NATO’s Space Defense Strategy: Coordinating Countermeasures Against Russian and Chinese Threats to Allied Satellites

Major General Paul Tedman, the head of UK Space Command, has reported that Russia is attempting to jam the UK's military satellites with ground-based systems on a weekly basis. This is the first time a UK official has publicly given a specific frequency for the interference, highlighting a significant and persistent threat in the space domain. The general specified that this activity has become more frequent and persistent since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian actions are not limited to jamming. Major General Tedman also stated that Russian satellites have been observed "flying relatively close" to UK military satellites, equipped with payloads capable of surveilling and collecting information from British assets in orbit. This suggests a two pronged approach of electronic interference and intelligence gathering against the UK’s space based capabilities. Britain has approximately half a dozen dedicated military satellites used for vital communications and surveillance.

The UK military satellites, while equipped with counter jamming technologies, are still being targeted "on a reasonably persistent basis." This activity is a clear indication of the growing militarisation of space, a domain that is now critical to modern warfare, navigation, and economic activity. General Tedman noted that without space assets, Western militaries "can't effectively understand, move, communicate, and fight," underscoring the severity of the threat.

The UK government is taking steps to bolster its space defenses in light of this hostile environment. The government recently announced plans to invest in new sensors to counter potential laser threats that could be used by adversaries to blind satellites or interrupt communications. This defensive project, involving UK Space Command and the UK Space Agency, is part of a broader push to protect the approximately £450 billion of the UK economy that is dependent on space services.

This disclosure follows a similar warning from Germany’s Defence Minister, who earlier stated that Russian satellites were shadowing German military assets. The combined reports from European defence officials emphasise a shared and growing concern over the development and use of anti satellite weapons and capabilities by both Russia and China. This has led to calls for greater investment in space security across NATO nations to deter and defend against hostile actions that could lead to a conflict extending into orbit. The UK is currently reviewing its own integrated air and missile defense strategy to include a more substantial space component.