Signing the Space Situational Awareness Partnership

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, left, and French Minister of Defense Alsin Juppe, right, sign the Space Situational Awareness Partnership Statement of Principles at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Feb. 8, 2011. The statement of principles is an agreement to share information with foreign partners about the effort to monitor debris in space. The two defense leaders expressed their concern in statements to the press over the increasing congestion of space vehicles from multiple nations in orbit around the Earth. (DoD photo by R. D. Ward/Released)