Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has told the UK Space Power Conference that space control is now as critical to national deterrence as air and naval superiority were in previous centuries, and announced the formation of the UK’s first dedicated Space Effects Squadron to conduct offensive and defensive operations in orbit. Speaking on 23 September 2026, Streeting set out the strategic case for treating space as a military domain on par with land, sea and air, pointing to growing threats from hostile state actors and the dependence of UK national security, military operations and everyday civilian life on satellite systems. Space…
