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• German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned that Russia might deploy nuclear weapons in space and said Germany would spend billions to protect its satellites.
• Pistorius stated that satellite networks are the Achilles heel of modern societies and that attacking them can paralyze entire countries.
• Germany plans to invest €35 billion in space projects by 2030 to harden military space systems against disruptions and attacks.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius warned that Russia might deploy nuclear weapons in space, saying that Germany would spend billions to protect its satellites and that NATO allies should consider building “offensive capabilities” in orbit.

Germany plans to invest €35 billion ($41 billion) in space projects by 2030, Pistorius said. The money will flow into hardening military space systems against disruptions and attacks.

“Satellite networks are now the Achilles heel of modern societies. Attacking them can paralyze entire countries,” Pistorius told a space industry conference in Berlin on Thursday. “We know that the conflicts of the future will no longer be confined to the Earth. They will also be fought openly in orbit.”

Pistorius said that Russia and China in recent years have rapidly expanded their capabilities for warfare in space.

“They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically destroy satellites. In space, there are no borders or continents,” he said. “Already today, German Armed Forces systems are affected by jamming attacks. These attacks are directed not only against the military, but against the economy and society as a whole.”

As an example, Pistorius pointed to two IntelSat satellites, used by the German Armed Forces, that he said Russian reconnaissance satellites were tracking. He said he doubted the satellite activity was peaceful.

“This shows how close we are now to real threats,” he said.

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