Australia will join the growing number of nations protecting their assets in space with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) announcing on Wednesday a new Space Division within the Royal Australian Air Force. The division will draw personnel from all areas of the ADF, reflecting the significance of the space domain for Australia’s national security. It will be operational from early 2022. Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld said having access to space was vital for the ADF’s multi-domain operations. “We use Space daily for understanding the weather, navigating, access to geospatial information and sharing information across Australia or across the world,” Hupfeld said. The establishment of the new space division means Australia will join allies, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan, in having dedicated space military units. This comes after the domain of space was declared a developing risk area as nations like Russia and China increasingly invest in counter space …