National statements following Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Initiative Principals’ Board

December 12, 2025 - Royal Canadian Air Force

The Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, and Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy), Scott Millar, led the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)and Department of National Defence delegation at the Combined Space Operations (CSpO)Initiative Principals' Board, which took place in Toulouse, France, from 2-4 December. Canada has been an active member in the CSpO Initiative since its creation in 2014.

Our society relies on space to function. From banking services and environmental monitoring to military operations, Canada needs unfettered access to space to advance national security interests, and to ensure that Canadians can continue to use the space-based technologies that underpin everyday life. As threats in space evolve, it is important for Canadians to understand the potential impact that conflict in space can have, and that the Government of Canada, in collaboration with its allies, continues to take action to preserve the resilience of our space architecture.

In Toulouse, Canada and its CSpO Initiative partners highlighted the growing threats to commercial and military space capabilities, and reiterated the importance of continued collaboration to ensure that space remains safe, secure, and sustainable. Canada reiterated its commitment to responsible behaviour in space, with the objective of reducing the risk of misunderstanding, undue escalation, and conflict, while also defending and protecting Canada's own assets and interests in this critical domain.

Canada has been making significant investments in its national defence to deter and defeat threats when necessary, including in space. Budget 2025announced $81.8 billionin additional funding to rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in the CAF. This includes $6.6 billionover five yearsto build Canada's defence industrial base and sovereign defence capacity, including in the space sector, harnessing Canada's industrial and innovation ecosystem to deliver the capabilities needed for the country's defence now and in the future. Of this, $182.6 millionhas been allocated to establish a sovereign space launch capability, to ensure that Canada can manage the activities needed in space for its prosperity and security. These investments will also be used to create opportunities to further support the continued growth and strengthening of Canada's space industry.

Nationally and through partnerships like the CSpO Initiative, by investing in capabilities and promoting resilience, Canada is working to ensure that space is utilized to support and protect Canadians' interests, prosperity, and security.

From December 2-4, 2025, the annual Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Initiative Principals' Board convened in Toulouse, France. Gathered at the newly inaugurated French Space Command Headquarters, senior space officials from the ten CSpO Initiative nations met to continue building interoperable, agile and resilient architectures, and to reaffirm their determination to protect and defend against intensifying space threats.

Representatives from the ten CSpO Initiative nations shared their concerns regarding the threat posed by increasingly irresponsible and hostile behaviors from some countries. These actions undermine the strategic stability of the space domain on which our societies rely for economic prosperity and national security. Further, such actions can create confusion jeopardizing the safety and security of the space environment, which could lead to miscalculation and uncontrolled escalation, both in space and on Earth.

Facing such challenges, the Principals reiterated their commitment to international law. They restated their roles as responsible actors in preventing conflict, ensuring a stable and viable domain, and opposing activities that threaten operations in, from, to, and through space.

The CSpO Initiative nations will not stand by in the face of increasing space threats. Senior leaders remain committed to pursue CSpO's Vision 2031; to improving cooperation, coordination, and information sharing; to building a greater shared understanding of space threats; and to strengthening interoperability to enhance resilience at every level.