Australia launches space command to counter China’s

Australia’s government on Tuesday launched “Space Command,” a new defense agency with echoes of the United States’ Space Force that has been tasked with securing the country’s place in an “already contested” cosmos.

Defense Minister Peter Dutton said the new defense arm would be modest to start with, though he gave no detailed staffing or budget figures.

In a speech to the Australian Air Force, he said space “will undoubtedly become a domain that takes on greater military significance in this century.”

“Space is becoming more congested and is already contested, particularly as the boundaries between competition and conflict become increasingly blurred through grey-zone activities,” the minister said.