(C) GERMANY: DLR SPACE DIRECTOR SUGGESTS A JOINT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000899 SIPDIS, STATE FOR EUR/AGS, EUR/ERA AND OES E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2033 TAGS: TSPA EINV ETRD PGOV PREL GM SUBJECT: (C) GERMANY: DLR SPACE DIRECTOR SUGGESTS A JOINT GALILEO GPS PARTNERSHIP Classified By: Global Affairs Unit Chief Don L. Brown for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On July 7, delegations from the German Space Agency (DLR) and USSTRATCOM (headed by General Kevin Chilton) met to discuss space situational awareness issues and opportunities for future information sharing. During a broad-ranging discussion, German delegation lead Dr. Hubert Reile, DLR Program Director for Space, volunteered that Germany feels GPS and Galileo should form a joint partnership. Reile noted that both programs have inherent technical advantages and that it would be mutually beneficial to form a constructive partnership. (Comment: In his remark, Reile explicitly said "Germany feels", rather than caveating it as a personal opinion. End Comment.) No agreements were made, nor were any further substantive or policy details discussed on this issue during the meeting. ¶2. (C) In addition to Reile, the German DLR delegation included Dr. Thorsten Nix, DLR Public Affairs; Dr. Martin Hellman, DLR Coordination for Defense and Security Research; and Dr. Klaus-Dieter Rockwitz, DLR Space Program Directorate. (Comment: The recent chatter about possible U.S. contractor involvement in the Galileo contract bidding process, combined with this unexpected mention of a joint Galileo/GPS partnership from the DLR Space Program Director, may reflect increasing doubt from Galileo insiders regarding the Galileo program's ability to meet both cost and schedule constraints. End Comment). TIMKEN JR