Statement from the French Air and Space Force Chief of Staff

The explosive ascent of new technologies and the massive boost of private sector input are causing huge transformations in our exosphere. Once the preserve of a limited number of state actors, the exosphere is now widely open, rendered accessible by more affordable costs and bold private investments. 

The introduction of innovative satellite propulsion systems, low-cost platforms, smaller launchers and new satellite constellations are profoundly changing the picture. As a result of these developments, space is now widely democratised and part of our daily lives, thanks to the facilities and uses it provides. However, this extraordinary progress is giving rise to new forms of intimidation that compromise the peaceful use of space, as called for by the 1967 treaty. The development of activities such as inter-satellite espionage, or the development of anti-satellite weapons are some of the many threats that France must prepare to confront in the future, if it is not already facing them.

So, to take account of the accelerated rate of conflict “to, in and from space”, and to ensure the protection of its national interests, France established a Space Defence Strategy in 2019. Freedom of access and action in space is crucial to guaranteeing our strategic autonomy. This ambition has been spelled out in a roadmap based on four key areas:

• the development of a new doctrine for military space operations,
• a new capability ambition, consolidated by the 2024-2030 Military Planning Law,
• military space governance entrusted to the French Air and Space Force, and embodied by the creation of the French Space Command (Commandement de l’Espace - CDE),
• the development of a professional space sector division within the French Ministry of Defence.

From the surface of our planet to outer space, via very high altitude (VHA) - the Air and Space Force is taking a constant, active and determined approach to the defence of these different domains as one cohesive whole - “Air - VHA - Space”.

French Space Command (CDE), bridgehead of France’s space defence strategy

The CDE was created on 3 September 2019 to improve the operational effectiveness, consistency, visibility and simplicity of the organization and governance of the space within the French Ministry of Armed Forces. The particularity of the CDE is that it is both an Air and Space Force command and a Joint command. As such, it includes personnel from the French Air and Space Force, Army, Navy, Directorate General of Armament (DGA - France’s defence procurement and technology agency) and Joint Logistics Department (Service du commissariat des armées - SCA). Functionally, the CDE is under the authority of the French Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (Chef d’État-Major des Armées - CEMA), who directs operations and military space policy, in particular military space capabilities and international cooperation. Organically, it is under the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force (Chef d’état-major de l’armée de l’air et de l’espace - CEMAAE). Providing the Ministry’s military space expertise, the CDE advises the CEMA and all entities within and outside the Ministry of the Armed Forces on military issues in space. In coordination with a large number of other organisations, it contributes to defining France’s space defence policy and is responsible for implementing this policy. The CDE is also responsible for conducting France’s military operations in space. 

The CDE is a unique command in terms of its form and responsibilities, serving as the linchpin for the implementation of the national space defence strategy and playing a key role in the expansion of the space defence sector in coordination with all the organisations concerned, in particular the French Space Agency (Centre national d’études spatiales - CNES).

New capability ambitions

In addition to the challenge of improving France’s operational support capabilities (satellite communications, observation and signals intelligence), the CDE, in coordination with the DGA and CNES, and under the authority of the Military Chief of Staff, is tasked with establishing an autonomous space surveillance capability, and a capacity to protect and defend France’s interests in space. The ARES - Action et résilience spatiale - programme for “space action and resilience” covers the entirety of this new field. In particular, this programme includes the organisation and equipment of Military Space Operations Command and Control, providing the real backbone of a consistent and operationally relevant “system of systems”, interacting with the other domains and with civilian and military partners from France and allied countries. It also includes the creation of a new capability for carrying out close-proximity operations in orbit, with a first test scheduled for 2025. The CDE is also fostering the development of new players and services in space. For example, several innovative projects are supported by the Defence Space Innovation Laboratory (LISA), in coordination with France’s Defence Innovation Agency (AID) and the DGA and CNES. At the same time, contracts for space services have been signed or are in the pipeline with commercial operators, opening up attractive development prospects for meeting the needs of France and our international partners.