EDA News

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is developing its cooperation with CSDP civilian Missions in the field of Satellite Communications (Satcom). 

Since early June, the civilian Mission EUCAP SAHEL Mali in Bamako which aims at supporting the internal security forces in the country, is taking advantage of a Framework Contract established between Airbus Defence and Space and the EDA to cover its requirement for SatCom services.

In concrete terms, this allows the Mission to benefit from a strategic satellite link between Mali and Europe. The services provided by Airbus Defence and Space include the rental, shipping, and installation of a C-band remote satellite communications terminal in Bamako, high data rate satellite bandwidth and anchoring in Europe. The services also include training of Mission personnel, 24/7 technical support and on site-intervention if required. In addition, the Mission is also provided with mobile satellite services to include e.g. a number of satellite phone subscriptions to cover the communication needs for Mission personnel moving around in the country.

EDA’s Chief Executive, Jorge Domecq, welcomed this first use of EDA EU SatCom Market contract by a civilian CSDP Mission as “a concrete example of how the European Defence Agency and CSDP civilian missions can develop cooperation to make best use of resources”. Mr Domecq also said he was confident that other EU entities will make use of the extensive support the Agency can provide in this domain, thus further increasing the pooling effect and reducing costs for the benefit of all EU SatCom Market members.

CSDP civilian Missions EUCAP SAHEL Niger and EUAM Ukraine have also ordered similar services to be provided in their theatres of operation.

Fruitful cooperation

The establishment of this satellite link is the result of extensive discussions to develop cooperation between the Agency and the relevant services in the European External Action Service (EEAS), especially the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) directorate and the Service for Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI).

The EEAS Civilian Operations Commander, Kenneth Deane, stated: “I very much welcome the possibility offered to civilian CSDP Missions to make use of the services provided through the EU SatCom Market Project. I am confident this will ensure best value for money and effectively help deployment and development of the CSDP civilian Missions in line with the relevant conclusions of the European Council.”

The head of the EUCAP SAHEL Mali mission, Albrecht Conze (Germany), said he was “very happy about the fact that, thanks to the hard and dedicated work done by Mission CIS experts, the EDA and the contractor Airbus Defence & Space, the Mission now has a stable strategic SatCom link to Europe as well as all the other satellite communication services the mission needs.”

EUCAP SAHEL Mali

The EUCAP SAHEL Mali civilian Mission, launched on 15 January 2015 at the invitation of the Malian government, is an important element of the regional approach taken in the European Union strategy for security and development in the Sahel.

In addition to the action already taken in Mali by the EUTM Mission providing support to the Malian armed forces and by the European Union Delegation, and in connection with EUCAP SAHEL Niger, the EUCAP SAHEL Mali Mission is helping the Malian government with the reform of its internal security forces (ISF) to enable them to provide more security and justice for Malians.

EUCAP Sahel Mali is dedicated to supporting the Malian authorities' commitment to restructuring their defence and security forces.

EU SatCom Market

Within the EU SatCom Market project, the EDA acts as the central purchasing body on behalf of the contributing members. It purchases the services from a commercial provider. The project uses a ‘pay-per-use’ model, so members do not have to contribute with regular fees; instead they only pay for what they order. Since May 2013, 38 orders have been passed for a total value of over €6.2 million with more orders planned. Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Romania, the United Kingdom, Serbia, the Athena Mechanism, EUCAP SAHEL Niger, EUCAP SAHEL Mali, EUAM Ukraine, EUCAP NESTOR in Somalia and EUMM Georgia are the 18 members of the project.

More information:

• News “EDA provides satellite communications services for EUTM Somalia” (13 October, 2015)
• EU SatCom Market project page

The 8th edition of the Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course (PRCPC), a project initiated by the European Defence Agency (EDA), took place from 30 May to 10 June 2016 in Veszprém, Hungary. 

