What's behind France's first-ever space-based military exercise

举办首次太空军演,法国意图何在

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Chen Lufan
Time
2021-03-17 16:38:21

By Lan Shunzheng

兰顺正

France recently held its first military exercise in space codenamed AsterX, which was named in memory of its first satellite launched in November 1965. Calling it “a first for the French army and even a first in Europe,” General Michel Friedling, commander of French Space Command (CDE), said the exercise indicated that Paris will play a more active role in space-based military activities.

近日,法国举行首次太空军事演习。军演代号为“AsterX”,来源于1965年11月法国发射的第一颗卫星。法国太空司令部负责人弗里德林透露,这是法军第一次实施太空军事训练,也是欧洲范围内的首次。此举意味着法国未来在太空军事领域将更加积极。

It is learnt that the virtual exercise took place in Toulouse, France. Apart from 60 soldiers from CDE, the US Space Command and German Space agency were also invited to participate. According to Friedling, the exercise simulated a crisis between a country in military assistance agreement with France and another one with space military capabilities. It is aimed to test the endurance capability of the existing systems and assess areas for improvement in order to enhance the CDE’s development.

据悉,此次军演在法国图卢兹市举行,形式为虚拟演习。除了法国太空司令部的60名士兵外,美国太空司令部和德国太空机构也受邀参加了演习。按照弗里德林的说法,演习模拟的是一个与法国签有军事协助条约的国家与另一个有太空军事能力的国家之间发生危机的情况。主要目的是测试现有系统的抗压能力,评估未来需要改进的方面,以此促进太空司令部的建设。

The great value of space is being extensively recognized with the development of space technologies. As the fourth domain after the land, sea and air, it has become another highland contested fiercely by all countries.

由于航天技术的发展,太空的重要价值被广泛认可。作为继陆、海、空之后的“第四空间”,太空已成为各国竞争的又一个制高点。

The US, for instance, set up the Space Force during Trump’s term and has been taking constant moves ever since and increasingly lowering the threshold for the Space Force to take part in real combats. In early March this year, Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force, expressed the hope for the accelerated formulation of guidelines on space operations, like traffic rules and the oceanic law. Other countries have followed suit. In May last year, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) set up the “Space Operations Squadron”; in February this year, the Indian Defense Space Agency (DSA) officially started to explore technologies to enhance its capability of responding to space threats; also in February, media reported that the UK was planning an anti-satellite fighter jet exercise to counter satellites of other countries.

以美国为例,在特朗普政府时期,美国成立了太空军,随后便动作不断,其太空军参与实战的“门槛”越来越低。今年3月初,美国太空军司令约翰•雷蒙德更是表示希望像制定公路交通规则和海洋法一样,加快制定太空行动指导原则。在美国的带动下,其他国家纷纷效仿。去年5月,日本航空自卫队成立了“宇宙作战队”;今年2月,印度国防航天局正式开始探寻增强其应对太空威胁能力的技术;同样在2月,有消息称英军正计划派出战斗机开展反卫星作战演练,以对抗他国卫星。

With the intensifying major-country competition, the possibility of military conflicts in space has become a topic that cannot be overlooked. France approved in 2019 to set up the Space Command in its air force, put forth the space defense strategy in the same year, and decided to invest close to EUR5 billion while its Military Program Law for 2019-2025 is in force, of which 3.6 billion will be spent on reinforcing the military satellites tasked with providing optical surveillance and communications assurance.

随着大国竞争加剧,未来可能在太空爆发军事冲突的问题已经变得不容回避。法国在2019年正式宣布批准在法国空军内部成立太空司令部。同年,法国制定了太空防务战略,并决定在《2019年至2025年法国军事规划法案》生效期间投入近50亿欧元,其中36亿欧元用于增强提供光学监视及保障通信的军事卫星的能力。

According to analysts, France has adopted such a high profile in space partly because it thinks future space conflicts will challenge and threaten its space interests and national security. The country’s way of projecting strategic nuclear forces is quite limited at the moment, and the damage or loss of its satellites, which are the “eyes” and “ears” of its strategic nuclear forces, will weaken the effects of their first and secondary attacks. Besides, as far as conventional forces are concerned, France cannot afford to have its satellites attacked either.

有分析认为,法国在太空军事领域表现高调,一方面是认为未来可能爆发的太空冲突将对本国太空利益与国家安全造成潜在的挑战与威胁。目前法国战略核力量投射方式较为单一,卫星是战略核力量的“眼睛”与“耳朵”,一旦受到损失,法国战略核力量的首次打击与第二次打击能力效果将明显减弱。且对于常规军力而言,法国同样承受不起卫星遭受攻击之重。

On the other hand, France still holds on to its “major country complex” and dreams of reviving its past glory both internally and internationally. Over recent years, Paris has been trying hard on various occasions to promote Europe’s defense independence, an important reason for highlighting its position on the continent. Space is a highly contested domain. If France takes a preemptive step in the space or secures its position as a strong space power, it will have strategic independence in the domain, and consequently secure independence in other fields, maybe even advancing EU’s strategic independence with France as a “bellwether”.

另一方面,法国从未放弃“大国情结”,不论是在内政还是外交中始终希望恢复昔日大国的风采。近年来,法国在各个场合努力表现,积极推动欧洲防务独立进程,其中重要的原因就是要突出自己在欧洲的重要地位。太空是未来各方争夺的重点,因此法国如果提早在太空占据一席之地或者确立太空强国地位,不但能以此寻求法国在太空领域的战略自主并带动其他领域的独立自主,还能最终推动欧盟实现以法国作为“领路人”的战略自主。

However, France’s space-militarizing actions will undermine the international efforts to prevent a space arms race and are no good news for future space governance either.

不过,法国把太空战场化的行为,会对目前国际社会为防止太空军备竞赛所做的各种积极努力起到削弱作用,对于未来的太空治理也同样不是好消息。

(The author is a research fellow at Yuan Wang Think Tank, a Beijing-Based independent consulting agency focusing on military science and technology, and Charhar Institute, an independent think tank on diplomacy and international relations. He is also a member of the Chinese Institute of Command and Control)

(作者是远望智库特约研究员,察哈尔学会研究员,中国指挥与控制学会会员)

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