Italy
and
the
US
held
a
first
bilateral
space
dialogue
Oct.
11-12,
2024
in
Rome,
signing
a
wide-ranging
cooperation
agreement.
(Photo
credit:
US
Embassy
in
Italy)
WASHINGTON
—
Following
a
first-ever
bilateral
space
dialogue
in
Rome,
the
US
and
Italy
on
Oct.
15
inked
a
wide-ranging
cooperation
agreement
—
including
strengthening
national
security
space
ties
on
issues
such
as
space
domain
awareness
and
commercial
integration.
“The
U.S.-Italy
Space
Dialogue’s
purpose
is
to
strengthen
cooperation
and
advance
bilateral
collaboration
in
space
matters,”
according
to
the
joint
statement,
following
the
Oct.
11
and
12
meeting
between
US
and
Italian
interagency
delegations.
“Both
sides
reiterated
their
strong
determination
to
expand
already
robust
bilateral
cooperation
in
a
variety
of
areas,
including
addressing
the
climate
crisis
and
sustainable
and
safe
use
of
outer
space;
preserving
outer
space
heritage;
advancing
national
security
space
cooperation
and
information
sharing;
and
strengthening
bilateral
commercial
space
cooperation,”
it
added.
Italy
in
2020
stood
up
a
new
Space
Operations
Command
and
in
2023
signed
an
agreement
to
second
a
liaison
officer
to
US
Space
Command.
It
also
is
one
of
the
few
European
countries
operating
its
own
fleet
of
military
satellites,
including
for
communications
and
remote
sensing.
For
example,
the
Italian
Ministry
of
Defense
currently
is
developing
an
updated
version
of
its
Sicral
telecomms
birds.
The
Italian
space
agency
—
which
in
January
signed
a
space
cooperation
agreement
with
the
nation’s
armed
forces
—
also
is
working
to
field
a
new
generation
of
dual-use
(civil/military)
synthetic
aperture
radar
(SAR)
satellites
to
replace
its
aging
COSMO-Skymed
constellation,
called
CSG.
The
new
statement
stressed
the
need
for
tighter
ties
among
the
two
NATO
allies
due
to
the
“growing
scope
of
counter-space
and
related
threats
and
potential
adversaries
increasing
use
of
space
to
track
and
potentially
target”
allied
forces.
The
two
sides
pledged
“to
strengthen
the
coordination
of
national
security
space
activities
with
other
allies
and
partners
around
the
globe,
including
by
leveraging
innovative
commercial
space
capabilities,
to
ensure
access
to
critical
space-based
services
and
improve
space
domain
awareness”
as
well
as
satellite
cybersecurity.
The
statement
explained
that
Rome
and
Washington
now
are
negotiating
a
Technology
Safeguards
Agreement
that
would
create
the
legal
and
technical
framework
needed
to
allow
US
commercial
space
launch
from
Italy
and
ease
commercial
partnering
on
satellite
and
space
systems.
This
would
allow
the
Pentagon
and
US
Space
Force
to
tap
into
an
expanded
industrial
base
as
part
of
their
ambitious
plans
to
created
a
“hybrid”
space
architecture
that
links
satellites
operated
by
the
US
and
allied
governments,
as
well
as
private
companies.
The
two
sides
further
pledged
to
jointly
support
international
acceptance
of
voluntary
norms
of
behavior
for
on-orbit
activities,
including
the
US-initiated
call
for
a
UN-wide
moratorium
on
testing
of
debris-creating
anti-satellite
missiles.
And
in
an
obvious
dig
at
Russia
—
which
the
US
has
accused
of
developing
a
space-based
nuclear
weapon
—
the
joint
statement
also
reaffirmed
Italian
and
US
support
for
the
1967
Outer
Space
Treaty’s
ban
on
placing
nuclear
and
other
weapons
of
mass
destruction
in
orbit.