On 1 July 2026, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius told a seminar on satellite security that space assets are becoming primary targets in modern warfare, comparable to energy or transport infrastructure on the ground. He called for urgent investment in detection, resilience, and defensive capabilities, warning that attacks on satellites are already occurring and will intensify.
electromagnetic interference (jamming and spoofing), increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks enabled by artificial intelligence, and physical threats such as hostile satellite proximity operations. He noted that Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine began with a malware attack on the KA-SAT satellite system, which also disrupted EU services. In 2025, jamming affected 50,000 flights, and radio frequency interference in the Baltic region increased fivefold year-on-year. Russia's Luch 1 and Luch 2 satellites have performed suspicious proximity operations near European satellites, and China used a robotic arm to move a defunct satellite.
Kubilius stressed that space is critical infrastructure and must be defended like ground assets. On detection, he said the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) proposes reinforced space situational awareness and radio frequency interference monitoring, and the EU Space Information Sharing and Analysis Centre now enables near-real-time threat information sharing. On resilience, he pointed to Govsatcom, which started operations in January 2026 and will expand with commercial services by 2027, and the future IRIS2 secure connectivity system. The European Space Act, still under negotiation, would set minimum security requirements for space operators. Kubilius announced that an action plan for a European Space Shield will be presented this year, covering threat detection, asset protection, rules of engagement, and a potential dedicated protective fleet. He also stressed the need for independent launch capabilities and in-space mobility, linking it to the ongoing Military Mobility regulation.
Kubilius urged ambitious agreement between the European Parliament and Council on the Space Act and on defence and space spending in the next MFF, warning that non-investment will cost much more. The speech contained concrete proposals—MFF reinforcement, Govsatcom expansion, the Space Shield action plan—alongside broader calls for resilience and deterrence. It shifted the EU's posture toward a more assertive, defence-oriented space policy, framing space as a contested domain requiring military-style protection.