The Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Initiative Principals' Board convened in Florence, Italy, from December 3 to 5, 2024. Senior representatives from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States attended the annual meeting. The discussions focused on responsible and lawful space use, existing and emerging threats to space systems, and opportunities for collaboration.

Celebrating its ten-year anniversary this year, the CSpO Initiative has been working on collaborative efforts to address evolving challenges and opportunities in space. Space services play a crucial role in daily life globally by supporting economies, research and development activities, transportation systems, emergency services, global communications, weather forecasting, humanitarian aid delivery, traffic navigation support as well as national security and defense.

The CSpO Initiative Principals discussed current and future threats to freedom of access to space. They reiterated commitments to maintaining a peaceful outer space environment while upholding legal frameworks such as the Outer Space Treaty. This treaty prohibits placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies.

International dialogue and cooperation were highlighted as essential for promoting safe operations in space. Efforts are being made to reduce misperceptions and minimize debris creation. The Principals reaffirmed commitments not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests. Support was expressed for multilateral efforts at organizations like the United Nations aimed at fostering international cooperation and establishing norms of responsible behavior.

The CSpO Initiative Participants aim to become more agile and resilient while addressing challenges within a competitive space domain. Looking ahead they committed themselves towards preserving access freedom operating responsibly supporting economic scientific commercial security interests.