Brussels is considering creating a new satellite network to provide military intelligence as doubts grow about the US commitment to European defense.
The Financial Times writes about this.
The system would be aimed at partially replacing US capabilities. The issue arose after President Donald Trump suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine this month, underscoring Europeʼs dependence on America.
“Given the changing geopolitical situation, the European Commission is considering expanding its satellite capabilities to improve support for geospatial intelligence for security,” said Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, in an interview with the FT.
The new satellite network will be used to detect threats such as troop movements and coordinate military operations.
Discussions have only just begun, but Kubilius says the unit needs a network in addition to other applications used for navigation and Earth observation.
It should provide updated information more frequently than the low-orbit Copernicus satellite, which monitors climate change and natural disasters but only generates images every 24 hours.
Acknowledging that the project would be expensive and time-consuming, Kubilius said he would ask EU member states if they were considering a "temporary commercial approach".
"We strive to create a specific system as a state Earth observation service. It will have high technology and high data availability," the politician emphasized.
According to him, the system will operate in low Earth orbit. Such networks require dozens of satellites.
He added that the best commercial systems can track targets and military deployments with data updates every 30 minutes.
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