Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02ROME715
2002-02-13 09:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rome
Cable title:  

GOI SLOWLY SHIFTING TO MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO

Tags:  TSPA ETTC IT 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000715 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR OES/SAT, EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2011
TAGS: TSPA ETTC ETTC IT ITTSPA
SUBJECT: GOI SLOWLY SHIFTING TO MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO

REF: 01 ROME 6243

CLASSIFIED BY: ESTCOUNS DAVID W. MULENEX FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND D.

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 ROME 00715 01 OF 02 130957Z
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000715

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR OES/SAT, EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2011
TAGS: TSPA ETTC ETTC IT ITTSPA
SUBJECT: GOI SLOWLY SHIFTING TO MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO

REF: 01 ROME 6243

CLASSIFIED BY: ESTCOUNS DAVID W. MULENEX FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND D.

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02 ROME 00715 01 OF 02 130957Z

1. (C) SUMMARY. DESPITE SETBACKS IN DECEMBER AT THE EU
TRANSPORT COUNCIL AND THE EU SUMMIT, GOI RESOLVE TO PUSH
FORWARD WITH THE GALILEO GLOBAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM APPEARS TO
HAVE STRENGTHENED. THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ARE A NOW
FREQUENTLY HEARD ADMISSION THAT GALILEO NEEDS TO BE VIEWED IN
A DUAL-USE CONTEXT, I.E., AS A SYSTEM WITH MILITARY USES
COMPLEMENTARY TO AND COORDINATED WITH THE U.S. GLOBAL
POSITION SYSTEM (GPS). MFA, INDUSTRY, AND THE ITALIAN
AEROSPACE AGENCY ARE LINING UP IN FAVOR OF THIS POSITION.
ITALIAN REPRESENTATIVES TO THE ESA AND EC TECHNICAL
COMMITTEES, CONFUSINGLY, SEEM TO BE UNAWARE OF THIS SHIFT IN
GOI POSITION. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) AS REPORTED REFTEL, POST HEARD RAISED FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN EARLY DECEMBER AT MFA THE IDEA THAT ITALY MIGHT
CONSIDER GALILEO AS A TOPIC FOR A MILITARY-TO-MILITARY
DISCUSSION. IN A FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH THE MFA NATO OFFICE
A WEEK LATER, WE HEARD THE SAME MESSAGE -- WHY NOT CONSIDER
GALILEO-GPS INTEROPERABILITY A PROJECT DEMONSTRATING EU-US
SOLIDARITY IN ANTI-TERROR COOPERATION, INCLUDING THE
EXPLOITATION OF GALILEO'S POTENTIAL IN THE MILITARY SPHERE AS
WELL? THE QUESTION SEEMED RHETORICAL AT THE TIME, SINCE MFA
SAID IT HAD NO PLAN TO SUGGEST TO MOD A MILITARY-TO-MILITARY
DISCUSSION ON GALILEO.


3. (C) ITALIAN INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY ALENIA SPAZIO, HAS
PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY ADVOCATED GALILEO AS A EUROPEAN SYSTEM
NECESSARY TO OFFSET THE POSSIBLE DEGRADATION OR SHUTDOWN OF
U.S. GPS SIGNAL. ALENIA SPAZIO PRESIDENT ZAPPA TOLD ESTCOUNS
IN EARLY JANUARY THAT EUROPE WOULD GO AHEAD WITH GALILEO,
THAT THE SYSTEM WOULD INCLUDE MILITARY USES, AND THAT
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PAGE 03 ROME 00715 01 OF 02 130957Z
INTEROPERABILITY WITH GPS WOULD INCLUDE BOTH MILITARY AND
CIVILIAN APPLICATIONS. ALENIA CONTINUES IN ITS LONG-STANDING
ATTEMPT TO FORGE AN ALLIANCE WITH BOEING, AND AMONG THE
ELEMENTS OF THE POSSIBLE AGREEMENT IS COOPERATION ON
GPS-GALILEO INTEROPERABILITY. ZAPPA ALSO TOLD ESTCOUNS THAT
THE GERMANS WERE NOW ONBOARD AND PREPARED TO SUPPORT GALILEO.



