France Holds Space Warfare Exercises

Reference News Network, February 28 report According to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung website on February 25, the air in the spacious office of the French Space Command is somewhat stuffy. The staff sit closely together like they are at a local area network party, staring at their respective screens. They have clear divisions of labor and are participating in a military exercise.

The exercise simulates future and existing space threats, covering various aspects from observing enemy satellites to orbital operations. The goal of the exercise is to be capable of defending against dangers that were only recently considered to be the stuff of science fiction.

This exercise lasts nearly three weeks, with the code name changed from the previous AsterX to SparteX (Space Readiness and Training Exercise), held annually since 2021. The location of the exercise is an air force base southeast of Toulouse.

In terms of scale, SparteX is unique in Europe to date. About 200 military and civilian personnel are participating this year. In addition to the French, there are representatives from 12 partner countries, including Germany, Japan, and the United States. The exercise aims to enhance the interoperability of the French command structure and promote multinational cooperation.

The simulation system integrates approximately 4,000 space objects and 29 ground-based sensors for monitoring and tracking objects, aiming to replicate complex real-world situations as closely as possible—threats are no longer the plot of science fiction but are continuously increasing.

French General Françis Husson emphasized to reporters: “Space is a theater of conflict.” He stated that the cosmos has strategic significance, and modern society heavily relies on space-based systems.

A lieutenant from the German Bundeswehr on-site in Toulouse stated that “nothing here is completely imaginary,” thus the exercise is “very close” to reality.

In professional circles, there are no longer any illusions. NATO Allied Command Transformation's Supreme Commander, French Admiral Pierre Vandier, recently stated in an interview with this newspaper: “Space is becoming a theater of war.” He pointed out that today, some countries are capable of conducting deterrent space exercises that can not only disrupt but even attack satellites, and there are now orbital weapons that make space warfare possible. (Translated by Jiao Yu)