Airstrip One

Galileo's World

Galileo, the global positioning system that is being constructed by the European Union, has its own magazine website, Galileo's World.

China and India have both signed agreements to cooperate with the European Union on Galileo, although the PRC has proved the most troublesome partner, raising the hackles of the United States.

Grohe told GPS World that the Chinese agreement only initiates activities on application and user equipment development, which will be coordinated through the China- Europe Global Navigation Satellite System Technical Training and Cooperation Center inaugurated in Beijing in October. The terms of more substantial Chinese participation at the program level, which has raised concerns among U.S. military and foreign policy officials, would be worked out in a subsequent agreement, he said. In terms of Galileo system development, Grohe says, “China would like to be involved from launchers to spacecraft.”

China would also like access to the Publicly Regulated System (PRS) that transmits crucial technical information. This is transmitted on a radio frequency that the US military has already tried to reserve for their M-Code.

The role that the Galileo system plays in the security of the European Union can be found in this Powerpoint demonstration. Although the system is supposedly left in the management of the EU and the Member States, it is clear that the satellite systems must fit in with the common foreign and security policy:

"EU and Member States to develop contingency plans for control of GNSS in crisis or war.
Implementation of denial under the control and responsibility of 'relevant European security authorites', and to be formally notified in advance....
OS denial implementation may be coordinated with third countries operating own satellite navigation systems."

Galileo is viewed as part of the emergent European security system and has been constructed under the control of the European Union, not of individual Member States. Although the United States continues to dominate in military technology, there is a natural development on the part of other actors to cooperate in order to avoid continued dependence upon the Global Positioning System.

Military cooperation in Europe, with ties to other powers are far more dangerous for any future British withdrawal than a weakened polity that is unable to compete with the United States in either 'soft power' or 'hard power'. It is in British interests for Galileo to fail, and in as chaotic a fashion as possible.

(23.06, 4th January 2004)