Two senators have introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen military space cooperation between the US and its Indo-Pacific partners, expressing fresh alarm over China and Russia's space operations.

To improve strategic coordination in space between the US, Australia, India, and Japan—the four countries that make up the informal Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or "Quad"—Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, introduced the Quad Space Act.

“As China and Russia rapidly develop dangerous space capabilities and behave recklessly in space,” Bennet says, “the United States must bolster cooperation with our Quad partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The Quad Space Act requires the Secretary of Defense to start discussions with the other Quad governments to determine common space security priorities, from industrial strategy to space situational awareness, and to submit a report to Congress outlining a plan for further coordination.

The bill's supporters intend to include it as a special interest item in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, despite the fact that it does not establish new programs or allocate funds.

 

Cramer framed the legislation as a strategic counterweight to growing adversarial threats: “Maintaining space dominance is vital to protecting the stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region. The Quad Space Act protects our interests by deepening space cooperation with trusted partners.”

Over the past 20 years, the Quad has developed into a key component of US strategy in the Indo-Pacific. It began as a disaster response collaboration following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Public health, climate resilience, vital technologies, and maritime security are just a few of the policy areas that are currently covered by the Quad, which was revived during the Trump administration in 2017 and promoted to the leaders' level by the Biden administration.

In 2021, the Quad decided to share satellite data to enhance disaster preparedness and climate monitoring, bringing space cooperation into the group's agenda. The goal of the new law is to transform such primarily commercial and civil endeavors into a more overt military and strategic framework.

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China is developing co-orbital systems and direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles that may be used to kill or damage satellites, according to warnings from U.S. officials. Recent tests and a possible nuclear space weapon that U.S. intelligence suspects Russia may be seeking have also raised concerns. U.S. Space Command and the Space Force have demanded tighter cooperation with partners and more robust architectures.