4. (C) LAST, IN A JANUARY COURTESY CALL ON SERGIO VETRELLA,
THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE JUST RENAMED ITALIAN AEROSPACE
AGENCY (FORMERLY ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY),ESTCOUNS WAS TOLD
THAT WHILE THE AGENCY WANTED A "CONNECTION" WITH NASA THAT
WENT BEYOND COOPERATION, THE SPACE AGENCY ALSO HAD
RESPONSIBILITIES TO ESA. VETRELLA, LIKE ZAPPA AND MFA
COLLEAGUES, ASKED ALOUD WHY THE COSTS OF GALILEO SHOULD NOT
BE DISTRIBUTED AGAINST ALL THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE
SYSTEM, INCLUDING INTEROPERABILITY WITH GPS IN MILITARY
APPLICATIONS.


5. (SBU) ON 16 JANUARY 2002, ESTOFF MARTINI MET WITH ASI
NAVIGATION AND SPACE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERS FRANCO
MARCONICCHIO (PROTECT) AND FRANCO MARUCCI (PROTECT),WHO ARE
MEMBERS OF THE ESA AND EC GALILEO TECHNICAL COMMITTEES.
MARCONICCHIO AND MARUCCI SEEMED TO BE COMPLETELY UNCONCERNED
BY THE DECEMBER FAILURE OF THE EU TRANSPORT COUNCIL TO REACH
CONSENSUS ON APPROVAL OF THE GALILEO PROGRAM. THEY PROFESSED
ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE THAT GALILEO WOULD EVENTUALLY RECEIVE ALL
NECESSARY EU APPROVALS. MARCONICCHIO INTERPRETED RECENT
STATEMENTS BY THE EU HEADS OF GOVERNMENT AS A CONFIRMATION OF
A FIRM COMMITMENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GALILEO. HE WAS
CONFIDENT THAT THIS COMMITMENT WOULD BUOY GALILEO ALONG UNTIL
A CONSENSUS WAS REACHED. IN ADDITION, MARCONICCHIO AND
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MARUCCI NOTED THAT THE EU HAD APPROVED SUFFICIENT FUNDS FOR
THE CURRENT DEFINITION PHASE OF THE PROGRAM, WHICH COULD
CONTINUE ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS.


6. (SBU) MARCONICCHIO AND MARUCCI SHARED THE OPINION THAT
THE USG WAS OPPOSED TO AN INDEPENDENT GNSS SYSTEM BECAUSE OF
POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS RATHER THAN PUBLIC SAFETY OR
NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS. FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW, THE
USG IS NERVOUS ABOUT THE LOSS OF POWER AND PRESTIGE THAT
WOULD RESULT FROM AN INDEPENDENT EUROPEAN COUNTERPART TO GPS.
THEY DISMISSED CONCERNS EXPRESSED RECENTLY BY THE DEPUTY
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE REGARDING THE PROPOSED OVERLAY OF THE

SIPDIS
GALILEO SIGNAL IN BANDWIDTH USED BY THE U.S. MILITARY. THEY
COUNTERED THAT SUCH CONCERNS COULD EASILY BE ALLAYED BY A
"REAL" COMMITMENT BY THE US TO COOPERATE WITH THE US ON
INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN GPS AND GALILEO. THEY REPEATED
COMMENTS BY OTHER ITALIAN OFFICIALS THAT INTEROPERABILITY IS
VIEWED IN ITALY AS A TECHNICAL NECESSITY IN ORDER TO PROVIDE
GLOBAL COVERAGE.


7. (SBU) WHEN ESTOFF ASKED ABOUT POSSIBLE MILITARY USE OF
GALILEO, BOTH ASI OFFICIALS INSISTED THAT GALILEO WOULD BE
FOR CIVILIAN-USE ONLY. MARUCCI ARGUED THAT IN ORDER FOR
GALILEO TO TAKE ON A MILITARY ROLE, IT WOULD HAVE TO RECEIVE

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CONFIDENTIAL PTQ1180

PAGE 01 ROME 00715 02 OF 02 130957Z
ACTION OES-01

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 CIP-00 COME-00
CTME-00 DOEE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00
VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 L-00 NASA-01 AC-01
NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OMB-01 PM-00 ACE-00 IRM-00 SS-00
STR-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 SNIS-00 NISC-00
PMB-00 DRL-02 SAS-00 /007W
-------------- 661E1F 130957Z /38
R 130932Z FEB 02
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO SECDEF WASHDC
SECSTATE WASHDC 2112
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
USEU BRUSSELS 2546
USMISSION USNATO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 000715

