From 4 to 13 March, the EU carried out the Space Threat Response Architecture (STRA-X-24) exercise in the European External Action Service Headquarters in Brussels.

The exercise tested the EU´s response capacity to a situation in which EU space assets are subject of an attack targeting space services which are essential for governments, businesses, and citizens. Space assets are essential for the functioning of EU economies and activities, as well as for security and defence.

As part of the exercise, the EU´s space threat response mechanisms were activated to mobilise all relevant political, diplomatic, and technical actors, from the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC) to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission and the Council.

The STRA exercise addressed both the technical and more high-level policy aspects of the detection, attribution, and responses to space threats. This included information sharing on space threats, as part of the space threat landscape analysis performed by the Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity (SIAC), complemented with the geospatial intelligence products provided by EU Satellite Centre (SatCen). Some Member States also contributed Space Domain Awareness (SDA) related information which allows timely responses by the EU when confronted to certain threats.

In the second part of the exercise, the Political and Security Committee held a tabletop discussion where the challenges around detection and attribution of space security incidents, as well as the possible reaction by the EU, were addressed. This discussion also touched upon the invocation of the mutual assistance as enshrined in the EU Treaties (Article 42(7) of the Treaty on the European Union) in case a space related incident would amount to an armed aggression on the territory of one or several EU Member States.

The STRA 2024 exercise was organised by the EEAS in coordination with Member States, EUSPA and the Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) at the European Commission.

BACKGROUND

The Space Threat Response Architecture Exercise (STRA-X-24) was the sixth exercise of its kind and was organised by the EEAS, together with the Commission and the EU Space Programme Agency (EUSPA). 

The EU is increasingly dependent on space-based assets and services for the functioning of its economy, its society and for security and defence. Russia’s aggression on Ukraine has emphasised the vulnerability of today’s defence forces and economies to threats affecting space services and infrastructure.

Today more than ever, the EU needs to be prepared for a more competitive and contested space environment, marked by a wide range of threats carried out intentionally by strategic competitors, mainly focused on targeting governments and institutions, including their critical infrastructures, and economies that rely on space-dependent services.

Attacks against space infrastructures can have a relevant impact on operation and services delivery but also political and diplomatic consequences, while the attribution of responsibility remains difficult. Such attacks on space services can take various forms including direct attacks on a satellite, cyber-attacks and spoofing or jamming of satellite signals.

The Council Decision (CFSP) 698/2021 on the security of the systems and services deployed, operated and used under the Union Space Programme, defines the responsibilities of the Council and of the High Representative in the event of a threat to, or through, these systems and services. To be better prepared, the EU carries out a yearly exercise on the implementation of the Decision.

This year’s exercise, STRA-X-24, consisted of two interconnected parts, addressing different stakeholder groups. As per the previous exercise, STRA-X-24 was based on a hybrid threat scenario, which reflects the current geopolitical landscape and emerging Space threats. The triggering space events corresponded to attacks against EU satellites.

The first part was designed to test the incident detection and information sharing on space threats as well as the triggering of possible responses by the EU in the area of Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy.

The second part of the exercise was designed to use the outcomes and material of the first part to run a tabletop discussion with the Political and Security Committee (PSC). The PSC reflected on the reinforcement of the EU Space Threat Response Architecture and on its preparedness for the mutual assistance as enshrined in the EU Treaties (Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union).

STRA-X-24 has contributed to nurturing a common strategic approach to security-relevant situations in space.