UK Space Command warns space is a contested warfighting domain
Rising orbital threats drive a new defence strategy and hybrid procurement shift as governments, allies and industry deepen collaboration
The United Kingdom is reshaping its defense posture to address growing risks in orbit, as military leaders warn that space systems face escalating threats from weapons, cyberattacks and congestion. The shift reflects rising reliance on satellites across military operations, communications and the wider economy.
Space has moved from a supporting role to a central element of national security planning, forcing governments to rethink resilience, partnerships and procurement across the entire space ecosystem.
“Space is no longer just the high ground. It is a fully contested domain in its own right,” said Commodore Tony Williams, Head of Space Capability, UK Space Command. “It’s where early warning lives, where resilience is tested, and where our ability to command, control and coordinate across every other domain is either assured or denied.”
“These threats are not hypothetical. They are real, evolving, and require a coordinated and resilient response to safeguard our interests in this contested domain,” Williams said.
A growing risk environment is being driven by anti‑satellite weapons, cyber attacks and increasing orbital congestion. These include both kinetic and non‑kinetic anti‑satellite capabilities, cyber operations targeting digital infrastructure that underpins space systems, and the mounting hazard posed by debris in crowded orbital regimes. Jamming and spoofing are also becoming more sophisticated, creating vulnerabilities across communications and navigation systems that underpin both military and civilian activity.
The growing reliance on space‑based services has created a paradox of rising demand and intensifying threats, requiring faster coordination among government, industry and allies.
Strategic defence reset
Williams spoke at the Defence in Space Conference (DISC) 2025 in London, where he outlined how the UK Strategic Defence Review is reshaping national priorities.
The UK Strategic Defence Review (SDR), published in June 2025 and led by Lord Robertson, sets out a ten‑year plan to modernize the armed forces amid heightened global instability. The government accepted all 62 recommendations, prioritizing a “NATO First” posture, accelerating the adoption of AI and drones, strengthening homeland defence, and signaling a long‑term ambition to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP.
“The 2025 UK Strategic Defense Review has brought the space domain into sharper focus, recognizing its critical importance to national security and operational advantage,” he said. “Chapter 7.5 marks a pivotal moment, elevating space to parity with the traditional domains of land, sea, air and cyber.”
The review recognizes space as both a critical national infrastructure and a war‑fighting domain, signaling a shift in military doctrine and long‑term investment planning.
Chapter 7.5 highlights three priority investment areas needed to ensure the Integrated Force can operate effectively:
• Space control — strengthening Space Domain Awareness through ground‑based sensors, developing high‑classification command and control with the UK Intelligence Community and allies, and investing in co‑orbital and Earth‑based counterspace systems.
• Decision advantage — maintaining operational relevance of satellite communications and data relay capabilities, including the SKYNET 6A and 6EC programmes—next‑generation military communications satellites operated by the UK Ministry of Defence, or viable alternatives.
• Supporting “understand” and “strike” — expanding space‑based ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and PNT (positioning, navigation and timing) systems while working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to deliver resilient national PNT capabilities.
Rather than prescribing fixed programs, the review provides what Williams described as a “head mark” for the decade ahead. The approach is designed to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and threats.
Technology cycles are moving faster than budget cycles, making rigid planning impractical. Defense organizations must be able to reprioritize quickly and maximize outputs to keep pace with the speed of emerging threats.
The review also emphasizes resilience over perfection and positions space as a decisive element of power projection and deterrence.
Rather than waiting for certainty, defense must operate with directional ambition, aligning government, industry and academia around a shared compass for the decade ahead. The focus is not on building the most sophisticated satellites, but on developing a resilient, adaptive posture that supports operational needs.
Hybrid procurement
Central to the strategy is a procurement philosophy that blends sovereign capabilities with allied partnerships and commercial services.
“The United Kingdom’s approach to space operations is guided by a flexible own‑collaborate‑access framework,” Williams said. “It is a dynamic approach that prioritizes the ability to act independently when necessary, but also recognizes the value of partnerships and shared innovation.”
The framework balances sovereignty, national separability and collaboration. Sovereign capability ensures the UK can shape outcomes independently, while collaboration enables access to wider expertise and shared innovation.
Commercial providers also play an increasing role. Collaboration and commercial access allow the UK to maximize resources, share expertise and remain at the forefront of technological innovation.
The hybrid approach also applies to satellite procurement. The government is pursuing a blended solution that combines owned systems, allied partnerships and commercial services.
The goal is to create flexibility and resilience while ensuring the UK can adapt quickly to new technologies and opportunities as they emerge. The model also considers the blend of orbital regimes from which services are delivered, combining low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit and geostationary systems to strengthen redundancy and survivability.
Allied interoperability
International cooperation is a central pillar of the UK’s space strategy.
“Space is a global commons. No single nation can secure it alone,” Williams said. “Partnership is a strength, not a weakness.”
The UK is strengthening cooperation through NATO, the Five Eyes community and the Combined Space Operations initiative.
Real sovereignty is about choice, trust and contribution rather than isolation. Countries must develop enough capability to act independently while remaining credible partners during crises.
“We must show up with more than goodwill. We must show up with capability and agility,” he said.
Collaboration with the United States on missile warning and space domain awareness enhances shared capacity to detect and counter hostile activity.
Joint work on resilient satellite communications and intelligence sharing helps ensure forces remain connected even in challenging operational environments. Interoperability must be designed into systems from the outset rather than retrofitted later.
Workforce and innovation
Williams stressed the need for cultural change across the UK space ecosystem, calling for faster decision‑making and closer collaboration with industry and academia.
“We can’t wait for all the paperwork to be perfect before we act,” he said. “We cannot succeed if brilliant people are stuck in slow structures.”
The UK space enterprise extends beyond defense and includes industry partners, academic researchers and private providers.
Speaking to hundreds of space industry players and experts at the DISC event, Williams said, “We need all of you, not as suppliers or spectators, but as strategic actors.”
The government is working to create shared capability pathways that move research from laboratories into operational use more quickly. One challenge is bringing scientific advances to market at a pace that makes them viable for end users.
Engaging early in the policy and design process allows innovation to move at an operational pace.
The approach also reflects lessons from other sectors. Williams said the space sector can learn from maritime operations, particularly in managing global commons, legal frameworks and shared responsibilities.
He described the sector as “specialist, not special,” highlighting the value of applying cross‑domain experience to accelerate progress.
As reliance on space continues to grow, the UK must align defense, government, industry and academia to deliver a resilient and adaptive posture.
The coming decade will bring increasing complexity and opportunity in the space domain, requiring sustained collaboration and innovation. The UK aims to ensure space remains secure and resilient while contributing to global stability and shared prosperity.