Organised and hosted by the Hungarian Defence Forces at the Air Command and Control Centre (ACCC), the exercise gathered 20 students from six European countries: Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Sweden. The course was delivered by experienced instructors from Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

The course enabled students to be better prepared to plan and execute Personnel Recovery (PR) missions. Personnel Recovery is usually defined as the sum of diplomatic, military and civil efforts to effect the recovery and reintegration of isolated personnel. 

From feedback we know that all participants gained expertise and knowledge from this multi-national training opportunity. As a result, European PR capabilities were strengthened and the number of trained personnel available to support future operations and missions was boosted. 

During the course, the EDA’s Personnel Recovery Functional Area Service Advanced Technology Demonstrator (PR FAS ATD) was presented to the participants. This system is designed to provide headquarters-level PR staff with a planning tool to manage PR missions. It has been developed as part of EDA’s work to improve interoperability between European armed forces in this field.

The next EU PRCPC will take place from 21 November to 2 December 2016 in Italy (Poggio, Renatico) and will be organised by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC). 

Background

The EDA PRCPC project was established on 30 May 2013 as an EDA Category B project, under the lead of Sweden. As of today, it gathers six contributing EU Member States (cMS): Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden. On 31st May 2015 the cMS agreed to extend the PRCPC Cat B project until 30 May 2017 as they had an ongoing training requirement. The EPRC is a potential candidate for the continuation of the project. 

 

More information:

• 7th edition of Personnel Recovery course (April 2016)

 

On 16 June, the European Parliament subcommittee on security and defence (SEDE) held an exchange of views on the EU-NATO capability development cooperation with Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, and General Denis Mercier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. The NATO-EU Capability Group was established in May 2003 to address common capability shortfalls and to ensure the coherence and mutual reinforcement of NATO and EU capability development efforts.

Jorge Domecq highlighted in his speech the partnership between the EU and NATO, “Twenty two EU Members are Allies. We need to ensure that the differences in membership do not become more significant than the similarities. There is a need to continue our close dialogue to ensure complementarity of work. Due to our single set of forces, we cannot afford unnecessary duplication – especially in the field of programmes.” Mr Domecq furthermore stressed the significant strategic overlap between the two organisations, especially regarding crisis management, conflict prevention and peacekeeping. However, while complementarity was important, the EU needed sufficient freedom of action in defence. “That is why EU Member States should support initiatives in EDA to support the development of capabilities to face the whole spectrum of challenges we face in the changing security environment, including the protection of EU citizens.”  

General Mercier stressed in his intervention that cooperation between NATO and the EU was "no longer a question of choice, but a question of will", and continued, "I believe we have no other choice but to leverage the competencies of each organisation and make the most of limited resources." Regarding cooperation with the EDA, General Mercier noted that closer collaboration could bring tangible proposals: "I can assure you that ACT and EDA have already started working together and intend to deliver practical areas of cooperation in the coming months." General Mercier concluded his intervention considering "The collaboration of our two entities could also help synchronise national innovation efforts, including those developed in the United States, in order to keep the highest level of interoperability in the future."

 

More information:

• SEDE website
• EDA CE Intervention to SEDE - 16 June 2016

End of May, helicopter crews and military staff dealing with Composite Air Operations (COMAO) from across Europe met for an EDA-led Planning Course at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, United Kingdom. During a full week, participants went through complex mission planning exercises within a contested air and land scenario, led by the Chief Instructor, Sqn Ldr Mike Gallagher.

Composite Air Operations are interrelated and/or limited in both time and space, where units differing in type and/or role are put under unified control to achieve a common objective.

The need for organising the COMAO course arose from lessons identified during the previous Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC) and Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) exercise in Italy in 2015.  COMAO is a broad and complex subject and the number of military personnel with operational and training experience in this domain is shrinking across Europe.  This is especially pertinent to the rotary community which has limited access to existing organisations such as the Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP).  Additionally, bespoke courses in which complex helicopter operations are the main focus currently do actually not exist.

The aim of the course at RAF Linton-on-Ouse was to increase participants’ knowledge of COMAO planning, using the so-called 4T’s (Task, Target, Threat and Tactics) process.  Equally important, the course allowed to create an environment in which numerous nations meet, work together and develop their capabilities while acquiring an in-depth knowledge and understanding of each other’s platforms.

