Space Force Establishing Development, Acquisition Partnerships With US Allies

The U.S. Space Force is working to expand its collaboration with foreign allies to include space-related development and acquisition programs. Currently, the U.S. government’s partnerships with allied nations focus on intelligence sharing and data exchange. 

At a Payload-hosted webinar, Deanna Ryals, director of the Space Systems Command’s International Affairs Office, highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation with other countries, citing their investments and innovations in space capabilities. 

According to Ryals, the Space Force and its partners are planning to jointly develop space systems and capabilities to avoid duplication and ensure interoperability, SpaceNews reported. 

The Space Force is also in talks with allies about addressing challenges in space industry supply chains. Steve Butow, director of the Defense Innovation Unit’s space portfolio, also spoke at the webinar, noting that the current space industry is highly reliant on China for the supply of solar panels, batteries and microelectronics, among other components. 

He said diversifying the supply chains will eliminate dependency on countries that could be U.S. competitors in the future.