GALILEO COMMENTS AT ROME CONFERENCE ON SPACE AND

UNCLAS ROME 005491

SIPDIS


DEPT. FOR OES/SAT (BRAIBANTI); EB/CIP, EUR/ERA; EUR/WE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TSPA TSPL IT EUN
SUBJECT: GALILEO COMMENTS AT ROME CONFERENCE ON SPACE AND
SECURITY POLICY


1. THE ITALIAN CENTER FOR HIGH DEFENSE STUDIES (CASD) HELD
A HEAVILY ATTENDED SEMINAR ON DECEMBER 2 IN ROME TO PRESENT A
RESEARCH REPORT ON SPACE AND SECURITY POLICY IN EUROPE. KEY
SPEAKERS INCLUDED:

LUIGI RAMPONI, CHAIRMAN, DEFENSE COMMITTEE, ITALIAN CHAMBER
OF DEPUTIES;
JEAN JACQUES DORDAIN, DIRECTOR GENERAL, EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
(ESA);
IAN ABBOTT, ASSISTANT CHIEF OF POLICY AND PLANS, EU MILITARY
STAFF;
VINCENZO CAMPORINI, DEPUTY CHIEF, ITALIAN DEFENSE STAFF;
LUC TYTGAT, HEAD OF SPACE POLICY UNIT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION;
BERNARD MOLARD, CHAIRMAN OF THE SECURITY AND DEFENSE GROUP,
EUROSPACE;
GUNTER STAMERJOHANNS, GENERAL MANAGER, GALILEO INDUSTRIES;
SERGIO VETRELLA, CHAIRMAN, ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY (ASI).


2. THE REPORT, WHICH WAS FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN SPACE
AGENCY, CONCLUDED THAT SPACE MUST BE INTEGRATED MORE
COHERENTLY INTO THE EU'S INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENSE
FRAMEWORK. KEY POINTS THAT EMERGED FROM THE DISCUSSION
INCLUDED:

-- AT PRESENT, THE FRAGMENTATION OF PLAYERS AND STRATEGIES IS
EVIDENT. EUROPEAN SPACE POLICIES ARE LED BY DIFFERENT
BODIES, DEPENDING ON THE APPLICATION: NATIONAL SPACE
AUTHORITIES, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORITIES, ESA AND SOME EU
COMMISSION DIRECTORATES.

-- IN THE VIEW OF MOST PARTICIPANTS, EUROPE NEEDS TO REDEFINE
ITS STRATEGIES, INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS.

-- MOREOVER, EUROPE REQUIRES SPACE ASSETS TO ACHIEVE ITS
OBJECTIVES IN SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICY AND TO MAINTAIN ITS
ROLE AS A GLOBAL SPACE POLICY PLAYER.

-- AN ESSENTIAL AND MINIMAL EUROPEAN PRESENCE IN SPACE FOR
SECURITY AND DEFENSE PURPOSES WOULD INCLUDE A NETWORK OF
SATELLITES TO MATCH REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION,
OBSERVATION, POSITIONING, ELECTRONIC INTELLIGENCE AND EARLY
WARNING.

-- SUCH A PRESENCE WOULD ALSO REQUIRE AN INVESTMENT OF AROUND
8-9 BILLION EUROS OVER A PERIOD OF EIGHT TO FIFTEEN YEARS,
FOR A YEARLY INVESTMENT OF LESS THAN 800 MILLION EUROS,
AFFORDABLE THROUGH A MULTILATERAL INVESTMENT EFFORT.

GALILEO COMMENTS:


3. IN THE FINAL SESSION'S DISCUSSION, BERNARD MOLARD
(EUROSPACE) STATED THAT GALILEO'S PRS WAS "VERY AMBITIOUS".
HOWEVER, HE STRESSED THAT THE MILITARY REQUIREMENT HAS NOT
BEEN FINANCED. HE SAID THAT GALILEO IS LOOKING TO MEMBER
STATES FOR FUNDING, BUT "EVEN IN FRANCE THERE IS NO MONEY
ATTACHED TO PRS". IF NO FUNDING IS FOUND BY THE END OF 2004,
IN MOLARD'S VIEW, THERE WOULD BE NO MILITARY PRS SIGNAL AND
GALILEO WOULD NOT BE AS USEFUL AS ANTICIPATED.


4. GUNTER STAMERJOHANNS (GALILEO INDUSTRIES) FOLLOWED UP BY
EXPRESSING TWO KEY CONCERNS. FIRST, HE SAID, SECURITY
CONSIDERATIONS COULD MEAN A DELAY IN THE LAUNCH GALILEO.
ONLY WHEN THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY IS ALLOWED TO BRING THE
MILITARY PRS INTO GALILEO WILL GALILEO INDUSTRIES INCORPORATE
IT. SECOND, HE SAW INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AS
PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE. TO WHAT EXTENT COULD CHINA AND INDIA
BE INCLUDED IN THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OF GALILEO? THE
ESSENTIAL POINT, IN STAMERJOHANNS' VIEW, WAS THAT "WE CANNOT
BREAK OUR GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES."


5. COMMENT: WHILE FOCUSED ON DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED
EU SPACE AND DEFENSE POLICY, THE SEMINAR PROVIDED A VENUE FOR
INFORMED DISCUSSION ON ISSUES SUCH AS GALILEO. THOSE
PARTICIPANTS WHO COMMENTED ON GALILEO ALL AGREED THAT
GALILEO'S SUCCESS REQUIRED COOPERATION WITH THE U.S. AND THAT
SECURITY ISSUES COULD NOT BE IGNORED.
SEMBLER

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2003ROME05491 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED