EDA News

On 28 November Lithuania joined the EU SatCom Market becoming the 20th member of this EDA initiative launched in 2009 to provide flexible commercial satellite communication solutions for contributing members. Recently, the project has benefitted from an increased interest, with eight new members joining in the course of 2016.

Commercial satellite communications are used by all nations to provide extra capacity on top of their own military and governmental satellite communications. The EU SatCom Market project provides a flexible and cost-effective way of doing this because it offers its members a pay-per-use solution without imposing any binding financial commitments beyond services ordered. 

Within the EU SatCom Market project, the EDA acts as the central purchasing body on behalf of the contributing members. In January this year EDA signed a framework contract with Airbus Defence and Space. Over the last year more than 20 orders have been passed adding up to a total of 57 to date, with a total value €7.5 million. 

The current 20 contributing members are: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Portugal, Romania, the United Kingdom, Serbia, the Athena Mechanism and the civilian missions EUCAP SAHEL Niger, EUCAP SAHEL Mali, EUAM Ukraine, EUCAP NESTOR and EUMM Georgia.

 

More information:

• EU SatCom Market project page
• EU SatCom Market factsheet
• Serbia joins SatCom Market (EDA news March 2016)
• EDA and CSDP civilian missions develop cooperation (EDA news June 2016)

The Executive Directors of four key European agencies dealing with security and defence - the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), the EU institutions’ permanent Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-EU) and the European Defence Agency (EDA) - met today (23 November) at the EDA premises to identify and discuss cooperative opportunities in the field of cyber security and defence.

In his opening remarks, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq recalled that the 2014 EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework, adopted by the Foreign Affairs Council in November 2014, explicitly encouraged the four agencies to enhance their cooperation in a number of areas, for instance to develop common cyber security and defence competence profiles based on international best practices and certification used by EU Institutions, to work on public sector cyber security and defence organisational and technical standards for use in the defence and security sector and to develop a working mechanism to exchange best practice on exercises, training and other areas of possible civilian-military synergy.

“In the spirit of the EU Global Strategy and its implementation plan on security and defence, EU entities need to think cross-sectoral. We need to joint forces where appropriate in order to anticipate the security challenges and adapt to Member States’ expectations. And nowhere does this better apply than in the Cyber domain”, Mr Domecq stated.

 

Task force

The aim of the meeting was not yet to agree on a list of concrete projects to work on but to brainstorm and discuss possible options for future cooperation.

A joint task force was set up to further discuss first initial ideas exchanged at today’s meeting; it will report back by spring 2017 with an in-depth assessment and concrete recommendations for cooperation projects.

The next Executive Directors’ meeting of the four agencies is scheduled for May or June 2017.

 

More information:

• EDA supports Operation Sophia with Cyber Awareness Seminars (webnews November 2016)
• Cyber Defence (EDA project page)
• Cyber defence factsheet

Last week (8-11 November), and for the second time since December 2015, the European Defence Agency (EDA) provided cyber awareness training to more than 100 staff from EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA at the mission’s Operations Headquarters (OHQ) in Rome, Italy.

The seminars covered important aspects such as mission-specific cyber threats, the legal framework applicable to cyberspace, common vocabulary and best practices when using communications and information systems. They also served to inform participants about the development and establishment of EU cyber defence capabilities for CSDP military operations and missions.

The seminars also allowed the command team of OHQ Rome and the EDA to exchange views on the next steps to be taken to enhance the cyber defence capabilities for EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia and other EU-led military operations.

The seminars were conducted with the support of the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) in Tallinn and from SYMANTEC Corporation.
The EDA started organizing Cyber Awareness Seminars in 2014 in support of EUFOR RCA as a valuable contribution to raising cyber awareness for all the personnel of activated Headquarters (HQ) for EU-led military operations.

 

Background

The EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework, as adopted by the Council on 18 November 2014, states that “Cyberspace is often described as the fifth domain of military activity, equally critical to European Union (EU) Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) implementation as the domains of land, sea, air, and space. The successful implementation of CSDP has been increasingly dependent on the availability of, and access to, a secure cyberspace. Robust and resilient cyber defence capabilities are now required to support CSDP structures and CSDP missions and operations”. The Policy Framework puts strong emphasis on cyber education and training.

 

EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia

EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia is only one element of a broader EU comprehensive response to the migration issue, which seeks to address not only its physical component, but also its root causes such as conflict, poverty, climate change and persecution.

The mission core mandate is to undertake systematic efforts to identify, capture and dispose of vessels and enabling assets used or suspected of being used by migrant smugglers or traffickers, in order to contribute to wider EU efforts to disrupt the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean and prevent the further loss of life at sea.

Since 7 October 2015, the operation has moved to phase 2 International Waters, which entails boarding, search, seizure and diversion, on the high seas, of vessels suspected of being used for human smuggling or trafficking.

Last June , Operation Sophia’s mandate was extended until 27 July 2017 and also reinforced by adding two supporting tasks:

• training of the Libyan coastguards and navy;
• contributing to the implementation of the UN arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya.

On 30 August and 6 September 2016, the Political and Security Committee (PSC) authorized the launch of the capacity building and training task, and the start of the mission’s role contributing to the implementation of the UN arms embargo respectively.

 

More information:

• Support to operations (EDA factsheet)
• EDA provides cyber defence support to operation EUFOR RCA (webnews September 2014)
• EEAS website on EUNAVFOR MED      

Following the agreement between EUROCONTROL and the European Defence Agency (EDA) signed in 2013, both organisations have started a close cooperation on the SESAR programme. In compliance with the initial agreement, the cooperative work has been updated by the two organisations for the years 2017-2018 in order to accommodate the tasks as defined in the SESAR 2020 programme.

The work programme makes EUROCONTROL’s expertise in civil-military ATM coordination available to EDA to facilitate EDA’s role regarding the coordination of military views in the context of the Single European Sky (SES) and its interface towards the EU institutions.

During the implementation of the previous joint work programme, the EDA-EUROCONTROL cooperation successfully contributed to the provision of harmonised military inputs to the 2015 ATM Master Plan update campaign, supported Member States bidding for EU co-financing in INEA calls and provided technical impact analysis on the SESAR deployment programme and EASA regulatory material under development.

“The needs of military aviation often go beyond the scope of civil aviation,” said Frank Brenner, Director General of EUROCONTROL. “To work effectively, European airspace management must address both military and civil airspace user needs with coordinated processes and consultation between civilian and military stakeholders. EUROCONTROL and EDA are working together to contribute to this process”.

