BERLIN (AFNS) —  U.S. Space Command formally recognized Germany’s membership in Multinational Force-Operation Olympic Defender, Oct. 11.

U.S. Space Force Gen. Stephen Whiting, USSPACECOM and Multinational Force OOD commander, German Ministry of Defence Military Strategy and Operations Director-General Lt. Gen. Gunter Schneider, and representatives from Australia, Canada and New Zealand participated in a formal accessions ceremony in Berlin to commemorate the historic occasion.

The multinational named operation represents a growing commitment among the closest allies in space to jointly strengthen defenses and deter aggression, ensuring space remains a domain that benefits all of humanity.

“Space is truly a team sport. The addition of Germany to our roster of growing like-minded partners contributes to our collective ability to address the growing threats in the domain and ensure space remains safe and secure for generations to come,” Whiting said. “The diverse perspectives, capabilities and opportunities for greater information sharing that our partners bring to bear is an asymmetric advantage that’s proof we are stronger together.”

Originally established in 2013 under U.S. Strategic Command, OOD has expanded to a multinational effort that focuses to optimize space operations, improve mission assurance, enhance resilience of space-based systems, synchronize efforts to strengthen deterrence against hostile actors and reduce the spread of debris orbiting the Earth. In Spring 2024, the commander of USSPACECOM and MNF-OOD extended invitations to France, Germany and New Zealand. In September 2024, New Zealand formally accepted the offer.

“According to our assessment, multinational cooperation is key to security and defense in space as no nation can guarantee unimpeded access to and secure use of space unilaterally. Therefore, becoming a member of the OOD-community not only complements, but, from an operational perspective, crowns our other cooperation formats with the U.S. for the space domain.” Schneider said. “Our common efforts as allies to increase our Space Domain Awareness will not only lead to a better understanding of the space domain but it will also dissuade possible adversaries from dangerous and escalatory behavior in space as they will have to take into account that we can closely observe and evaluate each of their actions.”

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