Whiting at SOUTHDEC 25: Invest in space, secure the future

Published Aug. 22, 2025
U.S. Space Command Public Affairs

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- As Russia and China seek to expand their influence in space, Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, urged greater international cooperation to safeguard the domain at the South American Defense Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, August 20.

The three-day conference was co-hosted by Adm. Alvin Holsey, U.S. Southern Command commander, and General Xavier Isaac, Chief of the Argentine Armed Forces’ Joint Staff, and included plenary sessions on enhanced maritime domain awareness, and armed forces support to law enforcement in countering transnational criminal organizations.

250820-F-KR213-1001 — Multinational senior leader participants of the South American Defense Conference 2025 (SOUTHDEC 25) pose for a group photo in Buenos, Aires, Argentina, August 20, 2025. U.S. Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, the command of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), joined senior defense leaders from South America to discuss security challenges and regional cooperation during SOUTHDEC 25, hosted by Argentina August 20-21. (Photo by Senior Airman Christopher Bermudez, U.S. Southern Command)

The U.S. has worked with regional partner nations across geographic domains in the western hemisphere for decades, but Whiting highlighted the need for growth in partnerships in the space domain.

"U.S. Space Command and U.S. Southern Command have become excellent partners in space–working together for security cooperation and domain awareness," he said.

He highlighted the investment of $42 million for infrastructure development and the placement of 11 space domain awareness telescopes with partners in South America.

“We’re working to build and share specialized expertise through partner space training opportunities and share enhanced domain awareness via SOUTHCOM’s [Enhanced Domain Awareness] program,” Whiting said.

The EDA program is a SOUTHCOM initiative–a comprehensive system that integrates various data sources and technologies to improve situational awareness and understanding of activities in a specific domain.

Whiting emphasized its role in enhancing situational awareness and collaboration for space-based intelligence and surveillance capabilities, noting its positive impact on maritime domain awareness, countering illicit activities and disaster response.

Holsey underscored these capabilities are crucial for addressing threats already facing the region. In his opening remarks, he highlighted how illicit activities, including transnational criminal organizations operating across the Americas, threaten the region, and how the U.S. is countering these operations.

“The challenges and threats that span the Andean Ridge to the Strait of Magellan are growing more complex…Expanding the scope, scale and strength of transnational criminal organizations throughout the region is a top concern. Currently, 33 U.S.-sanctioned groups, including recently designated 10 foreign terrorist organizations, are operating in the Western Hemisphere, engaged in illicit trafficking of drugs, weapons, commodities, wildlife and persons that earn them $358 billion a year in revenue.”

Whiting emphasized that space-based capabilities underpin the global economy, infrastructure and security, noting sectors such as farming, banking, communications and weather forecasting rely on space technology.

While many nations understand the vital importance of the space domain, there are countries undermining the collective progress of humanity in space.

Whiting detailed the Communist Chinese Party's irresponsible creation of space debris and its lack of transparency in sharing launch information, endangering satellites and astronauts, while also highlighting concerns about its operations within host nations to support military space activities. He further raised concerns about Russia's reported plans to violate the Outer Space Treaty with a nuclear-capable satellite, a development he deemed "unjustifiable irresponsibility" posing an indiscriminate threat to all satellites.

He said the CCP and Russia are seeking to establish space operation facilities in the Americas, likely including counterspace operations.

250819-F-XO712-1001 — SOUTHDEC 2025 graphic

“Both nations are fielding a wide range of related weapons from reversible, non-kinetic systems like satellite communications jamming, GPS jamming and cyber-attacks to direct ascent antisatellite missiles and co-orbital antisatellite weapons, putting friendly satellites at risk,” he said.

Given this threat environment, USSPACECOM views partnerships and alliances as essential for enhancing space security and responding to emerging threats.

“We need capable partners who are willing to increase their capacity to effectively contribute to the team,” Whiting said. “A partnered approach to enhance space security through sharing expertise, burden sharing and coordinated rapid, effective responses to emerging threats–leaving no doubt to our opponents that we are stronger, more capable and always ready to counter any threat.”

Nimble Titan, a missile defense war game led by USSPACECOM, with 25 participating nations, including Argentina as an observer, is critical for missile defense collaboration. Global Sentinel, USSPACECOM’s annual capstone event, is a space exercise involving 28 nations, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru, and provides opportunities for regional nations to enhance space capabilities and interoperability.

USSPACECOM recently welcomed its newest liaison officer from Brazil, joining 11 partner nation LNOs already embedded within its headquarters, further emphasizing the importance of international collaboration.

“I encourage the continued investment in space from our partner nations, because we know that our cooperation in space is a strategic advantage that can harness capabilities, capacities, access and strengthen messaging,” he said. “Your individual strength is a direct challenge to autocratic nations’ careless ambitions.”