In Geopolitics Today - Monday, October 11th
UK Begins Production of Latest Skynet Defence Satellite and Japan’s New Head of State Snubs South Korea
UK Begins Production of Latest Skynet Defence Satellite
On a recent visit to an Airbus production plant, the UK’s Minister for Defence Procurement oversaw the start of production on the first panel of the UK’s Skynet 6A military communications satellite. Skynet is a series of military communications satellites which provide strategic communication services to the British Armed Forces. The Skynet 6A will extend and enhance the current Skynet fleet of satellites.
Airbus won the contract to design and build the latest generation of Skynet satellites in 2020. The more than £500 million contract signed between Airbus and the UK involves the development, manufacture, assembly, integration, test and launch of the latest 6A variant of the military communications satellite. Moreover, the contract will see Airbus deliver technology development programmes, new telemetry, tracking and command systems, launch, in-orbit testing and ground segment updates.
This latest 6A variant will be built to utilise more of the radio frequency spectrum for military communications while also integrating improved digital processing capabilities. The UK Ministry of Defence is also keen to maximise cost effectiveness and flexibility in the 6A variant Skynet satellites by improving orbit raising propulsion mechanisms. Once complete, the satellite will be integrated into the Skynet network from Airbus facilities located in the UK, reflecting the UK Space Agency’s desire for sovereign end-to-end satellite production and support.
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Japan’s New Head of State Snubs South Korea
Whenever a change of high-level leadership occurs in a state, the choice of who the incoming official chooses to speak to first can be an indication of where that leaders’ international policy priorities lie. Those foreign leaders who are contacted sooner can be considered to be a high priority relationship. As the new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida assumed his office, his office and that of Japan's Foreign Ministry carefully considered the order in which calls were placed.
Leaders of the Quad security alliance — consisting of Australia, India, Japan and the United States — were among Fumio Kishida's first phone calls with foreign leaders, describing the conversations with Quad allies as “diplomacy in an exceedingly good fashion.” Kishida also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping after holding calls with Washington and Australia. Calls with leaders of the European Union and the UK were said to still be in the works due to scheduling conflicts, according to the ministry.
Perhaps most surprising was the absence of a call between the new Japanese prime minister and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. This silence between two allies of the United States underscores the poor state of relat between the two countries. The two remain at odds over a multitude of issues, many of which go back to a time when Korea was under Japanese rule between 1910 and 1945. There are also signs that relations are deteriorating further. While the previous Japanese prime minister held a conversation with his South Korean counterpart just four days after assuming his office, Kishida's administration appears less eager to exchange pleasantries with Seoul.
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