The U.S. Space Command is deepening allied cooperation in orbit, with Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess confirming that a second joint space awareness mission with France is in the works. The effort follows a rendezvous and proximity operation in geosynchronous orbit earlier this year, marking the first U.S.-France mission of its kind.
Schiess, who leads both the Combined Joint Forces Space Component Command and U.S. Space Forces-Space, shared the update during the Air and Space Forces Association conference in Maryland. He noted that similar work had already been carried out with the United Kingdom and that further collaborations are being discussed with additional partners. Specifics of the planned France mission were not disclosed.
These operations tie into a broader push under Operation Olympic Defender, a U.S.-led coalition formed in 2013 to improve the resilience and coordination of allied space missions. Besides the United States, the group counts six other members: Australia, Canada, the U.K. New Zealand, France and Germany. For now, the initiative functions as a combined planning cell rather than an operational task force.
Still, U.S. commanders are signaling an appetite to go further. According to Schiess, Gen. Stephen Whiting, SPACECOM’s commander, envisions expanding beyond planning to include actual partnered missions, such as cooperative space domain awareness operations. Officials argue that the shift would better align with the coalition’s long-term goal of ensuring safe and secure access to the space domain for all participants.