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR OES/SAT, EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2011
TAGS: TSPA ETTC ETTC IT ITTSPA
SUBJECT: GOI SLOWLY SHIFTING TO MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO

APPROVAL FROM NATO, SINCE SUCH A MOVE WOULD AFFECT THE
COLLECTIVE NORTH ATLANTIC DEFENSE STRUCTURE. HE THOUGHT IT
HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT ITALY, OR ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE
CONSORTIUM SUCH AS SPAIN OR FRANCE, WOULD PRESENT A FORMAL
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PAGE 02 ROME 00715 02 OF 02 130957Z
PROPOSAL TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL (NAC) FOR GALILEO'S
MILITARY USE. WHEN ESTOFF NOTED THAT SEVERAL ITALIAN
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY OFFICIALS HAD MADE STATEMENTS TO THE
EMBASSY SUGGESTING A MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO, IT DID NOT
SEEM TO REGISTER WITH EITHER MARUCCI OR MARCONICCHIO.


8. (SBU) MARUCCI AND MARCONICCHIO SUGGESTED THAT A WAY
THROUGH THE CURRENT US-EU IMPASSE OVER GALILEO WOULD BE TO
ESTABLISH A BILATERAL ITALO-AMERICAN DIALOGUE ON THE
TECHNICAL AND POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF GNSS. THEY SUGGESTED
THAT A BILATERAL DIALOGUE WOULD PROVIDE A MORE STREAMLINED
AND EFFICIENT PATH TO ACHIEVE A TRANSATLANTIC CONSENSUS ON
INTEROPERABILITY. AS A RATIONALE FOR THIS CONCEPT, MARUCCI
ADMITTED THAT THERE WAS NO EUROPEAN CONSENSUS ON THE
TECHNICAL PARAMETERS REQUIRED FOR GALILEO AND THAT THE US WAS
DEALING WITH A COLLECTION OF POLICIES OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBER
STATES. MARUCCI AND MARCONICCHIO SUGGESTED SPECIFICALLY THAT
TRILATERAL COOPERATION AMONG THE UNITED STATES, EU AND RUSSIA
TO ADDRESS THE DATA RELAY OF NAVIGATIONAL SIGNALS OVER THE
ARCTIC CIRCLE COULD PROVIDE A FORUM FOR A TECHNICAL,
NON-CONTROVERSIAL DISCUSSION ON INTEROPERABILITY.


9. (C) EMBASSY COMMENT. HAVING NOW HEARD THE SAME ESSENTIAL
MESSAGE FROM GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND THE AEROSPACE AGENCY,
WE CONCLUDE THAT THE GOI POLICY ON STRICTLY CIVILIAN
APPLICATIONS FOR GALILEO HAS SHIFTED. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT YET
KNOW THE PARTICULAR FORM THIS SHIFT MAY TAKE. OUR SOURCES
CONTINUE TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM FRENCH VIEWS THAT THEY
CHARACTERIZE AS UNHELPFUL TO US-EU SOLIDARITY. IT IS NOT YET
CLEAR WHETHER WE SHOULD EXPECT AN OVERTURE FOR DIRECT
MILITARY-TO-MILITARY TALKS, WHICH WOULD UNDERMINE THE
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COMPETENCE OF THE EC TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE U.S. ON
GALILEO. THE ITALIAN AEROSPACE AGENCY TECHNOCRATS CONTINUE
TO LOBBY FOR A BILATERAL DISCUSSION OF INTEROPERABILITY, BUT
WE NOW JUDGE THEIR INITIATIVE TO BE BEHIND THE POWER AND
POLICY CURVES. IT DOES SEEM THAT THE SEARCH IS ON FOR
ALTERNATE FINANCING OF THE PROJECT, AND THAT MODS MAY BE
AMONG THE FIRST TARGETS OF THE GALILEO SUPPORTERS. END
COMMENT.
SEMBLER

CONFIDENTIAL

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2002ROME00715 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL