Military Technology 05/2021

Open Service - free and available to everyone (eg GPS); High Accuracy Service; Search and Rescue Service; and Public Regulated Service (PRS), robust, very accurate, protected with antijamming, and limited to select- ed government agencies. Expected to be fully operational in 2024, the PRS is key to full strategic and tactical military use of GALILEO at the EU and member states level. It will eventually contribute to the develop- ment of military capabilities within the EU, servicing the needs of EU mil- itary forces and governments. These will be used to support operations, embedded in land, sea and air platforms, and in various crisis and even conflict scenarios. In this regard, the launch of the GEODE project [GalilEO for EU DEfence] in February – a PESCO-based programme aiming to address the need for defence-specific requirements of the PRS, including secure channels, antennas and receivers, to be completed by 2026 – was a step forward. The race towards defence use of GALILEO, however, is long and full of obstacles – not only technical problems or the complication of entirely civilian control (unlike other GNSS), but also the multilevel hierarchical nature of PRS governance: European, governmental and technical/indus- trial, to be coordinated by the various national members. Not the least complicating factor is the intricate relationship such a system might have with NATO – the fact that NATO European mem- bers currently use GPS might present a challenge. As the GALILEO saga continues, the EU is acquiring fundamental and vital capabilities. If Brussels manages to proceed sensibly, logically and efficiently down this path, the system might consititute a major contribution to the shape of the EU of tomorrow. What is certain is that, in common with every other EU issue, close coordination among member states will be a sine qua non, – in both technical and political issues. EU member states need to ensure coherence of their specific military space requirements and policies, not just regarding GALILEO, but for every space applica- tion, particularly in anticipation of further growth in the space race and militarisation of the domain. A broader EU space defence strategy is needed, and, to this end, the upcoming Strategic Compass might offer an interesting starting point. Having been one of the most heated, albeit bloodless battlefields of the Cold War (MIA astronauts apart), space is now the theatre for a very complex race, which includes space ‘promenades’ by billionaires, asteroid mining exploration, and the search for extraterrestrial life. However, it is also, increasingly, a promising scenario for private and public activities, a domain of technological conquest and a geopolitical frontier: control means virtual control of the Earth. A frontier that attracts traditional pioneers (the US) and their historical adversaries (Russia), no less than China, Japan, India and Europe – among others. The EU, in particular, attached paramount importance to space for decades, albeit from an exclusively civilian perspective, though it has become increasingly aware of the vital role space plays in achieving stra- tegic independence. With a growing emphasis on European autonomy imposed by geopolitics and the increased need to keep up with techno- logical innovation, the EU has accelerated into the space race – witness the allocation in April of € 14.8 billion to the new EU Space Programme. The creation of the EU Space Program Agency (EUSPA - which will over- see EU space policy) the prograsmme sits in the same environment as the Action Plan for synergies between civil, defence and space sectors and the creation of a dedicated Directorate-General (DEFIS). EU intentions to shift towards a strategic concept of space is evident in the Capability Development Plan (CDP) and the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), which stress the importance of military space capabilities, and in the launch of dedicated programmes under PESCO and/or funded by the European Defence Fund precursors – EDIDP and PADR. This ‘transition’ is happening to the main symbol of Europe’s space saga: the flagship GALILEO programme satellite navigation system. First conceived in 1999 to free the EU from reliance on US GPS system – shared with NATO allies but liable to interruption without notice for national (US) security reasons – GALILEO has always been an embryo of European strategic autonomy, despite its civilian character – the very reason it en- countered strong opposition from the US – at the time, alongside Russia’s GLONASS, the sole owners of the relevant technology. The programme has suffered from delay and seemingly permanent (and poorly-explained) ‘technical issues,’ but has been persistently supported by EU institutions for its strategic importance. Currently in its ‘Initial Services’ phase, the system provides signals for position, navigation and timing (PNT) purposes for multiple applications, with greater precision and wider coverage than its transatlantic cous- in. When it achieves its 30-satellite final configuration, GALILEO will be used for a wide array of civil and security applications, including border management, SAR, and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations. The different uses of Galileo correspond to various services: After graduating cum laude from the Universita degli Studi Roma Tre with a Master’s degree in International Relations – where her thesis won the ‘Premio Luigi Di Rosa’ prize for theses on terrorism – Caterina Tani has worked as a staff member in the European Parliament and as a journalist, writer and observer of European affairs. Based in Brussels, she brings a wealth of institutional experience and a well-developed network to her role as NATO and EU Affairs Correspondent for Mönch. Caterina Tani GALILEO: a (Floating) Pillar of Strategic Autonomy GALILEO will provide a broad range of PNT and other services for governments and populations. (All images: European Space Agency) AN ESA vision of the way in which the GNSS constellation will evolve. Military Space MT 5/2021 · Special Supplement · 47