Defence`s Feeds

EU Arctic policy has evolved significantly in recent years, culminating in the April 2016 Joint Communication from the European Commission and the HRVP for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The Communication focuses on the environment and climate change, sustainable development, and peaceful international cooperation, with overarching support for scientific research. This coincides with most of the priorities of the EU’s Arctic Member States, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. The Communication does not focus on security issues or on hydrocarbon development. Arctic oil and gas are not the primary keys to EU energy security, but do play a role, and are important for the EU’s two main suppliers, Norway and Russia – sustainable management of these resources is in the EU’s interest. While the region has been a model for cooperation – Arctic collaboration with Russia continues via multiple mechanisms, despite wider tensions. That it will remain so cannot be taken for granted. The EU supports peaceful Arctic cooperation via multiple mechanisms, including the Arctic Council, the Barents-Euro Arctic Council, and via multiple cross-border collaboration platforms. As the EU becomes increasingly engaged in Arctic issues, continued focus on policy coherence, engagement with other Arctic stakeholders, and the priorities of the region’s citizens will be essential.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Australian Hobart Class Destroyer

In this ‘Standpoint’, James Rogers and Luis Simón analyse the potential consequences of the United Kingdom’s referendum to leave the European Union, arguing that the consequences might not be so dramatic as often alleged, particularly if carefully-considered political and strategic thinking is adopted in London and Brussels.

The post Brexit: Europe at a strategic crossroads? appeared first on European Geostrategy.

Defence equipment and platforms are most often deployed in hostile environments where their underlying materials are affected by diverse factors such as humidity, pressure, temperature and radiation. The consequences are fatigue, corrosion, plastic deformation, erosion and other effects which harm the equipment and increase vulnerability in operations. On 15 June 2016, 31 experts from various European Ministries of Defence, Armed Forces, European institutions, industry and academia participated in an EDA seminar to address the effects hostile environments have on materials.

High-level experts on materials and defence technologies gathered to discuss the effects of hostile environments on materials as well as possible solutions to mitigate these effects. In order to understand the importance of these issues, background information was provided on operational problems caused by material degradation and on current research work in this area carried out at EU level. The discussion focused on identifying the main effects suffered by materials used in military systems and platforms, the preventive technologies which could address them and the actions needed to reach the right Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) for the operational use of these technologies. Participants also addressed the challenges and the way ahead in view of raising awareness and sharing data.

The main outcome of the seminar was the identification of promising solutions such as coatings, structural health monitoring, smart materials, additive manufacturing and nanotechnology fabrication methods. However, industry requires understanding of operational military needs, calling for a larger participation of end-users in knowledge-building activities. Also, the specification of environmental properties of materials was viewed as necessary for guiding the production and design of future materials. More cooperation between defence structures, industry and academia, coupled with appropriate financial resources were considered key elements for the advancement of research work in this area.

The seminar was co-organized by the EDA’s CapTech on Materials & Structures, the Ministry of Defence Portugal, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) and the University of Beira Interior (UBI).

 

More information:

• For further information, please contact: CapTech.Materials@eda.europa.eu
• EDA brochure: European Defence Agency Role in Research & Technology - Towards Enhanced European Future Military Capabilities
• EDA Defence Research & Technology conference report available now (news published on 19 May 2016)

 

After each dark night, a bright morning comes, and after each Ramadan, comes Eid al Fitr. As this year’s long, hot month of dawn-till-dusk fasting ends, the AAN team would like to wish a joyful Eid to friends and readers, to all Muslims around the world and particularly to the people of Afghanistan.

په هره تياره پسې رڼا راځي او په هره روژه پسې کوچنی اختر راځي. دا چې د روژې د مياشتې ګرمې او اوږدې ورځي په ختمېدو دي نو د افغانستان د تحلیلګرانو شبکه د نړۍ ټولو مسلمانانو ته او په ځانګړي ډول د افغانستان خلکو ته د راتلونکي کوچنې اختر مبارکي وايي!!

پس از هر شب تاریک، صبح روشن فرا میرسد و صد شکر که در پایان هر ماه مبارک رمضان، عيد سعيد فطر از راه میآید. شبکه تحلیلگران افغانستان، همزمان با به آخر رسیدن روزهای دراز و گرم ماه مبارک رمضان امسال، حلول عيد سعيد فطر را به دوستان و خوانندگان، به همه مسلمانان جهان و به خصوص به مردم افغانستان، تبريک میگويد.

As AAN has reported before, Afghans celebrate the end of the month-long fast and the arrival of Eid al Fitr in many ways. As well as the customary Eid prayers, special food is cooked, friends and family visited, and, for those who can afford it, new clothes are worn. People remember those who have passed away that year. There might be local wrestling competitions, agey jangawal (egg-fighting) or ghursai (one-legged fighting). In Andar district of southern Ghazni province, reports AAN’s Fazal Muzhary, as in many other places, people celebrate Eid with Afghanistan’s national dance, the attan. People go to the district bazaar, gathering to dance or watch the attan. Enthusiastic youths whirl and jump in a wide circle, dancing to two or three drums which start slowly and beat ever faster.

