The United States and the United Kingdom have signed a joint statement declaring their continued commitment to protecting air and space security.
Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force and Wash100 awardee, signed the “Shared Vision Statement on Combined and Space Power in the 21st Century” with Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, Royal Air Force chief of the Air Staff at the Global Air & Space Chiefs Conference in London on Wednesday.
Also a signatory was Gen. David Allvin, chief of staff at the U.S. Air Force, who emphasized the importance of collaboration amid growing challenges in the so-called era of Great Power Competition.
“No nation can successfully confront today’s dynamic security environment alone,” he said. “By increasing our integration with the Royal Air Force, we are enhancing our collective ability to address the threats we face. We will continue to invest in partnerships like this to build enduring advantages while simultaneously strengthening deterrence.”
The renewal of both nations’ commitment comes as NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary and continues the long history of the two countries’ cooperation in strengthening each other’s capabilities, giving both advantages in all domains.
At the same event, Saltzman called for the inclusion of space capability development in Phase II of AUKUS, which initially only covered support for developing artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.