SPACE COMMANDER / COMMANDANT DE L’ESPACE – FRIEDLING

Information

Author:

Michel Friedling

Date:

Bouquins
October 2023

Author:

Additional Info

SPACE COMMANDER

Rights Holder: Bouquins
Original Language: French

Written by France’s first Space Commander, an eye-opening work about the inevitable militarization of space as well as the abundance of satellites

For a long time space was perceived as an elsewhere, far away, a place that a handful of astronauts explored in order to push back the frontiers of the unknown. Today, it has become commonplace: we hold it within reach on our smartphones with applications for maps, the weather, geo-localization and navigation. Space contribues to the functioning of the large networks of energy, transportation and financial transactions. It assures telecommunication in vast regions lacking infrastructure and it informs us about the climate change on a scale never seen before.

In 2019, France came up with a strategy for spacial defense and created the rank of space commander. It is one of the first major powers to have taken note of the threats that have recently surfaced out in orbit and it was absolutely the first to speak openly about it. As space commander for three years, Michel Friedling had a front row seat to observe the discreet maneuvers other nations are making in space, notably the US, China and Russia.

In this book, he details the progression of how space is becoming more and more militarized and a possible theater for war. How the world has become so dependent on the ever-increasing number of satellites that were first used to spy on enemies and are now needed to find the nearest bank. This dependence is causing dangerous congestion out in orbit where satellites have to constantly maneuver to avoid colliding with one another. Friedling provides

War in space isn’t necessarily destined but it is indeed very possible. Friedling takes us through recent history to demonstrate why and how.

A former general in the Air Force, Michel Friedlingwas one of the principal creators of France’s Strategy for Spatrial Defense adopted in 2019 and he was Space Commander from 2019 to 2022.

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