Australia should be looking to expand its defence capabilities in space due to threats posed by nuclear-armed foes, Scott Morrison says.
The former prime minister is now the chairman of Space Centre Australia, which plans to set up a major space hub in Cape York.
Mr Morrison said on Wednesday that while the West still had “quite a significant advantage over potential adversaries”, foes were swiftly progressing technologically.
“Space is increasingly part of what we must now do in defence,” he told Sky News.
“Back in 2020 we actually defined space as a war fighting domain and set our defence forces on the path to be able to participate.”
Mr Morrison said there was “not a thing you do almost today, whether it’s on land or in sea or in air, that doesn’t depend on the assets and capabilities that you have in space”.
“Currently, the US and its allies (have) a quite a significant advantage over potential adversaries, but you know that is changing,” he said.
“We’re seeing what the Chinese and Russians are doing.
“There’s reports of even Russia having a nuclear anti-satellite weapon that they’ve been developing.
“China has increasingly more manoeuverable satellites and developing much more sophisticated technologies, which enables them to use that to target movement of forces and other assets around the globe, through their missiles and other offensive weapons.
“So space, whether we like it or not, is part of modern warfare.”
Mr Morrison’s comments came after Donald Trump announced his plan for a “Golden Dome” to protect the US from potential nuclear attacks.
The system, which the US President said he wanted built before the end of his term, would use ground-based interceptors and satellites to protect against hi-tech threats, including hypersonic missiles.
Mr Morrison said he could see Australia playing a role in the dome’s development and even adopting the tech down the line.
“It’s very possible that it could be extended to other allies and partners,” he said.
“But I imagine the price on that would be pretty strong, certainly in the early phases.
“But we can play a role, and that’s important because we’re allies.”
The Trump administration has attached a $US175bn ($271.4bn) price-tag to the Golden Dome.
Though, the US Congressional Budget Office has calculated it could cost $US831bn ($1.3 trillion) over two decades.
Mr Morrison, a founder of AUKUS, also used a speech on Tuesday to call for space to be part of the defence pact’s third pillar.
AUKUS Pillar I focused on submarines, with the US and UK sharing technology to build nuclear-powered boats in Australia.
AUKUS Pillar II focused on enhancing trilateral co-operation on cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and quantum technologies.
Mr Morrison said a “strong argument can also be made that such initiatives could form the basis of Australia’s contribution to a new Pillar III for AUKUS which, as its founder, I would strongly support”.
