John Phipps: What the Crisis in Ukraine is Revealing About the Essential Use of Satellites

Necessity is the mother of invention, it is repeatedly said. And nothing helps clarify what is really necessary like war.

In contrast to the previous century, major conflict between developed countries is only a vague historical concept for most people today. Similar to the world wars and variously labeled conflicts like Korea and Viet Nam, the longer the Ukraine War drags on, the more comparisons we can make between memories of war and the realities.

The battle is upending global economics, trade, and geopolitical alignment. I would venture more national defense strategic plans are being revised with greater urgency that ever before as non-combatants watch and analyze not computer models, but real-world battlefield outcomes. The smaller adaptations being made by the citizens and militaries involved may have a more lasting effect.

For example, the cities of Ukraine are being demolished by a staggering bombardment level. So much so that experts around the world are debating when this year Russia will deplete its arsenal. There are indications it is already rationing artillery rounds and may consider using 40+ year old ammo. Even with careful storage, explosives that old won’t be popular with gun crews.

For Ukrainian civilians, one workaround that has proven its value in this devastation has been Starlink. As Russian barrages destroy cell towers and blow up landlines, bypassing them with an easy-to-use satellite internet connection is not just an option but a lifeline.

Starlink, about which I have spoken perhaps too often, can leapfrog shattered communications infrastructure using just the small dish and a little electricity. The same device that allows campers to get online can keep villages in rubble on the communication grid reliably. This visible proof could be a serious blow to efforts to bring cable and tower internet to remaining sparsely populated regions of the world, and especially US farm country.

Extending urban infrastructure never made economic sense, and as Ukrainians are showing us, the future outside metropolitan areas appears to be the rapidly growing armada of low earth orbit satellites, and soon more Starlink competitors. Maybe instead of billions for optic cable which will be routinely sliced by backhoes, our government should hand out Starlink vouchers.