MUOS antennae in Niscemi.

MUOS antennae in Niscemi. (Photo ANiedbalski/Wikimedia Commons)

The US Navy’s Next-Gen Comms System Is Frozen In the Italian Courts

After seven years and more than $7 billion, MUOS is ready to go. There’s just one problem with its Sicily station.

PALERMO, ITALY—Where there was once a cork forest, there is now just barren land. Nothing grows behind the tall fences that mark the 410-acre perimeter around the US Navy area in Niscemi, Sicily. Behind the fences, atop the only hill, three huge satellite dishes dominate the panorama, standing 60 feet wide (about 20 meters) and as tall as a 10-story building.

This is one-fourth of the most sophisticated military communication system in the world, designed by the most powerful military of our time. The three giant disks should be a monument to military technology, but for the time being they are merely a testimony of how a military power—even one as big as America’s—can still be forced to answer the law of the land.

It’s a story that begins in 2006, when the US Navy made a large investment in a technology called Mobile User Objective Systems (MUOS)—a massive communications and data transmission system bigger.

MUOS, built around a satellite system, will allow soldiers to have an encrypted mobile phone that can text, send emails,and receive data exactly like a civilian smartphone with 3G connectivity—anywhere in the world, and without a cell tower.

An omnipresent satellite system

The US Navy thinks this will make communication easier, better, and safer. The system would help prevent mistakes and bad decisions caused by lack of information and confused orders, some of which, in the past, have resulted in front-page news.

“The military has the capabilities, but [it] does not have the network to connect everything together,” Austin Long, associate professor of International and Public affairs at Columbia University, said. “With MUOS we are going to have an omnipresent satellite system that can link everything together, whether it’s a drone, a fighter plane, a tank. They can be all on the same network.”

Physically, the MUOS system is comprised of four ground stations—each with three large antennas—linked to four satellites (plus a fifth emergency satellite that is yet to be launched in outer space). Each satellite’s signal will be connected with two ground stations at the same time, so if a satellite loses the signal from one base, there will be a second option, reducing the risk of a sudden interruption.

Beginning in 2008, the ground systems were installed in Virginia, Hawaii, Australia and in southern Sicily, a key position for communications in the Mediterranean and Middle East.

This investment proved sound, given the increasing tensions in Libya, and the Arab region. After seven years of work and an overall cost of over $7 billion (so far), the Navy is finally ready to use the MUOS in Sicily as a safe channel for all its communications.

Except, it can’t.

While the American and Australian MUOS were built in areas where they didn’t meet opposition, the Italian MUOS is in the natural reserve of Sughereta, by Niscemi—a town of nearly 30,000 people—who do not like the idea of being exposed to the electromagnetic fields generated by antennas. The area is already home to 46 antennas of the US Naval Radio Transmitter Facility, built in 1987.

As soon as the MUOS construction began, so did the fight to have it dismantled. Several years later, while the machine is still standing, it can’t be used legally by the US Navy—at least not until its legitimacy is confirmed in two trials (one administrative, the other judiciary).

What’s worse: a microwave or MUOS?

For both trials, the main defendant is the Italian ministry of defense, who acted as a guarantor of the agreement allowing the US Navy to build the receptors. The plaintiffs are a group of organizations (including the World Wildlife Fund) led by the No-MUOS committee, who oppose the MUOS on grounds that range from the ethical and environmental to protection of health.

They fear the electromagnetic emissions will increase the risk of cancer, as well as threaten the health of people with cardiac devices living in the area, and potentially affect the local fauna.

The US commissioned an independent assessment by John Oetting, the project manager and lead system engineer for MUOS, on exposure risks. He concluded that it is actually more dangerous to cook with a microwave or to have a cell phone conversation than to live near a MUOS ground station (pdf), as the electromagnetic emissions were much higher in those cases.

Italians weren’t convinced by this report, which members of the No-MUOS repeatedly pointed to as partisan. Massimo Zucchetti, a nuclear energy expert at Turin University and a research affiliate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted an independent study, with his colleague Massimo Corraddu, also a researcher in nuclear energy. They concluded that MUOS is dangerous and should not be activated. “Some people might start developing strong headaches or nausea while close to the system, but when walking away they are fine,” said Zucchetti. Further, he claims, longterm exposure to such powerful electromagnetic fields could lead to diseases such as childhood leukemia or brain cancer.

A legal battle without the US Navy

In any case, considering that “the health issue remains vague” (the disagreements and lack of long-term studies make it hard to come to a conclusion), Paola Ottaviano, one of the No-MUOS lawyers, said their charges have been focused on a logistical element: they claim the ministry of defense (the agreement was signed during the latest government led by Silvio Berlusconi) bypassed the law, granting permission to build in an area where all construction is forbidden without debating the matter in parliament.

To make the matter worse, in a memorandum of understanding signed in 2011, the Italian defense ministry agreed to spend about €4 million ($4.6 million) in Niscemi as compensation for constructing the MUOS ground station. The money was supposed to build a new cancer ward at the local hospital and contribute to fixing streets in great need of repair. As of April 14, no work has been done.

There have been several decisions made in the case already, often contradictory. Five administrative trials have merged into one; concessions to build were given, repealed, and then given again by the Sicilian region; full verification of the total electromagnetic emission was ordered, but couldn’t be conducted for technical reasons. The judge ordered another test—appointing a commission of five experts, three of which were ministers (members of the same government as the plaintiff); a judicial trial was open, with a verdict independent from the administrative one (it’s currently unclear what would happen were the decisions different).

In short, it’s been a classically Italian series of decisions and counter-decisions, with no clear end in sight for either parties. The next verdict is expected for May—though it doesn’t look like it will mark the end of the story, or even this chapter.

Meanwhile, Steven A. Davis, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command spokesman, said the communications system is operational today: “MUOS is already providing legacy communications to combatant commanders via active satellites on-orbit."

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.