Australia closer to space warfare as 16 recruits pass first Defence Space Command training

Exclusive: Australia is one step closer to fighting the threat of space warfare as the first troops of a sophisticated new recruitment campaign earn their credentials.

Sixteen recruits have graduated from the Defence Space Command’s inaugural training course as part of the government’s $10 billion investment into expanding the country’s capabilities over the next decade.

Corporal Dion Caskey was a tank crewman in the army for about 12 years until his partner’s work in the space realm drew him into the sector.

The new space operations specialist said the country would be in a “world of hurt” without satellite systems.

“Space is one of those up-and-coming adventures that we all thought was a bit of a fiction,” he said.

“But effectively, we need to be as professional as we can with something that is so new and upcoming, and it’s definitely the first to go in terms of a conflict.”

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Australia created the space command within the defence force in 2022, similar to the UK, China, India, France, Japan and Canada.

The US created an independent space force in 2019 to deter aggression in space and protect national interests, with China following with one of its own in 2024.

Counter-space technology – offensive and defensive measures that deliberately interfere with or destroy satellites and space assets – is an emerging threat that the federal government is tracking.

Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said the graduation of space operations specialists was an important step in responding to this disruptive technology.

“When it comes to space, we need to be very aware of and be in a position to counter those threats that might be posed from counter-space technology,” he said.

“That’s something that we are always tracking and being aware of to make sure that we’re in the best position in using our own space capability to support our defence force.

“That’s why it’s really important that we have now a specialist space operations area in the space domain, and it’s why we’re looking to increase that workforce.”

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Space Command Commander Major General Greg Novak said space is critical to everyday life, communication, commercial sectors, transport and government.

For defence, he said, space helps crews conduct long-range strikes, keep connected, navigate and disrupt potential surveillance of Australia.

“The criticality of space should not be understated,” he said.

Novak said this is why Australia is working with like-minded countries through the Combined Space Operations Initiative, which includes the US, the UK, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Italy and Japan, and other alliances like the Olympic Defender and Five Eyes.

“It’s highly unlikely any country, even our biggest allies and partners, are going to achieve everything they want to achieve in space on their own,” he said.

“We simply have to work together.”

Australia’s Space Command currently has over 300 personnel, including the new graduates, and is projected to grow 10 per cent year-on-year in line with the capabilities required.

The course has been opened up to include direct applications as well as internal transfers.

“The one problem I don’t have in the space domain is a lack of interested people,” Novak said.

Novak did not rule out the possibility of growing the command into an independent space force, saying he would not write it off, but said it is not currently in the works.

“At the moment, we’re finding that we’re very well served by our existing space workforce by the rate of incoming applicants and our ability to train them through our training progression,” he said.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us.”