“To preserve military access to all airspace, it remains essential that we develop harmonised low-cost interoperable SESAR solutions, including standardisation and certification processes, and that we provide common mitigation actions”, said Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency. “Moreover the deployment phase of SESAR offers an opportunity for the military, to avail itself of funding to enhance their ATM technology, when appropriate. This has already been the case for INEA Call 2015, whereby 14 military projects submitted through EDA have been awarded funds adding up to a total of €53.5 million, which is roughly 10.5% of total funds awarded.”

EUROCONTROL and EDA have been working closely together since 2008 to ensure improved coordination and cooperation between civil and military air traffic, moving towards a Single European Sky for both military and civil air transport.

 

For further information, please contact:

Kyla Evans
Head of Corporate Communications
EUROCONTROL
Tel: +32 2 729 51 51
press@eurocontrol.int
www.eurocontrol.int

Eric Platteau
Head of Media & Communications
European Defence Agency
Tel: +32 2 504 28 23
eric.platteau@eda.europa.eu
www.eda.europa.eu

A delegation from the SEDE Subcommittee of the European Parliament, led by Subcommittee Chair Anna Elżbieta Fotyga MEP, held discussions with EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq on defence-related research and the EDA’s role in the implementation of the EU Global Strategy.

Welcoming the MEPs to the EDA, Chief Executive Jorge Domecq expressed his appreciation for the SEDE Subcommittee’s support to the EDA and especially “with regard to the Pilot Project and Preparatory Action for defence-related R&T”. During the meeting Mr. Domecq and the SEDE members discussed current developments in relation to the Security & Defence Implementation Plan of the EU Global Strategy, progress on defence-related research, and on-going EDA activities and projects. 

Ms Anna Elżbieta Fotyga, Chair of the SEDE Subcommittee on Security and Defence, commented; “I think I speak for all our members when I say that we are impressed with the work the EDA has done on the development of the EU Member State's security and defence capabilities. This is particularly important in a time of challenges for global security."

In working to enhance the relationship between the EDA and the SEDE subcommittee, Mr. Domecq said; “I believe that regular EDA participation at the SEDE meetings, as well as visits of Members of the SEDE Subcommittee to EDA, will improve transparency and information-exchange on EDA activities, at a time when European Parliament support in defence matters is key.” 

Members of the SEDE subcommittee also received presentations on some of the Agency’s capability projects and programmes, such as the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL) and the Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Fleet (MMF).
 

More information:

• European Parliament Subcommittee for Security and Defence website

Exercise BLACK BLADE is hosted by Belgium at Florennes airbase and takes place from the 14th of November to the 2nd of December. Over 400 personnel will take part in this exercise, with a total of 14 air assets from 4 Member States being deployed. This edition marks the 10th helicopter exercise under the umbrella of the EDA Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP).

The European Defence Agency is working to provide Member States with a framework to develop, consolidate and share best practices in order to meet the challenges of flying helicopters in a modern operational environment. In consultation with Member States (MS), several factors were identified which were thought to contribute to the non-employability of helicopters; a lack of training for the crews, a lack of technical equipment for the aircraft, and the challenges of logistic support to deployed operations.

The EDA is helping participating MS address these issues with the training element being the main focus. Exercises such as BLACK BLADE are fundamental to the EU capability development process.
 

Exercise BLACK BLADE

BLACK BLADE marks the 10th helicopter exercise under the umbrella of the Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP). BLACK BLADE is a Special Operations Forces oriented helicopter exercise, focusing on enhancing interoperability at a tactical level in a realistic and challenging environment. Over 400 personnel will take part in this exercise programme. A total of 14 air assets from 4 Member States (13 helicopters from Belgium, Slovenia and Austria and one Falcon aircraft from the UK) will be used.

BLACK BLADE will deliver tactical training, over a three week period, offering participants a unique opportunity to plan and execute missions within a joint combined framework. The seamless coordination and integration of the Belgium Special Operations Ground Forces into individual scenarios for the benefit of training will be one of the specific focuses of the exercise.

Commenting at the start of exercise BLACK BLADE, EDA Chief Executive, Jorge Domecq pointed to the significance of this edition: 

“The 10th edition of the Helicopter Training Exercise Programme, comes at a moment when European defence is high on the political agenda. The 10th edition is a milestone for this programme, the EDA and the Member States involved. Exercise BLACK BLADE is European defence cooperation in action. It represents a dynamic and tangible example of what cooperation among the Member States can achieve. It also highlights the importance of joint training as a prerequisite to enhance interoperability and a key enabler to ensure readiness to deploy. A positive step forward for European defence”.

The ultimate goal for BLACK BLADE is to develop and improve immediate output through pooling and sharing, enhance training skills among European countries for flying in different environments, and to train for future European crisis management operations.BLACK BLADE is a real-world example of what can be achieved through European defence cooperation and highlights that at very low cost, immediate operational output can be realised.
 

New milestone for the EDA

The HEP is one of the EDA’s helicopter training projects and programmes. By enhancing the operating skills of helicopter crews across Europe, the HEP plays a part in increasing the deployable helicopter capability for contingency operations. The exercises focus on individual, environmental and multinational training, increasing interoperability through practical experiences, sharing operational experience and developing common tactics, techniques and procedures. HEP is a ten-year programme, a concrete indication that training together is an integral part of enhancing European capability and interoperability.
 

EDA Helicopter Training In Numbers

Between 2009 and 2016 : 206 helicopters, 1320 aircrew members and almost 13000 infantry from 19 Member States have deployed to the exercises which were held in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium.
 

Future Events

A Distinguished Visitors Day (DVD) will be held on November 30th , which the Head of the EDA, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini will attend.
 

More information:

• Helicopter Initiatives (EDA project page)

At the EDA ministerial Steering Board which met this Tuesday morning (15 November) under the chairmanship of HR/VP Federica Mogherini in her capacity as Head of the Agency, Defence Ministers tasked EDA to review the Capability Development Plan (CDP), approved the 2017 general budget and agreed to set up a working group to study the potential creation of a Cooperative Financial Mechanism.

Ministers agreed to the review of the Capability Development Plan (CDP), to improve the capability development process by taking into account R&T and industrial aspects, and tasked the EDA to present a new set of EU priorities for military capability development for Steering Board adoption by spring 2018.

The CDP review is a key element of the new EU Global Strategy (EUGS) which states that, in order to match the level of ambition set out in the strategy, Member States will need high-end military capabilities, i.e. full-spectrum land, air, space and maritime capabilities, including strategic enablers. The CDP serves as a reference for national capability planning by informing Member States about capability requirements over time, identifying areas for capability improvements and translating capability priorities into concrete collaborative programmes.

