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There is growing debate within the global space policy community about whether space is becoming a \u2018warfighting domain\u2019. As adversaries develop increasingly sophisticated counterspace capabilities, Australia should consider how to strengthen resilience and assure access to space. A panel at ASPI\u2019s 2026 Defence Conference in June explored the implications of these evolving threats, the effectiveness of space law, and opportunities to work with allies such as Japan to strengthen collective deterrence in space to enhance resilience and assured access.<\/p>\n
Although the space domain has supported terrestrial military operations since the early 1960s, the growing dependence of modern militaries on the space support to enable joint and integrated military operations has created stronger incentives for adversaries to develop and test counterspace capabilities. This is accelerating the weaponisation of space and is driving debate over whether space is becoming a warfighting domain.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a conference panel titled \u2018Space as a Warfighting Domain\u2019, Major General Greg Novak, commander of the Australian Defence Force\u2019s Space Command, emphasised the importance of the space domain. He said it was \u2018a great source of military advantage, and as a result, it\u2019s potentially a great source of military vulnerability.\u2019 Still, Australian policy is to approach space as an operational domain rather than explicitly categorising it as a warfighting domain. Novak said:<\/p>\n
Just to be clear, the warfighting domain lexicon, that\u2019s not lexicon the Australian government subscribes to. I don\u2019t think that means that there\u2019s not a recognition of the fact that there\u2019s a military stake in space, and we must be prepared to defend our national interests and our capabilities in the space domain. And that\u2019s why I think that operational domain \u2013 that domain in its own right \u2013 is important lexicon. That does reflect our current position.<\/p>\n
The space panel also considered legal frameworks and opportunities to manage the challenge of an increasingly contested space domain. Adelaide University space law expert Melissa De Zwart explored this dimension. She highlighted the complexity of the domain, especially given the \u2018huge number of commercial actors in space \u2026 who are undertaking activities for or on behalf of governments, on behalf of military,\u2019 noting that \u2018many of them are very new, and many don\u2019t come from a defence contracting background\u2019.<\/p>\n
Commercial space operators now provide many of the essential services modern societies rely on. This role is set to expand in the years ahead. De Zwart said that \u2018as space becomes more valuable, it becomes more vulnerable. \u2026 Now we\u2019re talking about putting up things like data centres for AI in space.\u2019 She emphasised the importance of legal and regulatory measures to manage radical transformation in the use of space, particularly as commercial actors take on ever-larger roles.<\/p>\n
The panel also explored opportunities for commercial collaboration with Japan. IHI Corporation\u2019s Motoya Nakamura, head of the Satellite Constellation Project Group in the company\u2019s Space Systems Business Development Department, explored how IHI\u2019s space capabilities could support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), particularly for maritime domain awareness, as well as potential collaboration on rocket development and launch. On the latter he said:<\/p>\n
Australia has a vast land area and [is a] very promising candidate for a launch site. On the other hand, Japan has good capability for the rocket manufacturing and launching operation. By combining our capability and strength, we can improve the resilience of the space system, even in an emergency.<\/p>\n