as conventional attacks occurring 'on Earth,'" and "Attacks from, to, and within space are considered real threats to alliance security."

If satellites are militarily attacked, communication, intelligence, and navigation technologies would be paralyzed, significantly impacting not only essential military satellite communications but also economic activities such as mobile phones, finance, and commerce. This is interpreted as a matter of national security. NATO is particularly concerned about the possibility of low Earth orbit satellites being shot down by satellite interception weapons developed by China and Russia.

Secretary General Stoltenberg emphasized, "China is heavily investing in modern military technologies such as robotics, facial recognition software, and artificial intelligence (AI), changing the nature of warfare," adding, "These military enhancements and aggressive actions pose security threats to Western alliances." He continued, "NATO must spend more on strengthening defense capabilities in response to threats from China and Russia," and stated, "Relations with Russia have reached their lowest point since the Cold War."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.