US embassy cable - 02ROME715

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000715 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/SAT, EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2011 
TAGS: TSPA, ETTC, ETTC, IT, ITTSPA 
SUBJECT: GOI SLOWLY SHIFTING TO MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO 
 
REF: 01 ROME 6243 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: ESTCOUNS DAVID W. MULENEX FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND D. 
 
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1.  (C) SUMMARY.  DESPITE SETBACKS IN DECEMBER AT THE EU 
TRANSPORT COUNCIL AND THE EU SUMMIT, GOI RESOLVE TO PUSH 
FORWARD WITH THE GALILEO GLOBAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM APPEARS TO 
HAVE STRENGTHENED.  THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ARE A NOW 
FREQUENTLY HEARD ADMISSION THAT GALILEO NEEDS TO BE VIEWED IN 
A DUAL-USE CONTEXT, I.E., AS A SYSTEM WITH MILITARY USES 
COMPLEMENTARY TO AND COORDINATED WITH THE U.S. GLOBAL 
POSITION SYSTEM (GPS).  MFA, INDUSTRY, AND THE ITALIAN 
AEROSPACE AGENCY ARE LINING UP IN FAVOR OF THIS POSITION. 
ITALIAN REPRESENTATIVES TO THE ESA AND EC TECHNICAL 
COMMITTEES, CONFUSINGLY, SEEM TO BE UNAWARE OF THIS SHIFT IN 
GOI POSITION.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) AS REPORTED REFTEL, POST HEARD RAISED FOR THE FIRST 
TIME IN EARLY DECEMBER AT MFA THE IDEA THAT ITALY MIGHT 
CONSIDER GALILEO AS A TOPIC FOR A MILITARY-TO-MILITARY 
DISCUSSION.  IN A FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH THE MFA NATO OFFICE 
A WEEK LATER, WE HEARD THE SAME MESSAGE -- WHY NOT CONSIDER 
GALILEO-GPS INTEROPERABILITY A PROJECT DEMONSTRATING EU-US 
SOLIDARITY IN ANTI-TERROR COOPERATION, INCLUDING THE 
EXPLOITATION OF GALILEO'S POTENTIAL IN THE MILITARY SPHERE AS 
WELL?  THE QUESTION SEEMED RHETORICAL AT THE TIME, SINCE MFA 
SAID IT HAD NO PLAN TO SUGGEST TO MOD A MILITARY-TO-MILITARY 
DISCUSSION ON GALILEO. 
 
3.  (C) ITALIAN INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY ALENIA SPAZIO, HAS 
PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY ADVOCATED GALILEO AS A EUROPEAN SYSTEM 
NECESSARY TO OFFSET THE POSSIBLE DEGRADATION OR SHUTDOWN OF 
U.S. GPS SIGNAL.  ALENIA SPAZIO PRESIDENT ZAPPA TOLD ESTCOUNS 
IN EARLY JANUARY THAT EUROPE WOULD GO AHEAD WITH GALILEO, 
THAT THE SYSTEM WOULD INCLUDE MILITARY USES, AND THAT 
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INTEROPERABILITY WITH GPS WOULD INCLUDE BOTH MILITARY AND 
CIVILIAN APPLICATIONS.  ALENIA CONTINUES IN ITS LONG-STANDING 
ATTEMPT TO FORGE AN ALLIANCE WITH BOEING, AND AMONG THE 
ELEMENTS OF THE POSSIBLE AGREEMENT IS COOPERATION ON 
GPS-GALILEO INTEROPERABILITY.  ZAPPA ALSO TOLD ESTCOUNS THAT 
THE GERMANS WERE NOW ONBOARD AND PREPARED TO SUPPORT GALILEO. 
 
4.  (C) LAST, IN A JANUARY COURTESY CALL ON SERGIO VETRELLA, 
THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE JUST RENAMED ITALIAN AEROSPACE 
AGENCY (FORMERLY ITALIAN SPACE AGENCY), ESTCOUNS WAS TOLD 
THAT WHILE THE AGENCY WANTED A "CONNECTION" WITH NASA THAT 
WENT BEYOND COOPERATION, THE SPACE AGENCY ALSO HAD 
RESPONSIBILITIES TO ESA.  VETRELLA, LIKE ZAPPA AND MFA 
COLLEAGUES, ASKED ALOUD WHY THE COSTS OF GALILEO SHOULD NOT 
BE DISTRIBUTED AGAINST ALL THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE 
SYSTEM, INCLUDING INTEROPERABILITY WITH GPS IN MILITARY 
APPLICATIONS. 
 
