Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding establishing the NATO Space COE
On 18 th January 2023, the signing of the “operational” memorandum of understanding in Paris marked the creation of the NATO Space COE.
The French Air and Space Force Chief of Staff as well as representatives of the 14 other contributing nations were present at the event. This is the culmination of the first step in the process of establishing the unit that began on 29 January 2021, when the NATO Military Committee selected France as the framework nation for the project, this marks the recognition of French expertise in the field of space and France’s commitment to NATO.
The NATO Space COE is an international and joint military organization under a steering committee. Its mission is to provide NATO and the nations of the Alliance with expertise and work force in the field of space military operations, through 4 pillars: conceptual development and experimentation, doctrine and standardization, training and training, analysis and feedback.
The creation of a Centre of Excellence involves two “establishment” conferences. The first was held in November 2021 and, after three days of work and intense debates, resulted in a common concept that served as a framework for the development of the centre. The second, which took place in Toulouse last March, had a twofold objective: to finalize the founding documents, namely the memorandum of understanding and the concept, but also to allocate the positions to be filled among the participating nations.
The next step will be the accreditation of the NATO Space COE by NATO and the implementation of the Protocol of Paris by the North Atlantic Council, granting the centre certain privileges and immunities.
The NATO Space COE will be the 29th NATO accredited COE. It will include about fifty people, both military and civilian, and will be located in Toulouse, at the heart of the largest Space ecosystem in Europe, co-located with Air and Space Army Space Command and CNES.
Currently in the ramp-up phase, the NATO Space COE will reach full operational capability in 2025.