Commercial satellite operators called on NATO to move faster from discussion to action in space, addressing threats from cable attacks to satellite interference, at SATELLITE 2025.
Amazon Kuiper Head of Global Government Don Brown said: “What we’re really looking for is accelerating from discussion to action within NATO, and finding the means for them to do that. There’s an immense amount that NATO can do.” He highlighted NATO’s HEIST initiative (Hybrid Space-Submarine Architecture Ensuring Infosec of Telecommunications), launched July 2024, which looks at how to detect undersea cable attacks and use satellite networks to reroute traffic when cables are severed: “The pace is picking up.”
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HawkEye 360 Senior Director Robert Palm described the challenge of shifting NATO from a “fine, large, exquisite, determined industrial systems” mindset to “agile, incorporating innovative ideas that’s being done at the speed of venture capital.” His company is working on a NATO innovation challenge around cable infrastructure attacks in the North Sea: “It’s a very vexing problem, and it can’t be solved by just single operators together.”
Space Data Association Chairman Joe Chan said there is no agreed standard for space traffic management: “I think that’s probably where we work together with NATO, and maybe help to promote that idea with other organizations.” He noted the SDA has experience enabling multinational members to exchange data securely and is ready to support NATO’s space awareness objectives.
Brown said commercial space capabilities have grown exponentially over the past 15 years and NATO needs a clear space strategy that embraces commercial: “NATO has a tremendous reach across countries, across threat environments, across operational entities, to make the point that commercial has a critical role — not just in broadband, but in all these elements that are critical to security of the NATO Alliance.”
Palm raised the unresolved question of whether NATO will physically protect commercial assets in space from adversary interference: “Is NATO willing to do that protection? I think it’s in everyone’s mind but probably best left unsaid because it’s a really very hard, difficult problem.” VS
