German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, announced that Germany is going to invest €35 billion ($41 billion) over the next 5 five years on space military and security capabilities, including improved cybersecurity.

During the last Federation of German Industries’ annual Space Congress, in Berlin, Minister Pistorius underlined the importance of the space domain and the satellite networks vulnerabilities which, if attacked, could “paralyzes entire nations.”

According to the MoD’s press release, the plan is “to acquire new satellite constellations — for early warning, reconnaissance, and communications,” which will have dual-use purposes, both civilian and military. In details the significant investments (measures) will focus on:

 - Hardening the systems against disruptions and attacks

 - improved situational awareness through radars, telescopes, and the future use of sentinel satellites

 - the creation of redundancies through multiple networked satellite constellations

 - secured transport capacities into space, which are also available on-demand: "Here we are relying on a mix: small launchers for flexible launches, but in the medium term also European heavy-lift launchers, without which it will not work, which are created in competition and, above all, have to survive," said the minister

 - a dedicated military satellite operations Centre in the Bundeswehr Space Command.

For reinforcing his statements, Minister Pistorius specifically targeted Russia and China, highlighting that "there are no borders or continents in space. Russia and China are our direct neighbors there." He also added that the 2 countries have capabilities able to interfere, dazzle, manipulate or kinetically destroy satellites. To face this credible threat, Minister Pistorius actively promotes the Combined Space Operations Initiative, where Germany is collaborating closely with partners in Europe to develop the necessary “expertise." "We invest in protection, in resilience, in innovation. But we cannot do it alone," the Minister emphasized at the end of his speech.

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