5.  (SBU) ON 16 JANUARY 2002, ESTOFF MARTINI MET WITH ASI 
NAVIGATION AND SPACE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERS FRANCO 
MARCONICCHIO (PROTECT) AND FRANCO MARUCCI (PROTECT), WHO ARE 
MEMBERS OF THE ESA AND EC GALILEO TECHNICAL COMMITTEES. 
MARCONICCHIO AND MARUCCI SEEMED TO BE COMPLETELY UNCONCERNED 
BY THE DECEMBER FAILURE OF THE EU TRANSPORT COUNCIL TO REACH 
CONSENSUS ON APPROVAL OF THE GALILEO PROGRAM.  THEY PROFESSED 
ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE THAT GALILEO WOULD EVENTUALLY RECEIVE ALL 
NECESSARY EU APPROVALS.  MARCONICCHIO INTERPRETED RECENT 
STATEMENTS BY THE EU HEADS OF GOVERNMENT AS A CONFIRMATION OF 
A FIRM COMMITMENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GALILEO.  HE WAS 
CONFIDENT THAT THIS COMMITMENT WOULD BUOY GALILEO ALONG UNTIL 
A CONSENSUS WAS REACHED.  IN ADDITION, MARCONICCHIO AND 
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MARUCCI NOTED THAT THE EU HAD APPROVED SUFFICIENT FUNDS FOR 
THE CURRENT DEFINITION PHASE OF THE PROGRAM, WHICH COULD 
CONTINUE ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS. 
 
6.  (SBU) MARCONICCHIO AND MARUCCI SHARED THE OPINION THAT 
THE USG WAS  OPPOSED TO AN INDEPENDENT GNSS SYSTEM BECAUSE OF 
POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS RATHER THAN PUBLIC SAFETY OR 
NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS.  FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW, THE 
USG IS NERVOUS ABOUT THE LOSS OF POWER AND PRESTIGE THAT 
WOULD RESULT FROM AN INDEPENDENT EUROPEAN COUNTERPART TO GPS. 
 THEY DISMISSED CONCERNS EXPRESSED RECENTLY BY THE DEPUTY 
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE REGARDING THE PROPOSED OVERLAY OF THE 
 
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GALILEO SIGNAL IN BANDWIDTH USED BY THE U.S. MILITARY.  THEY 
COUNTERED THAT SUCH CONCERNS COULD EASILY BE ALLAYED BY A 
"REAL" COMMITMENT BY THE US TO COOPERATE WITH THE US ON 
INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN GPS AND GALILEO.  THEY REPEATED 
COMMENTS BY OTHER ITALIAN OFFICIALS THAT INTEROPERABILITY IS 
VIEWED IN ITALY AS A TECHNICAL NECESSITY IN ORDER TO PROVIDE 
GLOBAL COVERAGE. 
 
7.  (SBU) WHEN ESTOFF ASKED ABOUT POSSIBLE MILITARY USE OF 
GALILEO, BOTH ASI OFFICIALS INSISTED THAT GALILEO WOULD BE 
FOR CIVILIAN-USE ONLY.  MARUCCI ARGUED THAT IN ORDER FOR 
GALILEO TO TAKE ON A MILITARY ROLE, IT WOULD HAVE TO RECEIVE 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1180 
 
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ACTION OES-01 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CIAE-00  CIP-00   COME-00 
      CTME-00  DOEE-00  DOTE-00  SRPP-00  EB-00    EUR-00   FAAE-00 
      VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   L-00     NASA-01  AC-01 
      NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OMB-01   PM-00    ACE-00   IRM-00   SS-00 
      STR-00   TRSE-00  T-00     USIE-00  EPAE-00  SNIS-00  NISC-00 
      PMB-00   DRL-02   SAS-00     /007W 
                  ------------------661E1F  130957Z /38 
R 130932Z FEB 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECDEF WASHDC 
SECSTATE WASHDC 2112 
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
USEU BRUSSELS 2546 
USMISSION USNATO 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 000715 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/SAT, EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2011 
TAGS: TSPA, ETTC, IT 
SUBJECT: GOI SLOWLY SHIFTING TO MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO 
 
