![UK Space Command's Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey is the first non-US officer to hold a senior leadership role within the US Space Force. [USSF]](/gc8/images/2026/01/23/53527-us-uk-exchange-370_237.webp)
UK Space Command's Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey is the first non-US officer to hold a senior leadership role within the US Space Force. [USSF] By BlueShift |
The United Kingdom and United States have a long and storied history of military cooperation which has extended into the space domain in more recent years.
In 2020, the UK joined Operation Olympic Defender, a US-led multinational force which integrates military spacepower to deter aggression and retain military advantage, according to US Space Command (USSC).
Originally established in 2013 under US Strategic Command, the expanded force represents "a shared commitment among the closest partners in space to ensure space remains a domain that benefits all of humanity."
In 2022, US Space Command and the UK Space Command signed an agreement on enhanced space cooperation that built upon a December 2021 statement of intent between the Ministry of Defense and the Pentagon.
![UK Space Command's Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey and US Space Command's then commander Gen. James Dickinson sign a memorandum of understanding between the United States and United Kingdom in Colorado Springs on April 6, 2022, which sets out the intention to exchange public space situational information. [USSC]](/gc8/images/2026/01/23/53539-US-UK-MOU-370_237.webp)
UK Space Command's Air Vice Marshal Paul Godfrey and US Space Command's then commander Gen. James Dickinson sign a memorandum of understanding between the United States and United Kingdom in Colorado Springs on April 6, 2022, which sets out the intention to exchange public space situational information. [USSC] 
Operation Olympic Defender provides the strategic framework through which the United States operates, secures, and defends the space domain with the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and New Zealand. The multinational force formally achieved seven-nation membership and declared Initial Operating Capability in April 2025.
This established a framework for deepened military cooperation between the two nations in the space domain.
The agreement aims to increase the exchange of information, harmonize military space requirements and identify potential collaborative studies, projects or activities, according to USSC.
"Through these cooperative efforts, the US and UK will continue to improve coordination and interoperability to maintain freedom of action in space, optimize resources, and enhance mission assurance and resilience," it said.
'A new phase'
The two nations have started to work even more closely together in the field of Space Domain Awareness (SDA), with new programs introduced to share intelligence and information, Orbital Today noted in a March 24, 2024 report.
"This is a new phase of collaboration, based around closer military cooperation," it said.
This recently saw US Space Command and UK Space Command conduct their first-ever coordinated satellite maneuver, between September 4 and 12, 2025.
The UK established a space domain awareness cell in 2023, with US support, to enhance orbital surveillance and collect and share data relevant to the space domain.
Based at RAF High Wycombe, the Joint Task Force-Space Defense Commercial Operations Cell is an extension of the US-led Joint Commercial Operations program which has focused on unclassified indications of orbital activity.
Also in 2023, the US, UK and Australia announced the trilateral Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) initiative, a powerful, deep-space tracking radar system.
DARC will monitor satellites in geosynchronous orbit between three strategically spaced transmit/receive sites at mid-latitudes around the world to detect, track and maintain custody of deep space objects.
The western Australia DARC site is expected to become fully operational in 2027, with sites at a British military base and in the continental United States expected to be operational by the end of the decade.
'Partner to win'
US Space Command and UK Space Command also are fostering deeper collaboration, interoperability and the sharing of expertise through the exchange of military and civilian personnel.
Last April, US Space Systems Command (SSC) and UK Space Command jointly announced their first civilian exchange program space position, with a US civilian arriving in the UK to support Space Enterprise Architecture integration efforts.
They described the exchange as "another step towards closer integration and collaboration between the two countries in the space domain, strengthening the partnership and mutually developing the US and UK space workforce."
The program enables administrative or management professionals to swap positions with their counterparts in another organization, often across different countries, to gain new skills, perspectives and cross-cultural understanding.
"I know first-hand the value of our exchange programs," UK Space Command commander Maj. Gen. Paul Tedman said. "They allow us to build trust, learn from each other, and enhance cooperation."
"In order to develop a world-class workforce, we must continue to partner to win," said SSC commander Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant.
The civilian exchange builds on high level military exchanges, which in July 2024 saw the US Space Force welcome the first foreign officer to join its top staff.
The appointment of Air Marshal Paul Godfrey as Assistant Chief of Space Operations for Future Concepts and Partnerships underscores the significance of bilateral cooperation in shaping the future of space security.