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The European Commission is considering a new satellite network to bolster military intelligence amid doubts about sustained support from the United States, European Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said in an interview with the Financial Times.
“Given the changes in the geopolitical situation, the European Commission is considering expanding its satellite capacities to improve geospatial intelligence support for security,” Kubilius told the FT.
The satellite network could, for instance, be used to track military movements, something that requires more regular updates than the EU’s Copernicus satellite service.
The Lithuanian commissioner also said he would raise the idea of a “temporary commercial approach” with EU countries, as the project would be time-consuming and expensive.
The EU is already taking steps to develop a new constellation of secure communication satellites that can rival Elon Musk’s Starlink, called IRIS².
The remarks by Kubilius come after U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily paused military intelligence-sharing with Ukraine to pressure it into peace talks, laying bare Europe’s reliance on the U.S.
Kubilius is due to present a “massive investment” plan next week to build up the EU’s defense industry to support Ukraine and deter Russia, as “Europe cannot take the U.S. security guarantee for granted,” according to a draft obtained by POLITICO.
The draft paper included provisions to favor weapons production within the bloc and by “like-minded third-country companies,” encourage joint purchases of arms, ease the financing of defense projects, and focus on key areas where the bloc has a capacity shortfall like air defense and military mobility.
