Defence`s Feeds

The US State Department has approved a possible USD860.4 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Spain of five Aegis Weapons Systems (AWS), the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 26 June. Spain has requested equipment including five AWS Mk 7s, five Mk 99 MOD 14 fire control

A UK Royal Air Force (RAF) C-130J-30 has been written off in Iraq after being seriously damaged in a heavy landing during an apparent special forces mission. The previously undisclosed incident took place last August during the height of coalition operations against the so-called Islamic State (IS)

The US Navy (USN) awarded Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding unit a USD200.4 million undefinitised fixed-price, incentive firm target modification on 28 June for the purchase of additional long-lead time material for Ford-class aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80). Work

Hollywood Has Been Rife with Top Gun Rumors. Here Are the Most Recent Ones. Three actors have been tipped by Hollywood insiders as top choices to play the son of LTJG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw in the upcoming “Top Gun: Maverick” slated for release in July, 2019. Entertainment industry news outlet CinemaBlend.com writer Nick Evans, reported […]

U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C “Triton” belonging to the Unmanned Patrol Squadron One Nine (VUP-19) DET Point Mugu conducted first flight from Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu. On Jun. 27, VUP-19 DET Point Mugu launched its first MQ-4C “Triton” UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) from Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) Point Mugu. Based on the photographs […]

The EDA Steering Board in Capability Directors formation today endorsed the 2018 Capability Development Plan and approved the associated EU Capability Development Priorities as a key reference for Member States’ and EU’s capability development initiatives. The Plan and its Priorities will be instrumental in identifying future cooperative activities irrespective of the chosen cooperation framework, including under PESCO and the European Defence Fund (EDF).

“Since 2016, the European defence project has picked up speed. Based on the 2016 EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, several initiatives have been launched to reinforce defence cooperation: the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), and the European Defence Fund (EDF). Today’s adopted EU Capability Development Priorities serve as their benchmark to ensure that their combined outcome will be a more coherent set of deployable, interoperable, sustainable capabilities and forces”, says Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA).

The Capability Development Plan (CDP) provides a full capability picture that supports decision-making processes at EU and national level regarding military capability development, thus contributing to increased coherence between Member States’ defence planning. It addresses security and defence challenges from the perspective of European capability development, looks at the future operational environment and defines EU Capability Development Priorities agreed by Member States.

The revised 2018 CDP has been developed in the framework of the European Defence Agency (EDA) in close cooperation with Member States and reflects key contributions from the EU Military Committee and the EU Military Staff.

The CDP is a shared EU reference informing national capability planners on capability requirements over time. Member States’ defence planners are encouraged to use it to identify priorities for capability improvement and opportunities for cooperation.

 

A more output oriented CDP

One of the novelties of the 2018 CDP is that it considers evolutions in the wider European security and defence environment taking into account the necessity to counter hybrid threats and the adaptation to the new EU Level of Ambition agreed by Member States. The 2018 Plan also looks at the entire spectrum of capability development and underpins the identification of cooperative activities that can be implemented by Member States in the cooperation framework of their choice.

The 2018 CDP is output oriented and this will be further reinforced by the development of Strategic Context Cases as of the second half of 2018, with a view to support Member States in the implementation of the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities.

Subsequently the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) will help operationalising the CDP by reviewing Member States’ implementation of the 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities and by identifying additional opportunities for cooperation.

Finally, the coherence between capability, R&T and industrial domains will be reinforced by the interaction between the CDP, the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda, Key Strategic Activities and the engagement with industry.

 

The CDP Process

The CDP includes a capability shortfalls analysis from the CSDP perspective, as well as lessons learned from recent operations provided by the EU Military Committee. The mid-term dimension assesses the potential for cooperation for each capability. The CDP finally offers an assessment of future trends (2035 and beyond) and needs for each capability by linking long-term technology trends to future capability requirements and related R&T needs as well as industrial perspectives.

 

EU Capability Development Priorities

Based on the identified trends, information gathered from Member States, the EU Military Committee and the EU Military Staff, a set of EU Capability Development Priorities were proposed by EDA and agreed by Member States. On the one hand, they address main capability shortfalls for deployed operations (land, maritime and air capabilities as well as logistic and medical support) with a reinforced focus on high-end warfare. On the other hand, they also cover other national focus areas, such as the adaptation of military capabilities required for territorial defence and security or cyber defence.

The 2018 EU Capability Development Priorities cover the following lines of action:

• Enabling capabilities for cyber responsive operations
• Space-based information and communication services
• Information superiority
• Ground combat capabilities
• Enhanced logistic and medical supporting capabilities
• Naval manoeuvrability
• Underwater control contributing to resilience at sea
• Air superiority
• Air mobility
• Integration of military air capabilities in a changing aviation sector
• Cross-domain capabilities contributing to achieve EU’s level of ambition

After today’s approval, EDA will start the preparatory work for the implementation of the 2018 Priorities, including through the elaboration of Strategic Context Cases. The Agency will also conduct bilateral training sessions with Member States in support of national defence planners as well as with the EU Military Staff, the European External Action Service and other stakeholders upon their request.

