Have you been living in terror that Australia’s defence capabilities may not be enough to protect us from a future Martian invasion?
Well, fear not – because the Air Force now has a dedicated Defence Space Command. Led by Air Vice-Marshal (and now Defence Space Commander) Cath Roberts, the new “space force” division is part of a $7 billion investment by the Federal Government this decade aimed at securing Australia’s access to space.
Though famous spacefaring heroes like Buzz Lightyear and Luke Skywalker regrettably won’t be involved (that we know of), Air Vice-Marshal Roberts has promised that Defence Space Command will “reach for the stars” to protect Australian interests.
“Space is the ultimate high ground. What we see from space gives us an unsurpassed advantage in surveillance and intelligence. It is central to how we will fight and win in the future across multi-domain operations, using advanced hypersonics, precision strike missiles and guided weapons.
“We are enhancing our sovereign capabilities so Australia can be self-reliant in the detection of threats and collection of information for the defence of our nation. This is crucial to gaining timely, accurate information for the safety and capability of our forces,” she said.
While this does seem suspiciously similar to the US Space Force launched by former President Donald Trump, we do have to concede that at least this logo looks a lot less like the one from Star Trek…
