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Brussels is exploring the construction of a new satellite network to ensure military intelligence while suspicion increases on US European Defense’s commitment.
The system would aim in part to replace US capabilities, as President Donald Trump’s pause in sharing intelligence with Ukraine this month highlighted Europe’s confidence in America.
“Given the changes in the geopolitical situation, the European Commission is thinking of expanding its satellite capacities to improve the support of geospatial intelligence for security,” the Protection and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius for Financial Times.
The new satellite network will be used to detect threats such as the movement of forces and coordinate military action. The discussions have just begun, but Lithuanian said the block needed a network to complete other programs used for land navigation and observation.
It will need to produce more often up -to -date information than low -orbit Copernicus, which monitors climate change and natural disasters, but generates only images about 24 hours.
Acknowledging that the project would be expensive and take time to build, Kubilius said he would ask member states if they wanted a “temporary trade access”.
“We are seeking to create a specific system as a government service for land observation. There would be high technology and high data availability. “The system would operate in the low land orbit, he said. Such networks require dozens of satellites.
He said the best trading systems can track military and updated military settings every 30 minutes.
The commission is also procuring Iris², its wide network of many orbits in the lower land orbit. This year it will complete the Govsatcom program, which will connect member state systems.
Kubilius was talking before starting a defense plan next week. The Commission has made € 150 billion available on loans to Member States and will allow them to exclude some protective expenses from its fiscal rules, which would allow them to perform up to € 650BN more.
The plan, first by FT, would also allow member states to ask the Commission to provide weapons, collect request to secure better prices.
The Commission has not yet determined how expenses should be restricted, but President Ursula von Leyen has said that funds should be spent on European products.
Kubilius said the places involved within the task will include Norway and “I hope” the United Kingdom.
Turkey was “still in question,” he said. But he stressed that Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, who holds the EU’s rotating chair, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 13, which was a “visible symbol”.
He said funds can also be used to buy weapons from Ukraine for its armed forces. They were half of the Western prices and “and of course it supports the economy of Ukraine,” he said.
Kubilius said the plan will highlight the strategic areas in which EU countries are highly dependent on the JBA these include air capacity, air -air fuel and air warning and control.
It would also prioritize a missile protection system, which can cost 500bn €.
“We’re naked,” he said. “Will we develop that air protection only any country or collectively? I feel it is better to have a common system to coordinate to cover the whole territory. But it is not for us to decide.”
