NATO considers declaring space a new domain of warfare under US pressure
Tehran (KNA) - The NATO military alliance is planning to officially recognize space as a domain of warfare this year, in a move that officials are describing as a “gift” to US President Donald Trump who has long expressed concerns about the growing military capabilities of Russia and China beyond Earth.
Defense ministers from the US-led pact's 29 members are expected to make a decision on the issue when they reconvene in London early December.
"There's agreement that we should make space a domain and the London summit is the best place to make it official," said one senior NATO diplomat involved in the discussions.
A second diplomat said while the decision was weighty and had real consequences, it would be "a gift" to Trump, who will also be attending the summit.
The US president has long been questioning the value of the military alliance in deterring China's growing military power and Russia, which has already developed anti-satellite weapons and is upgrading its air defenses to counter possible threats coming from space.
NATO considers Russia, once a close ally, as a "threat" today. The alliance severed ties with Moscow in 2014 and has since continued to buildup a military presence in the Baltic region, on Russia's eastern borders.
Source: PressTV