COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –
U.S. Space Command recognized New Zealand’s membership in Multi-National Force-Operation OLYMPIC DEFENDER (MNF-OOD) Apr. 11, 2025.
Gen. Stephen Whiting, USSPACECOM and Multinational Force OOD commander, Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and Dr. Bronwyn Evans-Kent, New Zealand Ministry of Defence Director of Defence Policy, participated in an accessions ceremony to commemorate the occasion.
The multinational space initiative represents a shared commitment among the closest partners in space to collectively deter aggression and ensure space remains a domain that benefits all of humanity.
Whiting and Webb also signed an agreement assigning a New Zealand liaison officer to USSPACECOM to integrate New Zealand armed forces expertise and insights to USSPACECOM and facilitate communication among New Zealand and U.S. personnel. The first liaison officer arrived in Colorado Springs earlier this year.
"New Zealand's accession into Multinational Force-Operation OLYMPIC DEFENDER represents the expansion of a team rooted in the understanding that space is vital to the security of our nations and the well-being of our citizens," Whiting said. "Working together, the MNF-OOD nations are advancing space defense and cooperation."
Originally established in 2013 under U.S. Strategic Command, OOD has expanded to a multinational effort that focuses to optimize space operations, improve mission assurance, enhance resilience of space-based systems, synchronize efforts to strengthen deterrence against hostile actors and reduce the spread of debris orbiting the Earth. In Fall, 2024, New Zealand formally accepted the commander of MNF-OOD’s membership invitation to join member-nations Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.