Whiting engages with France, Norway, NATO during visit to Europe
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colorado – Gen. Stephen Whiting, U.S. Space Command commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Jacob Simmons, USSPACECOM command senior enlisted leader, traveled to Europe April 28-30, 2025, to participate in the inaugural NATO Space Center of Excellence Conference and meet with defense and military space leaders from France, Norway and across NATO.
NATO Space COE Director Col. Sylvain Debarre hosted the two-day conference, themed “Space in 2040: Deterrence, Security, Interoperability and Technology Innovation,” which brought together approximately 300 attendees representing international partners across military, academia and industry.
During a keynote address, Whiting touted the partnered approach to defeating threats as the “asymmetric advantage over our opponents.”
While many of today’s strategic alliances are long standing, Whiting acknowledged that space-focused partnerships are relatively new but are growing and strengthening quickly.
Most notably, he highlighted the recent expansion of Multinational Force - Operation OLYMPIC DEFENDER to seven nations. In April, Whiting, dual hatted as the multinational force commander, declared MNF-OOD achieved “Initial Operational Capability,” and signed the first campaign plan. The plan establishes a framework for interoperable combined space operations across its member nations: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
He also acknowledged the progress made within NATO. In 2019, NATO declared space a fifth operational domain, and, in its 2022 strategic concept, committed to enhancing its ability to operate effectively in space, to prevent, detect, encounter, and respond to the full spectrum of threats using all available tools.
“To meet the realities of the world we live in, I encourage NATO to evolve space doctrine even further,” he said, also calling on continued investment in space, “because we know that our alliance is a strategic advantage.”
While much work is ahead, Whiting closed with both a statement of clarity and promise.
“War in space is not inevitable. U.S. Space Command remains committed to preserving space as a domain for peaceful exploration and use,” he said, calling for the “collective protection and defense of the space domain to ensure, in spite of any conflict, that space will be safe and accessible for future generations.”
Toulouse Space Campus expansion
While in France, Whiting and Simmons also met with various representatives at the Toulouse Space Campus – the location of the new French Space Command (CDE) headquarters and the NATO Space COE building. While there, Maj. Gen. Phillipe Adam, CDE commander, provided an update on the headquarters’ progress, and an orientation of the Space Operations Brigade and Space Operations Center.
Whiting and Adam also discussed potential next steps following the recently announced first-ever U.S.- France bilateral rendezvous and proximity operation. The U.S. and French space partnership has grown significantly over the past decade, moving from initial data sharing agreements to being formally recognized into MNF-OOD in October 2024.
Similarly, Simmons and Adjudant-chef Frédéric Renaud discussed lessons learned regarding the growth of each nation’s space domain capabilities and personnel.
Finally, the USSPACECOM delegation met with representatives of the French National Centre for Space Studies, or CNES, to understand the structure, capabilities and partnerships across civil, commercial and military operations.
Securing the High North - Norway
In Oslo, Norway, Whiting met with Norwegian Minister of Defense Tore O. Sandvik; Chief of Defence Gen. Erik Kristoffersen; and Norwegian Intelligence Service, Norwegian Space Commander Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensønes. The meetings focused on addressing shared security challenges, strengthening bilateral space cooperation, and identifying new areas for collaboration.
“Norway and the U.S. share strategic security interests in the High North,” said Sandvik. “In any future conflict, satellites will be vulnerable targets—making it vital to reinforce our ability to operate freely in space and secure effective military capabilities.”
Simmons also engaged with his counterpart, Sergeant Major Herman Eldorhagen, NIS command sergeant major, regarding the development and utilization of the enlisted force across each of their service branches and building credibility through competence for mission command.
Space security cooperation between the U.S.-Norway predates the 2019 standup of the current U.S. Space Command, having signed a space-sharing agreement with U.S. Strategic Command in 2017. In addition to continued participation in multinational events like Global Sentinel and Nimble Titan, in December 2023, Norway became a member of the Combined Space Operations Initiative, a multinational effort aimed at improving coordination and cooperation of national security space activities, which includes Norway, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States.
U.S. Space Command, working with Allies and Partners, plans, executes, and integrates military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression, defend national interests, and when necessary, defeat threats.