US Space Command blocks NZ Defence from disclosing Auckland satellite hub's Iran war role
The New Zealand Defence Force was told by US Space Command not to release details about Auckland's space-watch hub, which has been used to support combat operations in the Iran conflict.
The Auckland node of a US-backed space-watch network, part of the Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) system, has been identified as directly supporting combat activities in the Iran war. When RNZ requested details, the New Zealand Defence Force cited advice from US Space Command that it could not disclose further information, despite asserting its own sovereignty over the facility. Prior disclosures under New Zealand's Official Information Act revealed the hub tracked Chinese military satellites and an Iranian civilian satellite launched by Russia.
Barbara Golf, head of JCO, said the network rapidly broadened its electromagnetic spectrum monitoring after President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury, aiming to detect Iranian jamming attacks. The expansion is intended to reach all six US combatant commands, including US Indo-Pacific Command. The NZDF maintains that any further expansion requires explicit government permission, which it has not received.
Why it matters
It shows how allied satellite-tracking assets are being used for military operations, raising transparency and sovereignty concerns.
In this story
