WASHINGTON — U.S. Strategic Command agreed to share space situational awareness data with Belgium under an agreement concluded Feb. 7.
U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Clinton E. Crosier, Strategic Command’s director of plans and policy, signed the agreement with Belgium Federal Science Policy Office on Feb. 7 at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska — USSTRATCOM’s headquarters.
His signature followed that of Belgium’s secretary of state for science policy, Elke Sleurs, who signed the agreement in Brussels on July 31.
“For a country such as Belgium having implemented an advanced regulation for space activities, the support from USSTRATCOM is a precious instrument in achieving compliance with our international commitments, as well as a sustainable use of outer space,” Sleurs said in a statement.
Belgium is the latest U.S. ally to agree to share space situational awareness services and information with USSTRATCOM. They join a list that includes the United Kingdom, South Korea, France, Canada, Italy, Japan, Israel, Spain, Germany, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, plus the European Space Agency, the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites and more than 50 commercial firms that launch or operate satellites.
“Our space systems underpin a wide range of services, providing vital national, military, civil, scientific, and economic benefits to the global community,” U.S. Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten, USSTRATCOM commander., said in a statement. “Enhancing space situational awareness is absolutely vital in this congested and contested domain.”