APPROVAL FROM NATO, SINCE SUCH A MOVE WOULD AFFECT THE 
COLLECTIVE NORTH ATLANTIC DEFENSE STRUCTURE.  HE THOUGHT IT 
HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT ITALY, OR ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE 
CONSORTIUM SUCH AS SPAIN OR FRANCE, WOULD PRESENT A FORMAL 
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PAGE 02        ROME  00715  02 OF 02  130957Z 
PROPOSAL TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL (NAC) FOR GALILEO'S 
MILITARY USE.  WHEN ESTOFF NOTED THAT SEVERAL ITALIAN 
GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY OFFICIALS HAD MADE STATEMENTS TO THE 
EMBASSY SUGGESTING A MILITARY ROLE FOR GALILEO, IT DID NOT 
SEEM TO REGISTER WITH EITHER MARUCCI OR MARCONICCHIO. 
 
8.  (SBU) MARUCCI AND MARCONICCHIO SUGGESTED THAT A WAY 
THROUGH THE CURRENT US-EU IMPASSE OVER GALILEO WOULD BE TO 
ESTABLISH A BILATERAL ITALO-AMERICAN DIALOGUE ON THE 
TECHNICAL AND POLITICAL DIMENSIONS OF GNSS.  THEY SUGGESTED 
THAT A BILATERAL DIALOGUE WOULD PROVIDE A MORE STREAMLINED 
AND EFFICIENT PATH TO ACHIEVE A TRANSATLANTIC CONSENSUS ON 
INTEROPERABILITY.  AS A RATIONALE FOR THIS CONCEPT, MARUCCI 
ADMITTED THAT THERE WAS NO EUROPEAN CONSENSUS ON THE 
TECHNICAL PARAMETERS REQUIRED FOR GALILEO AND THAT THE US WAS 
DEALING WITH A COLLECTION OF POLICIES OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBER 
STATES.  MARUCCI AND MARCONICCHIO SUGGESTED SPECIFICALLY THAT 
TRILATERAL COOPERATION AMONG THE UNITED STATES, EU AND RUSSIA 
TO ADDRESS THE DATA RELAY OF NAVIGATIONAL SIGNALS OVER THE 
ARCTIC CIRCLE COULD PROVIDE A FORUM FOR A TECHNICAL, 
NON-CONTROVERSIAL DISCUSSION ON INTEROPERABILITY. 
 
9. (C) EMBASSY COMMENT.  HAVING NOW HEARD THE SAME ESSENTIAL 
MESSAGE FROM GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND THE AEROSPACE AGENCY, 
WE CONCLUDE THAT THE GOI POLICY ON STRICTLY CIVILIAN 
APPLICATIONS FOR GALILEO HAS SHIFTED.  HOWEVER, WE DO NOT YET 
KNOW THE PARTICULAR FORM THIS SHIFT MAY TAKE.  OUR SOURCES 
CONTINUE TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM FRENCH VIEWS THAT THEY 
CHARACTERIZE AS UNHELPFUL TO US-EU SOLIDARITY.  IT IS NOT YET 
CLEAR WHETHER WE SHOULD EXPECT AN OVERTURE FOR DIRECT 
MILITARY-TO-MILITARY TALKS, WHICH WOULD UNDERMINE THE 
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COMPETENCE OF THE EC TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE U.S. ON 
GALILEO.  THE ITALIAN AEROSPACE AGENCY TECHNOCRATS CONTINUE 
TO LOBBY FOR A BILATERAL DISCUSSION OF INTEROPERABILITY, BUT 
WE NOW JUDGE THEIR INITIATIVE TO BE BEHIND THE POWER AND 
POLICY CURVES.  IT DOES SEEM THAT THE SEARCH IS ON FOR 
ALTERNATE FINANCING OF THE PROJECT, AND THAT MODS MAY BE 
AMONG THE FIRST TARGETS OF THE GALILEO SUPPORTERS.  END 
COMMENT. 
SEMBLER 
 
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 2002ROME00715 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL