Tags: China, Military Satellite, Africa, Satellite Communications
Publication: Wired.com
Publication Date: 04/29/2013

Apstar 7. Image credit: China Great Wall Industry Corp.

The U.S. Military’s decision to sign a $10 million, one-year deal lease with a Chinese firm to use the Apstar-7 satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, to provide communications for its Africa Command has stirred up opinions from critics.

In the past years, the U.S. government has been very vocal about its concerns that too much sensitive American data passes through Chinese electronics. However, in this case, the Chinese satellite seems to be the government’s only option. The need for bandwidth is imminent, and no other satellite firm seems to provide the continent-wide coverage that the military requires.

While Apstar-7 is owned and operated by a subsidiary of the state-controlled China Satellite Communication Company, the government has ensured that the information passed through the satellite will be encrypted and safe from possible intrusions. But critics say that the coded traffic could be used to give Chinese valuable clues about how the American military protects its information, and that there is the risk that China could suddenly decide to block service to the American military.

The Apstar-7 deal is valid until May 14 with the possibility of being renewed for up to three more years.

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