Mission

Space-based and space-supported data, services and products are an integral part of everyday life, ranging from positioning and navigation to the distribution of time signals and communication, as well as weather services and Earth observation. Alongside the economy and society, the use of space by state institutions – including the Bundeswehr – has become an essential instrument for decision-making in German foreign and security policy. Against this background, the Federal Government, together with its allies and partners, is addressing growing challenges in the space domain by strengthening national capabilities. A central element of these efforts is the German Space Command (DEU Sp Cmd).

The DEU Sp Cmd is the military command and coordination element for all military activities in the space domain. It was established in Uedem on 13 July 2021 and has been directly subordinate to the Air and Space Force Command HQ, the highest command authority of the Luftwaffe, since 1 April 2023. True to the principle of centralised command and coordination, the DEU Sp Cmd is responsible for all activities related to the standing mission for the military use of space: establishing and maintaining space domain awareness (SDA), planning and conducting space operations, coordinating mission support from space and operating the Bundeswehr's space systems. In the event of military operations, the command assumes the role of the German Space Component Command and operates under the German Joint Operational Command.

The DEU Sp Cmd combines various functions and associated tasks: In its role as the Space Component Command, it ensures the integration of space operations into an overall military operation and, in this context, also coordinates participation in the US-led standing multinational space operation ‘Operation Olympic Defender’. The DEU Space Operations Centre is the command post and manages protection and defence measures for satellites, threat defence and support services for exercises and operations. The DEU Space Intelligence Centre analyzes foreign space activities and potential threats. The military component of the German Space Situational Awareness Centre (GSSAC), together with representatives of the German Aerospace Centre's (DLR) space agency, makes a crucial contribution to the development of SDA. 

Furthermore, the DEU Sp Cmd is closely involved in bi- and multinational partnerships, for example, with the USA and France or the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Initiative. It provides crucial impetus for the further development of space capabilities, such as improvements in space surveillance, jamming resistance and the defence of its own space systems. As the contact point for all questions relating to the military use of space, the DEU Sp Cmd plays a central role within the Bundeswehr and thus contributes significantly to Germany's security policy capability in the space domain.