Future wars may not be decided by who owns the most satellites, but by who can keep communications alive when every signal is under attack.
The war in Ukraine has changed how the EU thinks about space. Satellites are no longer viewed primarily as tools for navigation, weather forecasting or civilian telecommunications.
“The scale and character of space capabilities employed in Ukraine mark a step change in space-enabled warfare,” said Major Callum Gaskell in a column published by the Royal United Service Institute (RUSI).
Satellites have become a critical military infrastructure. They enable intelligence gathering, drone operations, battlefield coordination and secure communications. As electronic warfare intensifies, satellites have become a strategic imperative.
“ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] satellites combined with GPS guided munitions have allowed Ukraine to locate, identify and strike Russian assets, including those deep within Russian territory,” Gaskell said.
