The NATO Space Centre of Excellence in Toulouse, France, became the Alliance’s newest Centre of Excellence after receiving accreditation from the North Atlantic Council on July 14th, 2023. Consistent with NATO’s Approach to Space, the Centre will support NATO in accelerating work on Space-related matters, deepening and expanding its use of the Space Domain, and support the integration of Space in NATO, which is essential for the conduct of the Alliance’s activities, missions, and operations.
The NATO Space Centre of Excellence will act as a focal point for Space-related education and training, analysis and lessons learned, concept development and experimentation, as well as doctrine development and standards. It will raise Space IQ across the Alliance, stimulate interoperability of Space-related assets, and act as a bridge between NATO and all relevant national and international Space organizations, including the commercial sector and academia. In doing so, the Centre complements the efforts of the existing NATO Space Centre in Ramstein, Germany, which acts as NATO’s sole operational hub.
Speaking on the importance of the Centre’s work, Colonel Christophe Grandclement, Head of Allied Command Transformation’s Space Branch, said: “the Space Domain is essential for the security and prosperity of the Alliance. Whether in peacetime, crisis, or conflict, the benefits of Space have to be fully integrated to meet NATO’s Core Tasks. The newly established NATO Space Centre of Excellence will play a key role in support of the Strategic Commands’ ongoing initiatives in the Space Domain.”
The official signing ceremony between the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne, and France, the Centre’s Framework Nation, is tentatively planned to take place this fall.
NATO-accredited Centres of Excellence are (multi-) nationally established and sponsored entities, which offer recognized expertise and experience within a defined subject matter area to the benefit of the Alliance. Centres of Excellence are not part of the NATO Command Structure, but form part of the wider framework that contributes to the functioning of the Alliance. Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation coordinates the activities of the Centres of Excellence, ensuring that their outputs align with Allied Command Transformation’s Programme of Work. For more information about NATO-accredited Centres of Excellence, see the 2023 Centres of Excellence Catalogue.
