By Sarah Cope | 2025-09-17

Amid intensified strategic competition in the space domain, US Space Command (SPACECOM) commander Gen. Stephen Whiting has been stressing the need for increased cooperation and integration with security partners.

Multilateral cooperation in space was the key message of a recent tour to the Indo-Pacific, where he visited Australia and New Zealand and met with leaders of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and of his previous May 2024 tour of the region.

Whiting’s June visit reaffirmed the indispensable role that collaboration plays in maintaining stability both within the Indo-Pacific region and in outer space.

His tour followed on the heels of SPACECOM’s expansion of Multinational Force Operation Olympic Defender, which now includes Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and United States.

The multinational force represents a shared commitment to ensure the space domain benefits all of humanity, with the partners working together to improve coordination, resilience and deterrence in outer space.

'Better together'

Whiting conducted a series of high-level meetings with defense, government and private industry leaders during the June tour, with stops in Adelaide and Canberra in Australia.

In meetings with Chief of the Defense Force Admiral David Johnston and Australian Space Command Commander Maj. Gen. Greg Novak, he highlighted the continuous growth of the US-Australian security partnership.

"Our militaries have served together in virtually every conflict over the past century, and our partnerships in space really go back to the very dawn of the space race," Whiting said.

"I'm not sure it's ever been more integrated at the level it is today."

In New Zealand, Whiting visited Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Base Auckland ahead of the launch of the Air Force’s No. 62 Squadron, which will be responsible for the New Zealand Defense Force’s space operations.

He spoke with key leaders, including Minister for Space Judith Collins, Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies, and Chief of Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb.

"We believe we are better when operating together, and we have a long tradition and history of operating with our Kiwi allies and friends. We are excited about the steps we are taking forward in space,” Whiting said.

After returning to the United States, Whiting met with key leaders from the US Indo-Pacific Command to discuss opportunities to deepen integration between space and maritime capabilities.

Space domain-enabled awareness can enhance precision targeting capabilities.

Integrated response

United in their concerns about potential aggression in the Indo-Pacific, the United States, Australia and New Zealand continue to deepen cooperation and sustain a strategic edge.

Cooperation and integration with security partners is more important than ever, analysts say, as states such as China and Russia have increasingly sought to militarize space.

China, in particular, has accelerated the development of space warfighting capabilities, with reports of Chinese satellites practicing "dogfighting" maneuvers and stalking US satellites.

These actions highlight the urgency of collective defense measures and underscore the need for shared vigilance, with interoperability multiplying the effectiveness of national capabilities.

The linking of multinational systems creates durability to disruption that enhances collective resilience. Cooperative frameworks enforce existing norms of behavior, even as some states seek to undermine stability.

Together, these efforts reflect a unified strategy for space security.