Space Doctrine Conference advances multinational space cooperation

TUCSON, Ariz. — U.S. and international space leaders gathered in Tucson for the first Space Doctrine Conference Aug. 31 through Sept. 3, working to transform shared security requirements into partner-led space capabilities across the Western Hemisphere.

Hosted by U.S. Space Forces Southern with the University of Arizona’s Kyl Institute for National Security, the conference brought together military leaders and representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, along with participants joining virtually from Chile, Uruguay, Angola and Nigeria. Representatives from the U.S. government, academia and commercial space industry also contributed expertise and resource perspectives.

The four-day working-level engagement focused on three objectives: developing concepts for regional space Centers of Excellence, advancing partner-nation space doctrine and synchronizing future activities with national space development plans.

“This week will be about more than briefings; this is a unique opportunity to identify and work through our shared security challenges collaboratively and walk away with actionable results for the region,” said U.S. Space Force Col. Brandon Alford, commander of Space Forces Southern.

The conference built upon discussions from the Space Conference of the Americas by helping each participating nation identify the space missions most relevant to its requirements and determine how a national Center of Excellence could support those missions.

The centers are envisioned as partner-led hubs for developing specialized knowledge, doctrine, training and operational capabilities. Rather than applying a single model across the region, participants examined how each center could be structured around the missions, resources and national plans of the country operating it.

Partner-nation representatives presented their space development roadmaps, proposed Centers of Excellence and areas where additional cooperation may be needed. Those presentations helped military, government, academic and commercial stakeholders identify gaps in each nation’s space capabilities, capacities and competencies—and where their organizations might help.

The effort comes as recent conflicts increasingly demonstrate the importance of space-enabled capabilities across every domain. Satellite communications, positioning, navigation and timing, intelligence collection and space domain awareness can provide an asymmetric operational advantage. Their growing accessibility also creates opportunities for strategic competitors and other malign actors.

For retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Robin Rand, president and CEO of the Kyl Institute for National Security and former commander of Air Forces Southern, meeting those challenges requires cooperation among nations with shared interests and values.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a world that is more dangerous than it is today,” Rand said, reflecting on more than four decades of military service. “The national security challenges are very complex, and we need to work with our partners and friends to make sure that we’re doing all we can to provide an umbrella of security for our countries.”

Peru’s developing Center of Excellence demonstrates how partner nations are turning the conference’s broader objectives into national and regional initiatives.

Peruvian Air Force Lt. Col. Francisco Javier Ildefonso Linares, chief of the A7 Instruction and Training Section for the Peruvian Space and Cyber Command, said Peru plans to use its center to provide education and training in space operations.

The center will operate from existing facilities within Peru’s space operations center, allowing classes of approximately 30 to 40 participants to train alongside experienced operators.

“It will be a great opportunity to obtain the same level of training, but in South America,” Ildefonso said. “We are happy to provide that platform for South American countries that may not always have the opportunity to travel abroad for an international exercise.”

Peru began operationalizing its space command and surveillance center approximately three years ago. Since then, its personnel have developed training courses, generated doctrine and established a multinational space exercise designed to give regional partners greater access to practical experience.

Peru also plans to incorporate a telescope provided through U.S. space security cooperation efforts into its growing space domain awareness capabilities. The system will provide another means of observing objects in space while contributing data to a broader network of partners.

“In space, we don’t have borders,” Ildefonso said. “Peru will have eyes to observe space through the telescope, and we will share that information so the United States and our other partners will also benefit.”

Participants moved from strategic discussions to practical application through hands-on exercises and speed-mentoring sessions. U.S. teams worked alongside partner-nation representatives to identify doctrine gaps, share educational resources and develop frameworks tailored to national requirements.

The third day included two technical demonstrations conducted in a multilateral format for the first time. One introduced participating nations to the operation and potential applications of telescopes provided through U.S. space security cooperation efforts. The other exercised their ability to request services supported by commercial capabilities in orbit.

The activities helped participants understand how emerging capabilities could support operational requirements while revealing areas where additional doctrine, training, infrastructure or policy development may be needed.

The University of Arizona contributed to those discussions through expertise developed during more than a century of space research and exploration. University researchers helped map the Moon in preparation for the Apollo missions, led NASA’s OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission and developed the primary near-infrared camera aboard the James Webb Space Telescope.

The university also operates programs relevant to space security, including the Catalina Sky Survey, which uses automated astronomical observations to detect near-Earth objects, and research supporting space situational awareness and space domain awareness.

“The challenges and opportunities in space are vast, and no single entity or perspective is able to address all of the goals and needs,” said Carmala Garzione, dean of the University of Arizona College of Science. “The definition of the most critical goals and solutions for reaching them requires diverse scientific expertise and multiple approaches to technological innovation that are built on international cooperation and shared understanding.”

The university’s involvement reflects Space Forces Southern’s broader approach to space security cooperation by connecting military requirements with expertise from government agencies, academia and industry.

The conference concluded with partner nations identifying how they intend to continue developing their Centers of Excellence and how participating stakeholders may assist. Organizers also established a “reattack timeline” to track post-conference actions and maintain alignment with national space roadmaps.

Those commitments will help shape future operations, activities and investments across the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility while building the relationships, expertise and doctrine needed for multinational space cooperation.

“Our greatest achievements have come through collaboration—across disciplines, across institutions and across borders,” Garzione said. “As the space domain continues to evolve, that spirit of collaboration will be more important than ever.”

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