 

EDA 2017 budget: first increase since 2010

Ministers approved EDA’s general budget for 2017: €31 million compared to €30.5 million in 2016.

 

Cooperative Financial Mechanism (CFM)

Ministers were presented with EDA proposals for the potential establishment of a ‘Cooperative Financial Mechanism’ (CFM) the objective of which would be to overcome the lack of budgetary synchronisation between Member States and the problems that this causes for the launch of cooperative defence cooperation projects.

They agreed to set up a working group within EDA in view of submitting a legal and financial package and associated recommendations in spring 2017.

Experience has shown that one of the key factors that block or hinder cooperation is budget asymmetry or lack of synchronisation of budget availability. A potential Cooperative Financial Mechanism could alleviate this challenge by supporting the launch of projects (R&T, capability development). It would potentially incentivise cooperation by tackling the problem of absence of budgetary synchronisation, but also increasing the availability of common resources/ring-fencing budgets allocated to cooperation.

The CFM will have to respect the budgetary specialty principle as expressed in the national budgetary laws and ensure that Member States keep full control of their resources and on the use of the mechanism. These aspects will be dealt with in the EDA working group.

 

Implementation of EDA key taskings

Ministers welcomed the progress made on the implementation of the Agency’s ‘key taskings’ in the various capability programmes and the work carried out in relation to the Preparatory Action, and were briefed on the planned next steps, notably in the context of the taskings that emerge from the Council conclusions adopted yesterday (14 November) on implementing the EUGS in the area of Security and Defence.

The EDA was invited to develop a structured dialogue with industry, including not only prime companies but also national defence industry associations (NDIAs) and SMEs from Member States, in support of Key Strategic Activities (KSA) the first five test cases for which have also been welcomed.

More information:

• Council conclusions on implementing the EU global strategy in the area of security and defence (adopted on 14 November 2016)

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) capabilities, the European Defence Agency (EDA) will shortly share a new C-IED tool with its participating Member States.

Under the umbrella of the existing Framework Cooperation Agreement with the C-IED Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Madrid/Spain, a new ‘Counter-IEDs analyst Interagency Unclassified Situational Awareness Tool’ (C-IUSAT) will soon enter into service in order to promote information sharing between C-IED operators. The application is expected to be released in December 2016.

The tool will help users to gain a better situational understanding by projecting, with several degrees of probability, the next actions that the enemy or other threat elements are likely to carry out. Thereby, further exchanges of information between military and other involved agents such as host nations, Law Enforcement, governments, NGOs, private companies, etc. can be ensured.

C-IUSAT will be a common information exchange tool, with restricted access, available to different services/agencies and private organizations. It will help them to collect information, show it on maps and generate models which can subsequently identify expected paths or ways of action.

C-IUSAT will be a web based tool, accessible by PC or mobile phone. It stores its own map data which can be used to generate different data layers for various events/activities/sources thereby enhancing situational awareness.

A meeting will be organized at the EDA in early 2017 to proceed with a live demonstration of the tool’s main features.

 

More information:

• Counter-IED (EDA project page)
• “C-IED proficiency needs to be improved and shared”, says Jorge DOMECQ (EDA webnews, October 2016)
• First C-IED workshop successfully completed (EDA webnews, June 2016)

 

The European Defence Agency’s 7th Helicopter Tactics Symposium, organised under EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), was held in Athens/Greece from 7-9 November. As in previous years, the symposium offered a unique opportunity for European helicopter crews to discuss and share experience in helicopter techniques, tactics and procedures.

The symposium was opened by Brigadier General Iliopoulos (Hellenic Army Aviation Directorate) in the Greek Officers’ Mess in Athens. Over 40 helicopter tactics instructors and experts from 14 countries, with representatives of the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC), of the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC) and of the Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC) gathered for this annual Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) event to analyse lessons learned and best practices identified in recent exercises, and to learn about new training opportunities offered by the contributing Member States of the HEP.

Briefings and discussions covered the tactical lessons learned from Dutch helicopter operations in Mali, the Czech Special Operations Aviation Task Unit (SOATU) training, the mentoring of Afghan aircrew by Hungary, the Belgium Mission Planning Process and the environmental training in extreme conditions experienced during exercise Cold Blade 2016 in Ivalo, Finland. In addition, host nation Greece presented its approach to Helicopter Aviation training, fire-fighting and MEDEVAC missions with their CH-47D Chinook helicopters.

The presentations were followed by panel discussions for both attack and support helicopter operators; they brought a useful insight into the latest developments in night vision goggles training, Electronic Warfare, landing zone tactics, use of sensors and technologies applied in Degraded Visual Environments, currency and proficiency challenges and helicopter self-defence aids used by the Member States. The discussions triggered new proposals for updating the HEP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) - the capstone tactics manual for multinational helicopter operations.

The academic sessions were followed by operational and planning discussions with a view to updating the HEP SOP, the HEP, HTC and the HTIC programmes as well as the NATO ATP-49. The aims and objectives of the upcoming HEP exercises were presented in detail, including Black Blade 2016 in Belgium (with a focus on helicopters and Special Operations Forces exercise) and Fire Blade 2017 in Hungary (helicopter live-firing and urban operations).

The next HEP event, Exercise BLACK BLADE 2016, starts today (14 November) at Florennes Airbase in Belgium and will last until 2 December.

 

More information:

• 4th EDA Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC) successfully concluded (EDA news, October 2016)
• Helicopter Initiatives (EDA project page)

 

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq closed today's Annual Conference 2016 with a call for "cooperation to generate innovation".

In his final remarks wrapping up a "very insightful and constructive conference", Mr Domecq thanked all the speakers for their interesting contributions: Federica Mogherini, Head of the Agency, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner Bieńkowska, Slovak State Secretary Ondrejcsák and Mr. De Spiegeleire. He also expressed gratitude to the members of two panels "who brought their insights, expertise and assessments to the table today".
 

