NATO vows to expand into SPACE and declares ‘rumours of our death are greatly exaggerated’
NATO has said it intends to make space its next "operational domain" and insisted that questions about its future are "greatly exaggerated".
The comments come after French president Emmanuel Macron warned that the military alliance was experiencing "brain death" and ahead of a London summit to mark its 70th anniversary.
Speaking after a meeting of Nato foreign ministers at the organisation's headquarters in Brussels, secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said: "We have agreed that space should be a new operational domain for NATO – alongside air, land, sea and cyber.
"Space is part of our daily life here on Earth. It can be used for peaceful purposes.
"But it can also be used aggressively.
"Satellites can be jammed, hacked or weaponized.
"Anti-satellite weapons could cripple communications and other services our societies rely on, such as air travel, weather forecast or banking."
He stressed that Nato was a defensive alliance and had no intention of putting weapons in space, but added: "Making space an operational domain will help us ensure that all aspects are taken into account to ensure the success of our missions."
He said that Nato countries own around half of the 2,000 satellites currently in orbit, and that the plans would allow the group to make requests to use them for communications and satellite imaging.
NATO 'INDISPENSABLE FOR SECURITY'
Stoltenberg also sought to rebut claims that the importance of Nato was in decline.
The alliance has faced questions about its relevance in a post-Cold War era, and been criticised by President Trump over the failure of some member states to fulfil commitments on military spending.
Earlier this month, French president Emmanuel Macron gave an interview to the economist in which he said Nato was experiencing "brain death"
“You have no coordination whatsoever of strategic decision-making between the United States and its Nato allies. None,"
"You have an uncoordinated aggressive action by another Nato ally, Turkey, in an area where our interests are at stake."
He added it was time for Europe to “wake up” and “reassess the reality of what Nato is in the light of the commitment of the United States”.
Seeking to quell speculation, Stoltenberg said: "We all agree that NATO remains indispensable for our security.
"And that despite our differences, we are stronger as we face the future together.";
Lithuania foreign secretary Linas Linkevicius also told FRANCE24 that "rumours about the death of NATO are strongly exaggerated".
Referring specifically to the threat of Russia, and EU sanctions imposed after the country's annexation of the Crimea in 2014, he said: "If we retreat, there will be more problems in the future.
"It will be a short-sighted strategy – some think that if we are co-operative and flexible then the other side will do the same.
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
"But unfortunately the other side takes this as a weakness and continues this policy which is not always very rational."
The London summit, which will take place on December 3 and 4, is also expected to discuss the growing military threat from China.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.