A Russian cargo aircraft carrying military aid from China landed in Kabul military airport on 3 July in a move that reflects Beijing's willingness to deepen its engagement with Afghanistan. Present at the first Chinese delivery of its kind to the Southwest Asian country were Afghanistan's national

Australian shipbuilder Austal on 4 July issued a profit warning for 2016 as the company revealed that preliminary results of the first two Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST) on the USS Jackson had led to a number of modifications to ship design and cost. The initial results of the FSST has meant that

Australian group Civmec is looking to expand its footprint in the Australian defence market by leveraging its acquisition, secured earlier this year, of naval shipbuilder Forgacs. Mike Deeks, the managing director of Forgacs Marine and Defence (a wholly owned subsidiary of Civmec), told IHS Jane's

Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar has outlined a commitment to procure defence equipment from Indian industry despite new rules to allow, under certain conditions, up to 100% foreign investment in the sector. Speaking on 4 July at an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of

Key Points All-carbon launcher base weighs 19 kg Final development expected in 18-24 months Rheinmetall is developing a new lightweight remote-controlled missile launcher designed to equip a range of 4 x 4 and 6 x 6 tactical mobility vehicles with a short-range surface-to-air or

The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) paid a visit to its future homebase of Royal Air Force (RAF) Marham in Norfolk on 1 July, ahead of its appearances at both the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and Farnborough International Airshow later in the month. Speaking

The United Kingdom has returned to the Falkland Islands one of the two Boeing Chinook heavy-lift helicopters that were withdrawn in 2006 for operational service in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) told IHS Jane's on 4 July. Prior to 2006 the United Kingdom had a pair of Chinooks

Nato has successfully completed its Dynamic Mongoose anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise with the support of allied nations off the coast of Norway.

The French Navy’s Le Triomphant nuclear-powered missile submarine (SSBN) has successfully test fired an M51 strategic ballistic missile (SLBM) from the Bay of Audierne, Finistère.

Spanish Alvaro de Bazan Class Frigate

Since the creation of the European Defence Agency in 2004, support to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and to EU operations has been one of EDA's core missions. Several activities are now ongoing to develop the support of CSDP military and civilian operations or missions as well as EU Battlegroups at the request of Member States.

Typically, CSDP operations and missions are deployed on short notice to manage crisis in remote areas. In some cases, shortfalls on assets and equipment arising from the force generation have led to outsourcing some key services. This has been the case for Role 1and Role 2 services for several CSDP missions and operations.

In order to inform decisions of various stakeholders, EDA is conducting the present market survey to better understand the range of commercially available solutions, which could fulfil possible future requirements for Role 1 and/or 2 services and associated risks or limitations.

It has to be highlighted that the objective of this survey is to identify service providers of ‘turnkey’ solutions and not manufacturers of assets or supply providers.

Operators are kindly invited to participate in the survey by submitting their answer by 30 September 2016.

 

More information

• Market survey for Role1 and Role2 services
• EDA Operations Support project page.

Three years ago, we launched the SSR Weekly and it completely exceeded our expectations. We started with a simple goal: to deliver the best news, analysis and publications on security sector reform and security governance in fragile and conflict-affected countries in inboxes around the world to academics, researchers, analysts and practitioners each week.   —

Elements of the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL), which was developed by 13 participating countries under the auspices of the European Defence Agency (EDA), have been deployed away from its headquarters in Soesterberg (The Netherlands) for the first time.

The Laboratory’s light deployable capabilities were used during Exercise Interdict from 6 to 14 June 2016 at the National Training Centre of “San Gregorio” (Zaragoza), Spain.

12 experts from Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada deployed to Zaragoza with the Laboratory. During the exercise many technical functionalities were tested including forensic analysis, triage of improvised explosive devices, command & control, and media, documentary and cell exploitation. In one instance, during a live exercise (LIVEX), JDEAL processed materiel artifacts and traces extracted from 20 different simulated IED events.

The JDEAL’s Spanish Deputy Commander, Major Victor Mariño, stressed the challenge represented by the first deployment of both multinational personnel and laboratory equipment and concluded that the facility had passed its first test.

Since 2014 the JDEAL programme has been developed within the framework of the EDA with The Netherlands as Lead Nation. JDEAL has 13 contributing Member States: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden as well as Norway. The Laboratory will be deployed for a second time this upcoming autumn in Exercise Bison Counter in Sweden.

 

More information:

• JDEAL project page
• JDEAL: ready for deployment (webnews, February 2016)

Want to keep up to date on the SSR field? Once a week, the Centre for Security Governance’s Security Sector Reform Resource Centre project posts pertinent news articles, reports, projects, and event updates on SSR over the past week. Click here to sign-up and have the SSR Weekly News Roundup delivered straight to your inbox every week!  

India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has completed price negotiations with the Indian private-sector company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the supply of 100 modified South Korean K-9 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) for around USD750 million. Industry sources said the tender for the K-9 Vajra