Main takeaways

Mr Domceq singled out a number of takeaways from this year's EDA conference, in particular:

• in our increasingly challenging security environment, innovation in research, planning and funding is paramount; therefore, safeguarding leadership in strategic technologies is more pressing than ever. Especially fields like biotechnology, nanotechnology and deep intelligence will have a profound impact on Europe’s ability to develop strategic assets
• at the same time, new technologies and new innovation will require a new mind set: to seek out and import commercial sector innovations and quickly develop new concepts of operation; to tap into innovation in the private sector and channel it into defence; and also to achieve cross-border competition which is speciually important to SME's and start-ups in Member States which do not have prime defence companies
• we have to find a balance between not suffocating SME's and start-ups and taping their knowledge for defence and, on the other hand, provide our governments with assurances that these new players will respect the specificities of the defence and security world
• European collaboration generates innovation and "remains the best guarantee for achieving value for money and developing cutting-edge defence capabilities". "Cooperation is voluntary but it is a need" 
• the main challenges arising from a third industrial revolution are to integrate future innovations into development and production cycles, gain awareness of emerging leap-ahead technologies, access non-traditional sources of innovation, and ensure the reliability of trusted supply chains
• innovation does not come for free: the massive decline in budgetary terms of our defence R&T efforts is a matter of the highest concern because capabilities of the future are at stake here and the competitiveness of our defence industry is at risk. Therefore, fresh funding and the reinforcement of our R&T and innovation efforts will be key to structure European cooperation
• to reap the benefits, and not just adapt, to a third industrial revolution, Member States should make systematic use of the programmatic, financial and policy instruments offered by the EU which can support defence research, identify key enabling technologies and support testing and experimentation in view of potential uptake in defence products
• the EDA is looking to get ahead by also working “up-stream”, notably by facilitating Member States’ convergence on identifying and prioritising research topics
• without a strong incentive, the current momentum may tail off. We must incentivise the right actions and the right programmes
• cooperation in defence is still not part of Europe’s DNA. Yet, it remains the most efficient and cost effective way to ensure Europe’s strategic autonomy
• strategic autonomy and a committment to a strong relationship with our partners are two sides of the same coin; otherwise, the technological gap will create a political gap 
• as a hub for innovation, collaboration and action, EDA will continue to engage with industry and R&T innovators as valuable partners in providing technology and solutions which address the needs of Member States.

 
EDA : "At the service of Member States"

Mr Domecq concluded the Annual Conference 2016 by recalling "EDA's mantra: at the service of its Member States". However, "the Agency's output depends entirely on Member States input. So, view this agency as a crucial and natural partner. Use our resources and expertise".
 

More information

• Federica Mogherini opens EDA Annual Conference 2016 / speech / video
• Listening to the supply & demand sides: EDA Annual Conference panels deliver interesting insights
• Slovak EU Presidency at EDA Annual Conference: "Common solutions are needed on defence"
• Commissioner Bieńkowska outlines upcoming European Defence Action Plan at EDA Annual Conference

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, today delivered an interesting 'outlook speech' at the European Defence Agency's (EDA) Annual Conference 2016 in which she described the main pillars of the Commission's upcoming European Defence Action Plan (EDAP). 

"There is a clear political momentum to move towards more defence integration and we have to seize it", the Commissioner said.

The objective of the Commission's EDAP which will be presented on 30 November is to provide support to the whole supply chain of European defence. Mrs Bieńkowska briefly outlined the main pillars of the EDAP: supporting defence research with the launch of the Preparatory Action on defence research in 2017; unlocking EU tools to invest into the whole European defence supply chain (especially SME's); working towards a possible European Defence Fund; improving the functioning of the Single Market for defence. 

The actions taken by us do not undermine Member States' national sovereignty nor the cooperation with NATO, the Commissioner stressed.

Mrs Bieńkowska welcomed the good cooperation between the Commission and the EDA.
 

More information

• Federica Mogherini opens EDA Annual Conference 2016 / speech / video
• Listening to the supply & demand sides: EDA Annual Conference panels deliver interesting insights
• Slovak EU Presidency at EDA Annual Conference: "Common solutions are needed on defence"
• EDA Annual Conference 2016 closes with call for cooperation on defence innovation

Speaking today at the EDA Annual Conference 2016 on behalf of the Slovak EU Presidency, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Dr. Róbert Ondrejcsák called for “common solutions” on European defence.

In his keynote speech, Dr. Ondrejcsák praised the publication of the new EU Global Strategy as “the strongest impetus the CSDP received in terms of strategy since 2003” and recalled the implementation work launched since then, notably the High Level Conference on EUGS Implementation organised by the Slovak Presidency and also attended by High Representative Mogherini. “The debate since then shows how diverse positions of the EU Member States are in defence domain”, he said.
 

“Important to find common solutions on defence”

Dr. Ondrejcsák stated: “Consensus is well reached on the main principles of the level of ambition, such as responding to external conflicts and crises, building the capacities of fragile partners and protecting the Union and its Member states, but when it comes to details, the unanimity is far more difficult, or impossible to reach. Despite the common goal, we still diversify in visions and plans concerning defence cooperation, financing CSDP missions and operations, EU Battle Groups and form of support of our partner countries. Slovakia is not an exception, of course. But it is important that at the end of the day we find common solutions, agreeable to every Member State”.
 

Active role for the EDA

The work of the European Commission is seen by the EU Presidency as “of great importance for the current CSDP context”. In this respect, the upcoming European Defence Action Plan, as part of the wider package, “also creates a space for an active role for the European Defence Agency”, Dr. Ondrejcsák said.

He continued: “We support fostering European defence industry and defence research creating a basis for modern capabilities to maintain security and defence needs of the EU. The initiative with its funding instruments should be open to all beneficiaries with a close focus on small and medium enterprises. We also welcome special attention the European Defence Agency pays to defence industry in Central and Eastern Europe. I am referring to an extensive analysis about measures to enhance balanced defence Industry in Europe, which identifies obstacles and proposes solutions for defence cooperation among central and eastern European countries. The Agency regularly offers room for national armaments directors from the Visegrad 4 countries to seek possibilities for collaborative projects”.
 

European Defence and Technological and Industrial Base

“In times of increasingly fast-changing environment of creating new technologies and the continued need for innovation and the creation of new business models, the European defence sector needs to cope with these changes to remain an important part of the global defence market and remain relevant”, the State Secretary said. “This means preparing for an age of relative uncertainty that can be highly diversified, hybrid and flexible and can well require from the defence sector to adapt quickly to changing innovation patterns, new mind-sets and corporate cultures. In this strategic context, an innovative and competitive European industry is a strategic asset to support EU Global Strategy implementation and be at the centre of development of defence-related capabilities, skills and industrial manufacturing capabilities”.

He added: “At present, we are still situated in an environment of significant economic restrictions in the defence sector. Member States' budgets cuts, increasing prices of defence products and new players on the global military equipment and technology market impact the European defence industry. Therefore, it is necessary to change the approach. If not, the EU and its Member States will face reduced military effectiveness and the defence sector declined military business opportunities. If we use funds more efficiently, combine our efforts and share common capabilities, we can achieve the high effect for less money spent”.
 