The course was very well attended which is testimony for the high demand of COMAO planning trainings across Europe.  There were helicopter trainees from Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Belgium and the UK. Tactics and weapons instructors were provided from Sweden, the Dutch Weapons School and the UK.  Vitally, the course was supported by 8 Sqn AWACS from RAF Waddington and 100 Sqn Hawks from RAF Leeming bringing with them a wealth of knowledge concerning Air Battle Space Management and a remarkable breadth of fast-jet capabilities.  The UK provided a Ground Liaison Officer with comprehensive intelligence support.  In total, the platforms present at the course included the AB212, AS532, Mi-17, CH-47, CH-53, A-109, AH-64, Navy Lynx, E3-D Sentry and the numerous fast-jet platforms represented by the 100 Sqn pilots.

The course began with lectures and platform capability briefs and was followed by 3 days of scenarios with one mission being planned and briefed each day. As the course was progressing, the missions increased in complexity, running from the start of hostilities and covert insertions for bridge demolition and distraction operations to troop reinforcements and Non-combatant Evacuation Operations (NEO).  The final event culminated in a complex night mission to arrest a High Value Target (HVT).  The threat level was raised each day; therefore the tactics to deal with those threats had to be reconsidered too before being implemented.

The outcome of the course was praised as overwhelmingly positive by all the participants.  One of the key takeaways mentioned by them was that such courses need to be longer so that more time can be spent on the theoretical aspects and a deeper understanding of platform capabilities can be gained.  This recommendation will most likely be taken on board for the next edition, probably in 2017.

  More information:

• EDA Helicopter Initiative project page
• EDA Exercises and Training project page
• COLD BLADE Helicopter training 2016 (news, March 2016) 

 

Forty experts from fifteen participating EDA Member States gathered in Malmo (Sweden) on 8-9 June 2016 to discuss the final arrangements for the multinational Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) exercise Bison Counter 2016 (BC16) to be hosted by the Swedish Armed Forces from 15 to 27 August 2016.

During this final coordination conference, discussions focused on logistics and planning arrangements. According to the information compiled during the meeting, more than 200 troops from 20 European and non-European countries, as well as some 700 Swedish troops will take part in BC16.

The exercise plan is to evaluate the full C-IED concept from the first responders’ perspective until delivery of C-IED related intelligence production, so as to tackle all the C-IED work strands. A large number of different C-IED enablers ranging from Military Search, Military Working Dogs, Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Improvised Explosive Devices Disposal (IEDD), EOD divers, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear and explosives (CBRNe) experts, Military Engineers and Weapon Intelligence Teams from Land, Maritime and Air domains will take part in the exercise. The Forces will be split up in different components such as Task Force C-IED, Brigade Level Staff, Training Teams, Observers and Lessons Learned among others.

The scenario will see a large number of C-IED dedicated tasks being implemented in several locations in Sweden including maritime C-IED tasks at a naval base.

The inclusion of the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL) deployable capability (JDC) marks the first time the laboratory will deploy in its fully operational mode. Previously, the laboratory has been recently sent on a first expeditionary deployment to a Spanish exercise (Interdict 16). This time, more than 20 exploitation experts between lab members and observers will provide a 24/7 service.

Major Lars Samuelsson (Swedish Armed Forces) pointed out the challenge of running such a complex and specific exercise (the only full C-IED dedicated exercise worldwide);he is expecting representatives from 20 different nationalities to attend.

The first Bison Counter exercise took place in The Netherlands in 2013. Building on this experience, the EDA’s C-IED Project Team decided to institutionalize Bison Counter as a bi-annual C-IED dedicated activity under the umbrella of the EDA.

A Distinguished Visitor’s Day is planned for 25 and 26 August.

 

More information:  

• First C-IED workshop successfully completed (webnews)
• JDEAL: ready for deployment (webnews)
• EDA Project Page: C-IED

The European Defence Agency (EDA) in cooperation with the European Commission (EC), and the Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership Joint Undertaking (ECSEL JU) is organising the first “Opportunities for Dual-Use Technologies – Components” Workshop on June 28, 2016.

