APOGEE STAFF
NATO launched plans in October 2024 to develop a military-grade satellite network for the Arctic to boost defenses against Russia. Thirteen countries agreed to push forward with the Northlink initiative to connect space-based communication systems across the Arctic using existing commercial satellites, Politico reported.
Although NATO doesn’t operate its own satellites, it opened a dedicated space command center in Germany in 2019.
Russia, which also borders the Arctic, has ramped up its operations in the region with warnings of jamming attacks on satellites in the area. Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and the United States all control Arctic territory and are NATO member countries, along with Finland and Sweden, which became NATO members in the past two years.
All those countries supported the Arctic network with a letter of intent, along with France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, according to the digital news site Politico. Separately, 14 NATO members agreed to launch the Starlift initiative to secure rocket launch capacity.
“The Arctic’s strategic role is becoming ever more important because of the tense geopolitical situation,” one NATO official told Reuters on the sidelines of an October 2024 defense ministers meeting in Brussels.