Defence R&T

Another risk Europe faces is the lack of Research and Development (R&D) funding, lack of innovation and procurement of new military equipment and defence systems. “In reality it means that Europe and its Member States will no longer be able to afford sophisticated modern military capabilities that would necessarily need to fulfil the tasks determined. It creates a risk for the European defence industry, which will face an increasing competition from companies producing military equipment in the third countries”.

“Pooling requirements and achieving significant savings from economies of scale would enable Member States to acquire the necessary military capabilities that would otherwise could not afford individually. Some activities can be done also on bilateral basis, such as common maintenance, training, exercises and joint research and development. The creation of a common European market for defence would strengthen the European defence industry and would also help Member States to develop military capabilities they need to fully perform its tasks in accordance with the CSDP”, he stated.
 

More information

• Federica Mogherini opens EDA Annual Conference 2016 / speech / video
• Listening to the supply & demand sides: EDA Annual Conference panels deliver interesting insights
• Commissioner Bieńkowska outlines upcoming European Defence Action Plan at EDA Annual Conference
• EDA Annual Conference 2016 closes with call for cooperation on defence innovation

After HR/VP Federica Mogherini's capturing opening speech and an inspiring presentation by Stephan De Spiegeleire of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies on innovation and research as part of a wider vision for a future European defence, the attendees of the EDA Annual Conference 2016 witnessed two lively and interactive panel debates moderated by Graham Muir (Head of EDA's Strategy & Policy Unit) on the opportunities and challenges from the supply and demand sides.

 

Panel 1: Supply side

High-level panelists in this first roundtable were Lowri Evans (Director General DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SME's at the European Commission), Heikki Allonen (former CEO and President of Patria Oyj, the Finnish national defence induystry group), Dr. Kurt Braatz (Senior Vice President at Krauss-Maffei Wegman), Pedro Sinogas (CEO of Tekever) as well as Prof. Witold Holubowicz (CEO of research/consulting company Itti Ltd.).

The panel raised and discussed a number of crucial questions related to the future of the European defence industry, such as 'Are Europe's defence industrial models suited for the future?', 'How best to bring innovation closer to defence?', 'Is enough being done to capitalise on civil and military synergies?' and 'What measures can the European Commission bring to support innovation in defence?'.

A particular emphasis was put on how the role of SMEs and Start-Ups in the defence supply chain could best be maximised and how their full potential as a source of innovation and a key enabler for competitiveness can be realized. In this respect, the need was stressed to promote SME's access to defence research pogrammes and to encourage their greater involvement in EU funding programmes.

 

Panel 2: Demand side

The second panel debate in the afternoon saw high-profile representatives from national governments and EU institutions sharing their views on implications for the defence sector at large: whole-of-government policies in support of strategic innovation, emerging risks and vulnerabilities in terms of technology control, interface with industry, impact on acquisition choices and life-cycle management.

The four high-level panelists were: Rear Admiral Matteo Bisceglia (Director for Naval Armaments, Italy), Ioan Mircea Paşcu (Vice-President of the European Parliament and former Defence minister of Romania),Vice Admiral Mark Mellett (Chief of Defence, Ireland) and Alexander Weis (Vice-Director of the Bundeswehr Planning Office, Germany).

Among the questions discussed were the following: 'Are the current procurement processes of Defence Ministries best adapted to the challenges and opportunities presented by innovation?', 'How important is continued and sustained national investment in research & innovation?', 'What do policy-makers need to do to provide the best possible environment to foster the technological innovations required?', 'How can Europe respond to the US Third Offset Strategy?' and 'How to overcome fragmentation of demand?'.

There was broad consensus on the EDA's role in defence R&T and innovation: the Agency should continue to act as a "catalyst" by identifying innovation gaps and potential collaborative opportunities, bringing interested Member States together and facilitating collaborative R&T projects. However, it was stressed, R&T initiatives need to be driven by capability requirements. The objective is not to fund industrial policy, said Mr Weis. "The EDA has to make sure that R&T projects are capability driven, be it national or EU capabilities".
 

More information

• Federica Mogherini opens EDA Annual Conference 2016 / speech / video
• Slovak EU Presidency at EDA Annual Conference: "Common solutions are needed on defence"
• Commissioner Bieńkowska outlines upcoming European Defence Action Plan at EDA Annual Conference
• EDA Annual Conference 2016 closes with call for cooperation on defence innovation

The European Defence Agency (EDA) Annual Conference 2016 entitled 'A third industrial evolution or revolution in defence?' was opened Thursday morning (10 November) in Brussels by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, who is also the Head of the Agency.

Addressing a 500 strong audience coming from the whole European defence spectrum - governments, armed forces, industry, EU institutions, NATO, think tanks and media - Mrs Mogherini said in her opening speech that time had come to make urgent and concrete steps towards a stronger and more efficient European defence, and to do it “the European way”.

We don’t need another theoretical and endless debate about a potential EU army or treaty change but what is needed are "very concrete actions" to be delivered in the next months to make sure Europe can protect it citizens and become a global security provider. This is what citizens expect now that Europe is facing a "security crisis", she stressed. “There are no excuses, we have to do it and we have to do it now”.

March 2017, when Europe will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, will be a good moment to have a concrete implementation process up and running and to deliver on defence integration. "Sixty years ago, the founding fathers and mothers of our European Union believed that a united Europe had to be built on two pillars: a European Economic Community, and a Defence Community. They knew that a true Union could not simply rely on the integration of the markets. They were right, and yet they failed. Sixty years later, I believe the original intuition has become even more relevant", Mrs Mogherini stressed.

To move ahead towards a defence union, Europe has not to start from scratch because the Treaty of Lisbon already offers all the tools that are required. “We just need to use them. This is a matter of political will, stated Mrs Mogherini adding that she saw now a “clear window of opportunity” to achieve concrete results in the coming months.

She recalled the three parallel processes currently ongoing, namely the implementation of the EU Global Strategy, the Commission’ upcoming European Defence Action Plan (EDAP) and the follow-up on the recent joint EU/NATO Declaration. These three processes have to be complementary, she insisted. We have to advance quickly, “we have to run”, to make sure that those processes lead to first concrete results by spring 2017. In this respect, the European Defence Agency can act as a pivot between the Commission and Member States on European defence, Mrs Mogherini said.
 

Capabilities are crucial

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission put a special emphasis on the need to make sure Europe has the required capabilities to play its role in defence. Capabilities have to be up to the task. "And here, Europe has to be very careful, I believe, very careful, that the investment gap is not translated into an ever wider technology gap. Because a technology gap would then lead to an interoperability gap. And if left unchecked, this could translate into a political gap which would clearly not be in our interest. And I would add, this would also have economic implications for our continent".