The criticality of electronic components is reflected in a growing need for EU non-dependence. Securing supply in areas such as sensors, new materials and digital systems is grabbing the attention of both governments and industry. The most relevant European research projects in these areas will be presented in the workshop, highlighting the past and present developments as well as future opportunities. 

The event is expected to bring together experts from the entire range of stakeholders involved in European dual-use technology research. EDA, EC and ECSEL JU directors will be opening the event, while the panel discussion will involve representatives from the UK Ministry of Defence, STMicroelectronics, the European Commission (DG GROW) and the European Space Agency. 

For more information and to express your interest to attend follow this link. 

 

Acknowledging water as a critical resource throughout Europe, five EDA Member States – Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal and Ireland - have recently committed to participating in a novel water management project which seeks to examine water management on defence lands from a hydro-informatics, conservation, sustainability and technological innovation point of view.

The Smart Blue Water Camps (SBWC) project was proposed and developed by Greece who will lead it supported by the EDA. The project seeks to assess existing military water management systems and installations on European soil. For the first phase of the project, the five participating Member States will conduct analysis of the water infrastructure on a chosen military site in each Member State through a series of workshops in order to define the ‘Smart Blue Water Camp Blueprint’. Interventions will be identified and listed according to suitability, cost and impact on the ‘Smart Blue Water Camp Blueprint’. Phase 1 will take place over a ten month period. Thereafter, phase two of the project will involve implementation of the most suitable identified interventions.

Water management

Existing civil and military water management infrastructure is facing pressure due to climatic changes and limited new investment. There are two major trends developing in water management technology: ‘smarter’ and environmentally integrated infrastructure. Military installations are among the least acknowledged elements in water cycle management.

Military camps have great potential for improvement due to their unique characteristics such as significant water and energy demands, significant drainage and wastewater flows, generally aging and inefficient infrastructures, in some cases a need for more autonomy from centralised water and energy systems and a transient population of end users, all of which have a detrimental impact on water management.

The opportunities that are presented by military camps in terms of improved water management include: (1) space abundance for the deployment of water demand management technologies e.g. sustainable draining systems, rainwater harvesting & recycling systems, green roofs & walls, (2) similarity of military installations from an upscaling perspective and transferability of best practices and knowledge and (3) the long term commitment of military from a continuation perspective.

Background

The Smart Blue Water Camps project is launched within the EDA’s energy and environment programme. Centred on four main themes: data collection and analysis, energy efficiency, alternative energy, and defence sustainability, the programme identifies and builds a portfolio of activity that spans the capability, armaments and research & technology perspectives with a view to sharing best practice and enabling collaborative activity wherever possible.

More information:

• Energy & environment project page

After a successful first meeting in Brussels in January this year of the two-year Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence &Security Sector, the second meeting kicked-off today in Dublin, Ireland. The conference was officially opened by the Assistant Secretary General and Defence Policy Director at the Irish Department of Defence, Mr Ciaran Murphy, the EDA Chief Executive, Mr Jorge Domecq, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Mr Jim Gannon and Mr Dominique Ristori, Director General for Energy at the European Commission.

“Defence is one of the largest energy consumers in Europe. One of the key challenges is to quantify the extent of this energy usage and to assess how projects stimulated through the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector can impact on overall EU energy usage”, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq said at the opening of the second conference. “This is a unique opportunity for change. We have the right experts gathered in the right place. The focus is on military installations and activity on European territory. The goal is to examine where improvements can be made and where assistance is required to address existing challenges”.

Whilst the first meeting in Brussels was attended by over 80 participants, primarily from European government ministries of defence and armed forces, the second conference is attended by more than 140 experts from government administrations, as well as industry, academia, NATO representatives and the European Commission, namely DG ENERGY and EASME, the Executive Agency for SMEs.

