Beyond Earth’s Borders: How 3I/ATLAS and Planetary Defense Are Shaping U.S. Strategy Amid Global Turmoil

Amid this geopolitical turbulence, many defense strategists are asking a provocative question: Can planetary defense — the monitoring of cosmic threats — become as central to national security strategy as conventional force projection?

For the Biden era and now the Trump administration, the implications are profound. Trump, having championed heightened defense spending and assertive international posture, has signaled ambitions to expand U.S. military and space capabilities beyond traditional theaters of war — and “beyond the atmosphere,” according to administration advisers.

3I/ATLAS: From Astronomical Oddity to Strategic Catalyst

Discovered on July 1, 2025, 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object known to pass through our solar system — and it was swiftly integrated into planetary defense exercises under the auspices of the United Nations and the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN). 

Though classified as a comet by NASA and ESA scientists, the object’s unusual trajectory and interstellar origin have spurred unprecedented global drills and observation campaigns. The U.N.’s latest planetary defense exercise — running through January 2026 — uses 3I/ATLAS as a live test case, drawing coordinated participation from space agencies and defense institutions around the world.