There will be no strategic autonomy and defence role for Europe without a strong and smart and innovative European defence technology and industrial base, Mrs Mogherini concluded.
 

More information

• Speech of the HR/VP Mogherini / video
• Listening to the supply & demand sides: EDA Annual Conference panels deliver interesting insights
• Slovak EU Presidency at EDA Annual Conference: "Common solutions are needed on defence"
• Commissioner Bieńkowska outlines upcoming European Defence Action Plan at EDA Annual Conference
• EDA Annual Conference 2016 closes with call for cooperation on defence innovation

22 satellite imagery analysts and experts from seven EDA Member States (Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland) plus Denmark, as well as six analysts from the European Union Satellite Centre (EU SATCEN) and one from the European Border and Coast Agency (FRONTEX) met from 19-21 October at the SATCEN headquarter in Torrejón de Ardoz/Madrid for a REACT study implementation meeting.

The REACT (Radar imagEry Applications supporting ACTionable intelligence) study, initiated and managed by the European Defence Agency (EDA) in cooperation with EU SATCEN and participating Member States, aims at giving more value to imagery data, identifying areas where military imagery analysts can be assisted by tools/workflows to produce valuable and possibly actionable intelligence, according to users’ information requests. The study is focused on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery processes and in the combined use of SAR and electro-optical images. The study has been awarded to an international consortium composed by: e-GEOS, Telespazio Ibérica and INTA. The contract was signed in January 2016.

The aim of the REACT implementation session was to test, in a pseudo-operational environment, the workflows for the exploitation of satellite radar imagery defined during the previous phases of the study. Several workflows were tested: Monitoring, Damage Assessment, Search/Targeting. New algorithms, still in a research and development phase, were also presented. For each of programme topics, the operational experts received a “Request for Information” task.

The operators were tasked to perform imagery processing and imagery analysis in accordance with the workflows previously defined during the REACT study. Satellite radar imagery was provided by the EU SATCEN and by the industrial consortium.

The session proved to be extremely useful for the participating experts in many respects, especially because it helped them to face the intrinsic complexity of working with radar imagery and provided practical information in each step of the defined workflow. The expertise acquired during the session will also help the imagery analysts to establish effective working procedures for radar imagery exploitation, understand the pros and cons of using the several software suites available and evaluate the state of the art of new tools and algorithms for radar imagery exploitation (e.g Automatic Target Detection & Recognition).

An additional similar session will be organized in Rome in December for two scenarios typically encountered during FRONTEX activities: pre-frontier and coastal monitoring.

The results of the REACT activities will feed into the work of the forthcoming EDA Project Team Space Based Earth Observation. In addition to that, the lessons learned during the meeting on the new tools and algorithms may also be discussed in the relevant EDA CapTechs.

More information:

• EDA and EU Satellite Centre (SATCEN) formalize cooperation with exchange of letters (webnews July 2016)

The European Commission's services (DG MOVE), the European Defence Agency (EDA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) are stepping up efforts to address the integration of drones into the European aviation and air traffic management (ATM) system.

A new coordination mechanism was agreed upon at a meeting of the organisations’ director generals on 27 October, which aims to address the research and development (R&D) and regulatory requirements of all categories of remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) – a subset of drones. It was agreed that these requirements take into account the EDA’s "dual-use strategy" for the integration of military drones.

The SESAR project in coordination with EASA will provide the necessary support framework to address the R&D and regulatory needs in Europe and from a global perspective. This work will be done in close and efficient coordination with the EDA, while further efforts will be undertaken to engage other organisations in Europe in this coordination endeavour.

The coordination mechanism will look at ATM requirements for drone integration and their technical implications. The findings will be reported to DG MOVE in order to support the definition and coordination of policy initiatives with the relevant Commission services. The overall ATM requirements for drone integration will be incorporated into the next update of the European ATM Master Plan – the roadmap for ATM modernisation.

Planned for 2017, the next update will aim to provide a description of the overarching technical, operational, financial and performance related needs and requirements for the integration of drones, while also addressing the global context of initiatives falling under the aegis of ICAO.

Photo: © Dassault Aviation - G. Gosset

The Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Jorge Domecq, today addressed Spanish security and defence stakeholders at a seminar in Seville on European Union funding opportunities. The event was jointly organised by the EDA, the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the Agency of Innovation and Development of Andalusia (IDEA).

Around 130 representatives from the Spanish Ministry of Defence, defence industry and business associations, defence-related research and technology organisations and universities participated in the seminar, which included awareness raising and in-depth know-how building sessions.

The seminar showed in concrete terms how to access funding and other instruments available within two major European Union funding programmes running until 2020, i.e. COSME (EU Programme for COmpetitiveness of SMEs) and the Structural Funds. Rear Adm. Jesús Manrique Braojos, Deputy NAD of the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Spain, welcomed the audience followed by introductory remarks by the Andalusian regional minister for Employment, Enterprise and Commerce, José Sanchez Maldonado.

In his opening speech, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said: "A 'window of opportunities' was opened by both the June 2016 EU Global Strategy of the High Representative of the Union, Federica Mogherini, and the State of the Union speech by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in September. The Global Strategy clearly stated that Union funds - to support defence research and technologies and multinational cooperation - are essential prerequisites for European security and defence efforts, underpinned by a strong European defence industry. EDA’s work has already provided a positive answer to the question whether Structural Funds may co-fund dual-use research and technology projects, which clearly have a favourable impact on both the civilian and the defence fields. EDA has also recently clarified the conditions legitimizing access - for both defence and dual-use related SMEs and clusters - to the opportunities of the EU COSME Programme 2014-2020. Altogether, considering EDA encouraging results on Structural Funds and COSME so far, one can say that the time for action is now”.

Both the European Commission and the Spanish Ministry of Enterprises and Public Administrations’ Directorate in charge for the coordination of the national deployment of Structural Funds made presentations about currently available EU funding for the defence sector.

A particular focus was put on dual-use R&T funding and on the Enterprise Europe Network’s local free services in native languages.

Additionally, more than 40 Spanish project managers were trained to apply for the European Regional Development Fund during a dedicated coaching session. Finally, around 60 business-to-business meetings were arranged during a conclusive matchmaking session.

The seminar raised interest across all attending stakeholders, who have established promising contacts in view of an effective follow-up aimed at accessing EU funding opportunities.

Taking into account the increasingly blurred lines between internal and external security on the one hand and civil and defence technology on the other hand, different stakeholders exchanged views with Mr Domecq on how to take advantage of EDA’s work, through close cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Spain, in order to promote civil/military synergies wherever appropriate.