This unique Consultation Forum is actively supported by DG ENERGY and aims at progressing the work started with European Ministries of Defence and Armed Forces relating to energy management, energy efficiency in military buildings and infrastructure and the use of renewable energy systems on defence lands. The activity is now carried forward with the participation of 27 EU Member States including Denmark which shows the critical importance of energy efficiency.

Background

The Consultation Forum is a European Commission initiative managed by the European Defence Agency. It brings together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practice on improving energy management, efficiency and the use of renewable energy in the civil uses of the military. The Consultation Forum takes place in a series of five plenary meetings over two years. The work is carried out in three parallel working groups each with a particular focus: (1) Energy management, (2) Energy efficiency & 3) Renewable energy.

 

Picture: from left to right: Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, Chief of Staff Irish Defence Forces; Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defene Agency; Paul Kehoe Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Mr Ciaran Murphy, Assistant Secretary General and Defence Policy Director at the Irish Department of Defence, Mr Jim Gannnon, Chief Executive Officer of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. 

More information

• Consultation Forum page
• Website Directorate-General for Energy, European Commission

The European Defence Agency (EDA) collects defence data on an annual basis. The Ministries of Defence of the Agency’s 27 Member States (MS) provide the data. EDA acts as the custodian of the data and publishes the aggregated figures. The 2014 and estimated1 2015 figures refer to the total for all EDA Member States2, and if not otherwise stated, they are nominal.

Key findings:

• Defence expenditure increased for the first time after six years of continuous decline
• Operation and maintenance expenditure further increased, while investment further decreased
• Defence R&T expenditure at its lowest level
• Collaboration increased in equipment procurement and European defence R&T
• Defence personnel decline slowed down
• Deployment figures noticeably decreased
• Slight progress recorded on two out of four collective benchmarks

 

Defence expenditure increased for the first time after six years of continuous decline

The year 2014 marked a turning point for the European defence expenditure, the results of the EDA 2014 Defence Data gathering exercise reveal. After a continuous six-year decline, which started in 2008 following the outbreak of the global economic and financial crises, total defence expenditure of the 27 EDA Member States increased in 2014 by 2.3% from EUR 190 billion to EUR 195 billion, compared to the previous year. This was sufficient to overcome inflation and achieve a 0.6% or EUR 1.1 billion real-term3 growth. 2015 estimates suggest a further nominal increase of 2.6% or EUR 5 billion to EUR 200 billion, the level comparable to that before the crisis. In real terms, however, this increase translates into a 0.2% or EUR 0.33 billion decrease.

This is the first time to have a decade’s perspective on the European defence spending, starting with 2005 data gathered through the pilot defence data exercise. From 2005 to 2015, although in nominal terms defence expenditure increased by 3.6% from EUR 193 billion to EUR 200 billion, in real terms there was a 10.7% or EUR 22 billion decrease.

Counting from the peak of expenditure reached in 2007 with the EDA Member States collectively spending EUR 204 billion on defence to the lowest point of EUR 190 billion in 2013, total defence spending reduced by 6.8% (EUR 14 billion) in nominal terms or by nearly 12% (EUR 24 billion) in real terms. The share of defence expenditure in GDP4 and in total government spending being as high as 1.81% and 3.86% in 2005, has been steadily decreasing since then, and in 2015, it is estimated to have dropped to the lowest recorded level of 1.40% and 2.95%, respectively.

 

Operation and maintenance expenditure further increased, while investment further decreased

As regards defence expenditure structure, the year 2014 further highlighted the trend that began to emerge back in 2011, namely that of increasing expenditure on operation and maintenance and decreasing investment. Operation and maintenance - the second largest component of total defence spend with the average share of 23% – appears to be on an upward trajectory as of 2011. During the years 2011 to 2013, it grew at an average annual rate of 2.3%, and in 2014, it jumped by 11.7% (9.8% real increase) to EUR 52.2 billion, the highest absolute and relative (26.8% of total expenditure) value since 2006. Overall, operation and maintenance expenditure increased in real terms by EUR 4.6 billion or 10.3% from 2006 to 2014.

