A Soyuz rocket launched from Kazakhstan represents the latest effort of EU cooperation. This is a significant venture and an interesting capstone to a year that saw the rejection of a proposed constitution. It demonstrates that Europe is moving forward in areas that can impact events in coming years.

The satellite system, called Galileo, is intended for civilian use but it occupies a bandwidth that can clearly be used for military purposes. Concern was raised when China became a partner with the EU. Israel and India are also partners in the project.

According to a Financial Times article the system will become fully operational in 2008 and will be more accurate than the current GPS system operated by America. Currently GPS is accurate to within five meters while the new system will be able to pinpoint an object to within one meter.

When fully operational this satellite will end American dominance of a critical military tool. EU leaders have said the world should not be dependent on one satellite system. This is another way of saying they should no longer rely on America's commanding military umbrella.

In his book, The Next Superpower, former American Ambassador to the EU Rockwell Schnabel wrote that this Galileo system "...could undercut our ability to control the battlefield in future conflicts" (page 65). He says this integration of European security could have serious repercussions for the troubled Atlantic alliance. While some leaders, President Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair praise the unification efforts of the EU some, such as Ambassador Schnabel, warn that integration on such matters comes at the "expense of security"(ibid).

It is clear that with this latest development the EU has made a major assertion of independence from American leadership. The French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy put it succinctly: " It is at the same time independence for our country, independence for the European Union, and a scientific success superior to that of the Americans".

Hmmm, I thought the Allies gave Europe their independence in May 1945 at the conclusion of World War II?