Space Forces creation belated but still relevant - Zaluzhny

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny has notes the importance of creating the Space Forces in Ukraine.

"The decision to create the Space Forces by December 31, 2025, provided for by the government program, although belated, is still relevant. It is very good that the war itself, its high-tech nature, and even more so, future security threats finally dictate the need for the immediate development of national aerospace technologies and capabilities as a key element of the defense capability of our state," Zaluzhny wrote in an article for the Militaryny (Military) ezine portal. .

According to him, the lack of an intelligence management body at the strategic level and, accordingly, a set of forces and means was a problem that significantly reduced the effectiveness of command and control of troops, and the appearance of the latest means of destruction in the Armed Forces of Ukraine was critical in this regard. "It was precisely because of the lack and delay in the exchange of specific information from space that it was not possible to use the full potential of systems such as HIMARS. Subsequently, due to Russia's reaction, their strategic importance significantly decreased. Because, as it turned out, it is space capabilities that are of critical importance for targeting, navigation and communications, ensuring the effectiveness of missile strikes," the former commander-in-chief said.

Zaluzhny said that at the beginning of 2023, there were approximately 7,560 active satellites in Earth's orbit, of which 246 were officially classified as military. The Russian Federation maintained about 160 active satellites, of which approximately 100 performed military functions.

According to him, the Ukrainian Central Space Support Directorate, in turn, received from partner countries a tool in the form of the use of satellite technologies for both military and civilian purposes and access to software, and became a key body that transformed data from space into specific combat solutions. "Not having our own military satellite group, we promptly used commercial space infrastructure, in particular SpaceX's Starlink for communications, and Earth observation satellites such as Maxar, Planet Labs and ICEYE for real-time reconnaissance," the former commander-in-chief said. At the same time, Zaluzhny stressed that Ukraine, which was once one of the five space powers in the world, "is now lagging behind in the rocket and space industry, to put it mildly," and effective war is impossible without space data. "Today, it is impossible to imagine modern armed struggle without space services. The Russian-Ukrainian war was the first major military confrontation in which space technologies played and continue to play a decisive role," he said.

According to the former commander-in-chief, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the 4th year of large-scale aggression and the 12th year of the war, according to the Law on Intelligence Agencies, still do not have their own functions regarding intelligence activities at the strategic level, despite the fact that they have models in their arsenal, including their own production, capable of inflicting damage far beyond the capabilities of the reconnaissance reconnaissance of a separate reconnaissance battalion.

"The use of space forces, first of all, intelligence capabilities, will require regulatory consolidation of this function, both for further financing and for the creation of an appropriate management link at the strategic level in the structure of the Armed Forces... Considering space as a way to gain operational advantage, the creation of the Space Forces must be guaranteed by providing them with the full range of capabilities," he wrote.

Zaluzhny emphasizes that despite the fact that the creation of its own group of spacecraft will be an obvious priority for Ukraine, currently the most effective use of the capabilities of both partners and non-state private companies is required, such an area will require diplomatic efforts for a full and reliable partnership. "This, in turn, requires a separate area of international cooperation, which will go beyond traditional military cooperation, and granting the right to engage in such activities to the Space Forces command," he pointed out.

He emphasized that space should become another element of defense capability, where Ukraine needs to achieve key technological changes. "Space is not only technology, but also the key to operational advantage, but its effective use will require a systemic approach, from the institutionalization of production programs to international cooperation... On land, in the air and on the water, we have already found these solutions. It is time to look to space, because the only opportunity now to achieve the required level of security lies only in technological advantages in all domains," Zaluzhny said.