Bloomberg: Starlink glitches in Ukraine reveal Europe's hidden technological dependence on the US

Technical malfunctions in the operation of the Starlink satellite service in Ukraine have once again brought to the forefront the debate on the need to develop own satellite systems so that European countries can independently ensure critical communications and defence needs. As Bloomberg notes, this situation has clearly revealed the continent's deep dependence on American technological developments.

Impact on military operations and lack of quick solutions

The problems arose specifically with access to the military version of satellite communications — Starshield. These disruptions negatively affected the operation of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, particularly those designed for striking or intercepting aerial targets.

The key problem is that there is currently no ready-made alternative in Europe that the military could quickly deploy on the front line to replace Starlink. The dependence is not limited to the internet: European states also rely on American space surveillance systems, which are used to detect missile launches and provide threat warnings. To date, the EU lacks an equivalent to the American Infrared Missile Detection system.

Strategic risks and political context

This situation creates serious strategic risks, as access to critical technologies is largely determined by decisions made in Washington and by private American companies. Against the backdrop of existing disagreements between the US administration and European partners, the issue of achieving technological independence has become particularly acute.

European alternatives: IRIS² and OneWeb

The European Union is actively working on its own satellite system, IRIS². This project is intended to provide secure communications for government agencies, military structures, and critical infrastructure, thereby reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.

In January 2026, the EU began providing limited secure satellite services for state and military needs within the framework of the IRIS² and GOVSATCOM initiatives. However, the full deployment of the IRIS² system requires several more years: the planned start of providing certain services is scheduled for 2029.

Another option is the OneWeb network, which is managed by the European operator Eutelsat. However, its capabilities currently lag behind those of Starlink. Limited equipment characteristics, bandwidth, and terminal costs complicate the use of this network directly in combat conditions. Moreover, it is technically impossible to simply connect Starlink equipment to the OneWeb network — a transition requires different end-user equipment.

National programmes and acknowledgement of dependence

In addition to joint projects, individual European countries are developing national military space programmes. For example, Germany is working on creating its own constellation of military satellites.

Despite these efforts, Europe is currently unable to fully replace American technologies. The Starlink network has a significantly larger scale and more developed infrastructure, and a transition to alternative systems requires substantial financial costs, time, and re-equipment of the technical base.

European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius acknowledged that Europe is largely dependent on American space capabilities. In his words, the response to this must be the development of own technologies and the strengthening of cooperation between European countries.

Thus, the Starlink incident has become another argument in favour of striving for technological self-reliance. At the same time, in the coming years, European states will likely continue to rely on American communications and early warning systems while building their own alternatives.