NATO, Space and Creative Approaches for Alliance Building

Drawing on posthumanist thought, the chapter critiques the integration of Military Design Thinking into NATO’s doctrine development, arguing that dominant strategic approaches risk overlooking embodied, socio-material entanglements shaping space security. Through two case studies—creativity in the engineering design practices that built RAF Fylingdales and the creation of a wellbeing garden for space operators—the chapter illustrates how creative, embodied practices can offer alternative, affirmative approaches to collective defence. By foregrounding care, lived experience, and socio-technical interdependencies, the chapter concludes by highlighting the transformative potential of creative placemaking practices in generating new modalities of security and diplomacy in outer space.