US, Australia to cooperate in space

Australia and the US signed an agreement Monday to cooperate in the surveillance of space, possibly expanding the reach of a US military network tracking satellites and space junk, AFP reported.

The US military increasingly relies on satellites for navigation, targeting, secure communications and intelligence gathering, and strategists worry about the potential for collisions with space junk or attacks from other countries, according to AFP.

"Australia and the US share a deep concern about the increasingly interdependent, congested and contested nature of outer space," the two sides said in a statement, after the annual AUSMIN (Australia-US Ministerial) security talks.

"The Space Situational Awareness Partnership statement of principles signed today, for example, will lead to greater cooperation between our militaries in the areas of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance," US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters.

He added that discussions would begin in January on possibly adding ground-based radar sensors in Australia to the US military's space surveillance network.

The network's purpose includes monitoring satellite traffic for possible collisions and seeking to prevent damage to vital defense-related satellites.

No final decision had been reached on adding radar sensors, but Australia's geographic position could fill a gap in tracking objects in space over the southern hemisphere, AFP quoted officials as saying.

Australia will gain access to US data, training and advice in space surveillance, according to the agreement.

Gates also said the two nations would set up a working group to draw up options for expanded defense cooperation on Australian soil.

Fu Xiaoqiang, a researcher of Southeast Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that security and military cooperation with Canberra are part of Washington's strategy of returning to Asia.

"Compared with former annual talks between the two sides, the latest AUSMIN had more significant content, such as the surveillance of space," Fu said, adding that countries in the region will closely monitor the development of the space surveillance program.

The visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gates to Australia coincides with a trip by President Barack Obama to India, as the US looks to extend its presence in the increasingly important regions.

Agencies - Global Times