VILNIUS, July 12. /TASS/. NATO countries have agreed to speed up the integration of the space domain into its collective security system, including through joint drills and operations, the alliance said in the final statement of its Vilnius summit, published on Tuesday.

"Space plays a critical role for the security and prosperity of our nations. Space is also an increasingly contested domain, marked by irresponsible behavior, malicious activities, and the growth of counterspace capabilities by NATO’s potential adversaries and strategic competitors. Maintaining secure use and unfettered access to space is key to effective deterrence and defense," the communique says.

"As part of our work on space as an operational domain, we are accelerating the integration of space into planning, exercising and executing joint and multi-domain operations in peacetime, crisis, and conflict in order to ensure space effects are coordinated across all domains," the document says. "We have committed to enhancing the sharing of our space data, products and services within NATO in support of the Alliance’s requirements and defense plans."

NATO also welcomed the ongoing efforts on the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS) multinational program, "which will improve NATO’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacity."

"We welcome the establishment of the NATO Space Centre of Excellence in France," the alliance said.