 

More information:

• Access to EU funding (EDA project page)
• Dual-use research (EDA project page)
• 3 out of 3: another EDA supported dual-use R&T project is awarded ESIF funding (EDA News)
• Polish dual-use R&T project co-funded by ESIF (EDA news)
• New funding opportunity for dual-use research

As the defence and security landscape moves into more complex and uncharted areas, studying and developing the capabilities of the future is becoming increasingly challenging. The emergence of new platform concepts and the lead times, often spanning over decades, for materials used in major platforms result in a pressing need to start research efforts in the present. On 18 October 2016, 25 experts from various European Ministries of Defence, the U.S. Department of Defense, European institutions, and industry participated in an EDA workshop to identify materials envisioned to be used by military forces in the year 2050.

High-level experts on materials and defence technologies gathered to discuss the types and functionalities of materials with a potential to improve military operations in 35 years as well as major advances that might be foreseen. Thought-provoking presentations from the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) underlined the importance of long-term defence R&T strategic planning. They showed how innovative materials and manufacturing can be used in a wide range of applications - lowering the burden of the soldier, stealth and protection, ammunition enhancements - and can improve the lifespan, logistical aspects and functional capabilities of existing & future platforms – air, naval and land.

Using a structured brainstorming method, the organizers dynamically combined the various experts in groups to create a maximum level of interaction and balance between governmental and non-governmental actors. The main outcome of the workshop was the identification of promising ideas and possible Research & Technology needs in 4 main areas: additive manufacturing, advanced smart materials, functional materials and structural materials. Computer-assisted modelling, deployed 3D printing, multifunctional materials, integrated sensors, frequency-adaptive signature control materials, and biomimetics were among the topics viewed to be of especially high interest for military forces in the next decades.

Although the participants recognized that predicting the future poses difficulties in the context of evolving political, technological, economic and legislative factors, they considered that defence technology in 2050 will be shaped by capitalizing on the windows of opportunity opened in the present.

The seminar was co-organized by the EDA’s CapTech on Materials & Structures, Fraunhofer INT, ISDEFE, FOI, FFI.

More information:

• For further information, please contact Materials@eda.europa.eu
• 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)   
  
  

Grants agreements worth a total of €1.4 million were signed today 28 October at the European Defence Agency (EDA) for three selected research activities to be carried out under the EU’s first Pilot Project in the field of defence research.

The grant agreements were signed at the European Defence Agency in presence of EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, European Commission Deputy Director General Pierre Delsaux (DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs) and representatives of the three winner consortia.
 

Uncharted territory – An EU first

The signing marks an important step in EU defence integration since it’s the first time that the European Union is testing the conditions for defence research in an EU framework, funded by the EU budget.

The Pilot Project also paves the way for the launch, in 2017, of the European Commission’s Preparatory Action (PA) on defence research which, in turn, leads to a fully-fledged European Defence Research Programme (EDRP) as part of the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027). All of them - Pilot Project, Preparatory Action and the future European Defence Research Programme - should support R&T that is serving capability priorities identified by Member States in the Capability Development Plan and be taken up in future collaborative capability programmes.

DG GROW Deputy Director General Pierre Delsaux said: "EU funding for defence research was almost inconceivable a few years ago for EU institutions, Member States and the defence community. This Pilot Project is therefore the precursor of a new era."

Mr Delsaux thanked the European Parliament for its support on the Pilot Project and underlined that a lot of effort and intensive work done by both from the Commission and the EDA, to make the Pilot Project work. He also explained that there is still a long way ahead for EU funded defence research and that "the Commission, in accordance with its institutional role and in full compliance with the EU legal context, is ready to work on defining the optimal framework and overseeing the implementation of the defence research priorities set by the Member States."

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said: “Today’s signing marks an important milestone and opens a new chapter in the way defence research is funded in Europe. The European Parliament, the European Commission and the EDA have worked together, hand in hand, to set up this Pilot Project which is an important test bed for more defence research funded from the EU budget in the future”.

He particularly thanked German MEP Michael Gahler and other members of the European Parliament’s SEDE committee whose relentless efforts back in 2014 resulted in the EP earmarking funding for an EU Pilot Project in the field of defence research for the first time ever. “The EDA is now looking forward to advancing the activities and making the Pilot Project a success”.

Mr Domecq stressed the “additional boost” EU funding possibilities, such as the Pilot Project and the upcoming Preparatory Action, will give to defence R&T by complementing national research programmes and existing cooperative funding schemes. “Using the EU budget for funding defence R&T will help to generate critical mass, to network European research entities and to increase interoperability and standards. The Pilot Project has already shown to what extent EU funding in conjunction with priorities set by Member States at intergovernmental level can be a powerful catalyst to attract Primes and SMEs, Research Centers and Academia, from big and small Member States. Research in defence also has concrete and profitable spill-over effects for everyday life”, he said. “R&T is not nice-to-have. It is an essential prerequisite to develop the required defence capabilities of the future and thus to provide for our citizen’s security”, the EDA Chief Executive concluded.
 

EDA call for proposal

The three activities were selected following an EU-wide call for proposals organized by the EDA between 23 March and 23 June 2016. They cover the following topics:
 

• Inside Building Awareness and Navigation for Urban Warfare (SPIDER) - Grant: €433.225

 The objective of this activity is to provide a proof of concept for an innovative system to improve soldiers’ inside building awareness by introducing into buildings miniaturized sensors which can move and change position to provide better coverage and improved performance. The activity will analyse the possibilities that new technologies and pioneering concepts provide to this aim. The proposed system will be composed by two distinct sensor subsystems: a static outdoor subsystem (a network of radiofrequency sensors that can recognize humans inside the building) and a mobile indoor subsystem which will be based on mobile robots capable of sensing the interior of the building using video camera and range-finding sensors such as depth sensors. The robots will be controlled by operators through a secure communication system. A separate station will receive all information obtained by both outdoor and indoor sensors to reconstruct an indoor map of the building. By visualizing the indoor map, the soldiers will have a crucial awareness enabling them to safely navigate inside the building. The system will be designed to be highly robust to endure operation in hostile environments.

This activity was won by a consortium led by TEKEVER, a Portuguese technology company, and composed of IT Aveiro - Instituto de Telecomunicações (Portugal), Aralia (Spain) and the Bulgarian Defence Institute (BDI).
 