 

More information:

• Capability Development Plan Factsheet
• CDP capability trends 2035+

Today, six Member States (Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany and Latvia) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the pooling and sharing of their respective cyber ranges capabilities.  The signing, which took place at the EDA premises, is a first important outcome of EDA’s Cyber Ranges Federation Project launched in May 2017 in which a total of 11 EDA Member States participate. 

Cyber Ranges are key national facilities to develop and evaluate cyber defence capabilities and this MoU opens the way for the six MoU signatories to make their cyber ranges available for shared development activities and joint exercises by using the pooling and sharing arrangements developed through the EDA project. By doing so, the six countries not only bring into the Cyber Ranges Federation Project their cyber ranges assets but also their expertise and best practices in terms of cyber defence exercises and training. The MoU is therefore an important stepping stone on the path to enabling an effective sharing of cyber defence capabilities across the EU, and in line with the objectives of the EU’s Cyber Defence Policy Framework.

The MoU was signed by the Capability Directors of the six countries concerned:  Lt Gen Johann Luif (Austria), Maj Gen Philippe Boucke (Belgium), Ms. Tiina Uudeberg (Estonia), Lt. General Kim Jäämeri (Finland), Maj. Gen. Gerald Funke (Germany) and   Mr. Airis Rikveilis (Latvia). The ceremony was also attended by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq.
 

More information: 

• Cyber Ranges: EDA’s First Ever Cyber Defence Pooling & Sharing Project Launched By 11 Member States (EDA News, May 2017)
• Cyber Defence (EDA project page)
• Cyber Defence Factsheet

 

On 12 September 2018, the European Defence Agency (EDA) will organise the first ever Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) Conference in Europe. 

The conference will bring together key decision-makers from the EU and NATO as well as the wider transatlantic and international AAR community, including industry, to discuss current and future challenges and coordinate efforts in this important domain. The global dimension of the solutions at hand to resolve remaining shortfalls and the role of industry will also be debated.

Scheduled speakers include, among many others, the Defence Minister of Belgium, Steven Vandeput, the Chairman of the Aerial Refuelling Systems Advisory Group (ARSAG), General John Sams, a representative from NATO's Defence Investment Divison and the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Jorge Domecq.  

The conference is an INVITE ONLY event. Invitees are being contacted by EDA and asked to register on a specific conference portal. 

 
More information

• EDA to organize 1st AAR Conference in Europe (EDA events page)
• AAR EDA project page
• AAR EDA factsheet

Key Points The USAF is considering ending the LAE after a fatal crash This could draw out a potential procurement of light attack aircraft The US Air Force (USAF) is considering ending its Light Attack Experiment (LAE) in New Mexico after a fatal crash on 22 June, according to a key officer.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and its 27 national defence ministries agreed on a revised set of Capability Development Plan (CDP) priorities for the EU on 28 June, with new emphasis on counter-hybrid, ground combat and underwater “resilience at sea” capabilities. In contrast to

Implementation of Russia’s Gosoboronzakaz (State Defence Order, GOZ) reached 97.5% in 2017, newly appointed Vice Premier Yuri Borisov has said. The armed forces reached a readiness level of 95%, Borisov said at a teleconference on 22 June, adding, “As of 1 January, modern

The US Department of State has approved a possible USD185 million Foreign Military Sale to Australia of equipment associated with the integration of the CEAFAR 2 phased-array radar system with the Aegis Combat System, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a 26 June statement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has told US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis that Beijing will not give up “any inch of territory”, adding that the Pacific Ocean “is vast enough to accommodate China and the United States, as well as other countries”, according to the Xinhua news

The cyber domain had a significant presence at the 2018 Eurosatory exhibition in Paris, highlighting its rapid growth as an industry focus over the past few years. There were 75 exhibitors at the event with activities in the sector, according to the show’s organisers, while 15% of official

Russia’s Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate Admiral Essen has completed its mission in the Mediterranean and is returning to Sevastopol, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 28 June. Admiral Grigorovich returned to Sevastopol in early June, making two Buyan-M corvettes the only

Key Points Despite relying on KSCM support, the coalition will maintain fiscally prudent and pro-Western policy. Instead of deviating from its preferred policy approach, ANO would probably opt for an early election in which its parliamentary presence would increase. Government stability and

General Dynamics Land Systems Canada (GDLS-C) unveiled two new variants of its light armoured vehicle (LAV) 6.0 family during CANSEC 2018 in Ottowa from 30–31 May. The company also spoke about its LAV 6.0 Air Defence concept, and the LAV 700 currently in production for an export customer. The

Key Points The economically driven protests show increasing organisation, intensity, and disruptiveness. They are also creating the political space for increasing anti-government protests, particularly criticising Iran’s regional policies, especially intervention in Syria. At least some

American Caterpillar 120M Motor Grader

U.S. Air Forces Central Command has just released some photographs from an “undisclosed location”: geolocation proves they are the first from a recently-built airbase in northern Syria. CENTCOM has just published some interesting photographs of U.S. assets supporting Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. In particular, the images depict U.S. Air Force C-17 […]