13 October 2020
In the light of an increasing involvement of EU Member States’ armies on the international stage, the necessity of interoperability has never been more important. Indeed, many critical missions are conducted BOTH in Europe and overseas. These missions rely on secure communication networks for the EU, which are currently fundamentally lacking in certain areas of intervention.
The EU developed a vested interest in space security as part of its Global Strategy for Foreign and Security Policy and its following Space Strategy, unveiled respectively in June and October 2016. Satellite communication has been depicted as a “vital enabler” and a “critical capability” to bolster the EU Security – including tactical, strategic and operational levels – in the context of an increasingly complex and critical geopolitical environment. Consequently, the European Commission has further highlighted the necessity to strengthen defence and operational capabilities of its Member States thanks to Satellite Communication (SatCom), alongside their competitiveness within the technological and industrial market.
Satellite Communication is deemed as “rapidly deployable, flexible and distance insensitive” (ESA), as well as cost-effective, allowing for communication links independently from infrastructures’ disruption and external interferences. Satellite communication is a valuable tool as the pictures supplied can provide valuable information for the implementation of a strategy or an operation. Yet, satellite sources are mainly confidential and government-held. Therefore, a fundamentally trusted exchange of information is required between the different Member States, going beyond a traditional European interoperability process.
In 2017, the document of High Level Civil-Military User Needs for GOVSATCOM was launched by the Council’s Political and Security Committee (PSC), to further consolidate the link between civil and military synergies. A few months later, the European Commission adopted the initiative GovSatCom as one of the main components of the space programme, engaging them to a close cooperation and coordination with the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the independent intergovernmental European Space Agency (ESA). This initiative remains so far one of the most important measures in terms of defence and security development within the EU.
Indeed, GovSatCom aimed to Pool and Share relevant governmental and commercial satellite sources to provide secure access and communication between the EU Member States, in the context of crisis management and operational security inter alia. Six projects (named pacis) are part of this initiative, including three undertaken individually by three different member states (i.e. Spain, Italy, the UK) and the other three involving groups of Member States (i.e. Spain-Norway-Italy; France-UK; Belgium-Great Britain-Portugal). This is undeniable proof that a strong willingness to develop interoperability from the research field to the operational one is underway. Furthermore, in 2019, the Polish Space Agency (PSA) took the lead by submitting a proposal under Horizon 2020 (H2020) – the biggest EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation – to develop the exchange of knowledge between the members and increase cooperation through the identification of current member states’ capabilities in terms of satellite communication. The PSA aims to submit recommendations following an in-depth research on innovative projects of satellite securitisation.
The latest development of the GovSatCom initiative was launched on September 15, 2020 with the project ENTRUSTED, also under H2020. Twenty organisations are involved in this project, including Luxembourg and EU agencies. A budget of €3 million has been allocated for this research and innovation programme, expected to end in February 2023. ENTRUSTED aims to develop a common understanding for governments on the utilisation of SatCom systems, through a consolidated, standardised and harmonised set of requirements. Research is also conducted regarding necessary technological innovation and investments, fundamental to secure governmental communication.
Although Member States seem to show a strong willingness towards space interoperability and security, fundamental questions arise regarding the current geopolitical and geostrategic context in which Europe is involved. As a result, the EU is affected by an unprecedented level of crises, one of them being BREXIT, announced a few weeks before the European Global Strategy was launched. Consequently, one could wonder if the UK, already involved in half of the existing pacis, would decide to withdraw from the initiative, putting in jeopardy the possible space interoperability between the institutions and the Member States. On the other hand, the European militarization of space would allow for more European autonomy in terms of defence capabilities and technological development, notably regarding the U.S and NATO. One thing is certain, the recent dynamics should be analysed in a perspective of refining and redefining the European Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), for a more active and unified role of the EU on the international scene.
Written by Sahar LAHDIFI, Communication and Public Relations Team at Finabel – European Army Interoperability Centre
Sources
Borek, R. et al. GOVSATCOM makes the EU stronger on security and defence, Security & Defence Quarterly, March 2020
European Defence Agency (EDA). Fact Sheet GOVSATCOM, Europa, 2020
European Defence Agency (EDA). Pooling & Sharing of satellite communications, Youtube, 2020
European Space Agency (ESA). GovSatCom: pooling civil and secure satcoms, Youtube, 2017
Messier, D. Launch of ENTRUSTED Project Dedicated to Secure Government Satellite Communications, PARABOLIC ARC, October 2020
Papadimitriou, A. et al. Perspective on space and security policy, programmes and governance in Europe, Elsevier, Acta Astronautica, 183-191, 2019
Pindjak, P. A Stronger EU in Cosmos: Embracing the Concept of Space Security, UN and International Organizations Department, Slovak Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 2016
