In the wake of the U.S. Spacecom accusation that Russia tested a space weapon on July 15, the British are now trying to posture themselves as the defenders of orbital space. U.K. Defense Secretary Wallace, in an op-ed published by the Telegraph last night, declared that “We Are Putting Space at the Heart of Britain’s Defense.” The ostensible purpose of the op-ed was to argue for the need of the defense and security review that is currently underway within the Boris Johnson government. The justification for it, naturally, is the supposed threat from Russia and China.
“This week we have been reminded of the threat Russia poses to our national security with the provocative test of a weapon-like projectile from a satellite threatening the peaceful use of space. Space, and our access to it, is fundamental to our way of life. We’ve called on Russia to avoid further testing and urge them to work constructively with us and other partners to be responsible in space,” Wallace wrote. “But Russia is not alone. China, too, is developing offensive space weapons and both nations are upgrading their capabilities. Such behaviour only underlines the importance of the review the government is currently conducting into our foreign, security, defense and development policy — the deepest and most radical since the end of the Cold War.”
Wallace vowed that “The MOD that emerges from this review will be a much more threat-lead organization, pivoting away from what we have become used to in recent decades, and reshaped to operate much more in the newest domains of space, cyber and sub-sea.”
