The US, UK and Australia have agreed to boost their ability to monitor “emerging threats” in space, in one of several new initiatives linked to the trilateral security pact they signed in 2021 as part of their efforts to counter China.
The allies will build three ground-based radars — one in each country — to enhance “space domain awareness” and increase their ability to detect, track and identify objects in deep space. The first radar, to be built in Western Australia, will be operational by 2026 and the others will be completed by 2030.
The plan was unveiled on Friday by US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, Australian defence minister Richard Marles and British defence secretary Grant Shapps. The ministers were in California for an annual meeting aimed at boosting co-operation on Aukus, a landmark agreement focused on enabling Australia to procure nuclear-propelled submarines.