French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Saturday that he has approved the creation of a space command within the country's air force in order to beef up its space defense policy and better protect its strategic interests.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the residence of French Defense Ministry on the eve of Bastille Day in Paris, France, 13 July 2019. [Photo: IC]

"To ensure the development and reinforcement of our space capabilities, a space command will be created next September in the air force," Macron told a gathering of military forces ahead of the July 14 Bastille Day parade.

"This will eventually become the space and air force, and the necessary new investments will be decided," he added.

Macron noted that "the cyber space or the exoatmospheric space" had become "new areas of confrontation" that has triggered the need to create "a new military space doctrine" with which France would "ensure the defense of space."

France's move to create a space military force came amid high concerns of an arms race in space after the United States decided last year to create by 2020 a new space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.