European Union ministers have voted to pursue the Galileo satellite navigation system, approving a design framework and funding after a five-year delay, reports the Financial Times. A European Commission official told the newspaper that Galileo would give Europe “strategic independence,” providing a system “that nobody can deny us and will always work.” US officials have indicated a willingness to share signals and develop compatibility with America’s GPS satellites.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.