A high-ranking official of the German armed forces, Major General Wolfgang Ol, during his speech at the SmallSat Europe conference in Amsterdam (26-28 May 2026 year), stated, that Europe needs a coordinated approach to military space operations. He proposed the creation of a European Space Component Command, which will be based in Germany and will be open to the participation of the Allies.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius first announced the proposal during a meeting of the defense ministers of the four German-speaking countries last week in Vienna. Pistorius called on countries, including Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, help shape the initiative, and not just join it. Wolfgang Ohl emphasized during his speech, that considers it appropriate to distribute tasks, coordinate actions, work together and share information. He also informed, that the idea of creating a command is at a preliminary stage and consists of open discussions between Germany and neighboring countries regarding the structure, coordination and necessary capabilities of such an alliance.
The announcement came six months after that, as Germany presented an investment package on 40 billions of dollars to accelerate the development of its defense space sector. Funding also includes the development of a national group with 100 SatcomBW satellites 4. Germany has already outlined its ambitions in the government document "Space Security and Defense Strategy", in which it is noted, that "as the largest economy of the EU" Germany intends to play "a leading role in the development of the European architecture of security and space protection". The document is attached, that the goal is "to create a European space security and defense architecture, which effectively integrates space capabilities of member states and avoids duplication".
For reference: SATCOMBw Stufe 4 — promising German military satellite communication network. This is a multi-billion dollar project, which involves the creation of a constellation with approx 100 of small spacecraft to ensure reliable, sovereign and secure communications for the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) and their NATO allies.
According to Nicolas Moulin-Fournier, Chief Product Officer of the French startup Look Up Space, the German proposal has the potential to form the basis for a further multinational coordination process. In his opinion, no single country in Europe is strong or big enough on its own, therefore cooperation is absolutely necessary.
Source: https://spacenews.com