• Standardisation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Detect and Avoid (TRAWA) - Grant: €433.292

 The aim of this activity is to contribute to the development of standards for a performant and affordable detect and avoid (DAA) system usable on-board Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). In concrete terms, it will specify ‘well clear’ boundaries in exact terms so that specifications for DAA technical systems can be derived from them. It will also develop requirements for remote pilot HMI (Human Machine Interface) characteristics. In addition, a method will be provided through which it can be identified which RPAS types can be integrated into airspace together with other aircraft categories, and vice versa, given their DAA technology capabilities. The proposed solution will be complementary with on-going European activities of the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE), Eurocontrol and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in this field. It will in particular follow the EUROCAE ED78a standardisation process. The activity is an enabler for the widespread use of RPAS in non-segregated airspace in Europe because it supports the development of standards for the certification of DAA solutions and helps to identify technology capabilities which need to be developed by the European defence industry.

This activity was won by a consortium led by the Netherlands Aerospace Center (NLR) with the following partners: the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR), Deep Blue (Italy), Tony Henley Consulting (UK) and EuroUSC (Italy).
 

• Unmanned Heterogeneous Swarm of Sensor Platforms (EuroSWARM) - Grant: €434.000

This activity will demonstrate, through a live experimentation, that typical military missions and tasks can be performed in exemplary scenarios by an unmanned, autonomous and heterogeneous ‘swarm’ system of systems, using emerging enabling technologies.

EuroSWARM’s main objectives are: - to develop key techniques for adaptive, informative and reconfigurable operations of unmanned heterogeneous swarm systems, namely: optimal task allocation and resource management; sensor fusion, cooperative guidance, robust sensor network; - to integrate the developed enabling techniques; - to validate the developed enabling techniques based on empirical simulation studies; - to demonstrate the proposed solutions based on a small scale of experiments.    

The activity is expected to deliver a control & command architecture for autonomous and heterogeneous swarms of sensors. The architecture will host a wide variety of piloted and autonomous swarm elements, such as unmanned air/ground/naval platforms, steerable mast, unattended remote-controlled sensors, protective devices (laser, jammer, smoke generators etc.). Any kind of weaponry is excluded from the system. Using static/mobile sensors and vehicles in an unmanned swarm-based autonomous system such as EuroSWARM can become a pilot for large scale usage to deal with critical European and global challenges such as border control or surveillance-security.

The activity was won by a consortium led by the University of Cranfield (UK) which also includes the French aerospace research agency ONERA (Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales), the Swedish Defence Research Agency FOI and the University of Patras (Greece).    
 

Pilot Project implementation

The signing of the grant agreements fires the starting shot for the implementation phase of the three activities as off 1 November 2016. SPIDER and EuroSWARM will be delivered after 12 months (November 2017) while TRAWA will run for 18 months (May 2018).

The Pilot Project is run and managed by the EDA on behalf of the European Commission based on a delegation agreement signed between the Agency and the Commission in November 2015. As a result, the EDA is responsible for the project’s implementation and management.
 

More information:

• Details on the three projects (Pilot Project call for proposals)
• Factsheet ‘Preparatory Action for CSDP-related research’

 

On 25 October, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq participated in the opening ceremony of the IAWS 2016 workshop organized by the Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Centre of Excellence (C-IED COE) at the Guardia Civil Officers Academy in Aranjuez/Madrid, Spain. At this occasion, he stressed the important work done so far by the EDA on C-IED and called for increased cooperation between institutions and stakeholders on this crucial issue.

The European Defence Agency is involved in countering IED since the very beginning because C-IEDs has been one of the Capability Development Plan (CDP) priorities almost since the launch of the EDA CDP process itself, Mr Domecq recalled in his speech.

In 2010, the Agency invested one million euros to establish a Counter IED exploitation deployable laboratory. That initiative grew into the Multinational Technical Exploitation Laboratory - or MNTEL - which was successfully deployed to Afghanistan from 2011 to July 2014. MNTEL subsequently led to the establishment of the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL) – a capability which presents a real opportunity to tackle technical exploitation in general, and exploitation of Improvised Explosive Devices in particular.

“The pressing operational need to Counter IEDs has been a major driver for these developments. EDA’s projects have aimed to generate exploitation capabilities that directly improve the understanding, identification and exposure of threat networks. And they were successful”, Mr Domecq stressed. In August 2016, a full exploitation deployable capability was deployed to the multinational exercise ‘Bison Counter 2016’.

 

Cooperation is key

To be even more effective in the future, stakeholders have to cooperate and share their knowledge and expertise, Mr Domecq insisted. “We, at the EDA, demonstrated our openness to cooperation very clearly when we signed a successful and productive Cooperation Framework Agreement with the Centre of Excellence C-IED in Madrid. C-IED demands a strong Interagency approach, as do exploitation issues. This agreement has definitely paved the way for others to come. Just opening new lines of action and cooperating with stakeholders enables Institutions to work better and faster together, and of course to broaden the scope for further opportunities”.

The EDA Chief Executive added: “We are strong proponents of developing exploitation capabilities and so is NATO. At the end of the day, Member States and Allies each have one set of forces to deploy and protect, be it for national or EU or NATO or UN engagements. Hence we will continue our close staff-to-staff discussion on what we are currently doing on exploitation and our future intentions. Sharing in certain domains - such as the recent NATO C-IED Task Force meeting - is of enormous benefit to our on-going activities, and also helps avoid duplication of effort”.

“Exploitation disciplines should no longer be a national secret. Proficiency in this domain needs to be improved, shared and deployed by organizations and nations – to fail to do so leaves the door open for those who wish to do us harm. In this respect EDA is delivering capabilities and providing options to strengthen cooperation between MS as well as between all relevant stakeholders. Exchange of experts and training capabilities must underpin the fight against insurgent networks and hybrid hazards and this event provides the best avenue to do so”, he concluded.

 

Background

The IAWS2016 is a 3-day event to discuss about the current situation and the future initiatives on the use of exploitation as an essential tool to counter threat networks that employ or facilitate IEDs.

The general objective for the IAWS 2016 is to promote and enhance interagency cooperation among military, law enforcement and civil organizations and agencies, at both national and international levels, in order to better counter the threat networks that facilitate and employ IEDs.

The IAWS 2016 addresses the current IED threat situation, with a special focus on sensitive areas for NATO and its partners. Exploitation will also be tackled, from a twofold point of view: currently existing exploitation capabilities in the military as well as in the law enforcement, and exploitation-related, capacity-building initiatives in partner countries and possible ways ahead and standards.

More information:

• Counter-IED (EDA project page)
• J-DEAL (EDA project page)
• First deployment of the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL)
• Bison Counter 2016 successfully closed (EDA webnews August 2016)