US embassy cable - 03ROME5491

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