Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, commander of U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, attended the Australian Space Summit at the International Convention Center in Sydney on May 27-28.
The summit addressed critical funding issues and explored new opportunities for international collaboration to grow Australia's space sector.
During the event, Mastalir delivered a keynote address and joined panels discussing space capabilities and the U.S.-Australian alliance in the Indo-Pacific.
"Space capabilities are a critical enabler of national security," Mastalir said. "U.S. and allied forces rely heavily on space-based capabilities to project and employ power globally. That's why we're moving rapidly toward becoming more resilient and interoperable with our allies and partners as we prepare the joint force for great power competition with our focus on the Indo-Pacific."
Joining Mastalir was Royal Australian Air Force Maj. Gen. Gregory Novak, commander of Defence Space Command, Australian Defence Forces. Novak emphasized the strength of the U.S.-Australian military relationship in space.
"There are many similarities in what we're doing here," Novak said. "The space domain has always been a strong part of the U.S.-Australian military-to-military relationship and our alliance. One thing that struck me over the past six months is just how much it's deepened and broadened over that time."
Both commanders discussed space operations in the Pacific region and how Space Force components interact with their allied counterparts. They highlighted recent and planned coalition operations benefiting all participants.
"Last year, we executed Exercise Pacific Sentry together," Mastalir said. "It was the most integrated component-level exercise we have executed to date, with a campaign plan synchronized across the Joint Forced Space Component commanders in Australia, Hawaii, and California and exchange officers embedded in the operational planning cells across those locations."
Mastalir also mentioned the expansion of the trilateral exercise Keen Edge, involving collaboration between the U.S., Australia, and Japan, and the value of future multilateral exercises.
Panel discussions also emphasized the importance of allied interoperability for promoting security and stability in the region. They highlighted why a rules-based international order is crucial for stability in the Pacific and how space efforts support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
"The interests we pursue are all about assured access to space," Novak said. "They are about promoting security and stability and we do that through encouraging responsible behaviors and doing everything we can as a collective to invest in norms that assure that access, which is ultimately in everyone's interest."
