Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton announced the creation of the country's aerospace forces, said the head of the defense department on Tuesday, during a press conference in Canberra, which was broadcast by SBS.

Australia must be prepared for the fact that the military-space sphere is gaining more and more strategic importance. The new command of the military space forces will protect our reconnaissance, surveillance and communications equipment, including satellites. This area should be used to contain aggression and not become another area of ​​conflict,” Dutton said.

The Minister acknowledged that the Australian Aerospace Forces would be modest enough to be incomparable to the American ones, but he called their very existence at the moment a necessary condition for the effective protection of Australia's national interests.

For any country today, the loss of access to space will have significant military and civilian consequences, Dutton said.

It is planned that the new troops will be led by Air Vice Marshal Kat Roberts, and their command will work closely with the Australian Space Agency, based in Adelaide (South Australia).