By contrast, defence investment, comprising equipment procurement and R&D (including R&T), continues to decline – a trend that started with a sharp 11.6% real decrease in 2011 and was reinforced with another significant real fall of 9.1% in 2014. Given a relatively small volume of R&D expenditure, this result was largely driven by another component of investment – equipment procurement – which in 2014 dropped by EUR 4.3 billion or 15.0%, compared to the previous year, the largest real decrease since 2006. R&D expenditure that has been declining as well, appears to be on an upward trend since 2012. In 2013, it achieved a 1.5% increase, and in 2014, it jumped by another 16.0% to EUR 8.8 billion, the biggest nominal increase observed so far. A real increase was slightly smaller, 0.8% in 2013 and 14.1% in 2014. From 2006 to 2014, R&D expenditure decreased by almost EUR 2 billion or 18.5% in real terms.

The share of investment in total defence expenditure, traditionally accounting for around 20%, shrank in 2014 by almost two percentage points to 17.8%. Within the investment category, the share of equipment procurement, amounting to around 16% on average, reduced by over two percentage points to 13.3%, while the share of R&D increased by 0.5 percentage points to 4.5% between 2013 and 2014. On average, R&D share in total investment stood at around 4.3% between 2006 and 2014, with the highest value of 4.9% reached in 2006, and the lowest – 3.9% – in 2012.

Personnel expenditure remains the largest component accounting for slightly above half – 51.2% – of total defence spend. Despite decreasing personnel numbers, personnel expenditure increased in some countries. At the aggregate EDA level, personnel expenditure has been gradually decreasing since 2006, but in 2014, it increased by 4.1% (2.4% real increase) to EUR 99.8 billion. During the entire period from 2006 to 2014, Member States’ real expenses dedicated to personnel reduced by over EUR 19 billion or almost 17%.

 

Defence R&T expenditure at its lowest level

A slight increase (+3.2%) in R&T expenditure achieved in 2013, was lost the year after, as R&T spending dropped by 4.6% (-6.1% in real terms) back to 2012 level of EUR 2.0 billion, the lowest since 2006. R&T expenditure was highest in 2006 amounting to EUR 2.7 billion – the expected response to the ambitious goal set by the EU leaders at the Hampton Court summit in 2005 to achieve a paradigm shift in defence R&T by spending more and spending more together. However, it has been gradually decreasing since then, despite the repeated urge to invest in defence R&T now to have effective and credible defence capabilities in the future. A real-term decrease in R&T expenditure was rather dramatic, amounting to nearly EUR 1 billion or 32% from 2006 to 2014. The share of R&T in total defence spend has been gradually shrinking as well, from the biggest of 1.32% in 2006, to the smallest of 1.02% in 2014.

 

Collaboration increased in equipment procurement and European defence R&T5

Since 2012, it has not been possible to have a comprehensive picture of the total Member States’ expenditure on collaborative (including European collaboration) defence equipment procurement and R&T projects and programmes, as several Member States were not in a position to provide this data. Nevertheless, although incomplete, 2014 data suggests slight improvements on three out of four collaborative expenditure categories, namely collaborative and European collaborative defence equipment procurement and European collaborative defence R&T.

Collaborative defence equipment procurement of the reporting EDA Member States increased by almost EUR 1 billion or 20.5%, compared to 2013, to EUR 5.7 billion. The share of European collaboration within this category increased in absolute terms – from EUR 4.5 billion to EUR 5.1 billion – but decreased in relative terms – from 94.6% to 89.8% of total collaborative procurement – during the same period. In relation to total defence equipment procurement expenditure, the share of collaborative equipment procurement increased from 15.9% to 22.1%, suggesting that the remaining 77.9% were directed to non-collaborative procurements. The share of European collaborative equipment procurement in total defence equipment procurement grew from 15.0% to 19.9%, an achievement of almost five percentage points with respect to the corresponding benchmark.

As regards R&T, total collaborative defence R&T expenditure of the reporting Member States decreased by EUR 18.6 million or 9.2% to EUR 185 million from 2013 to 2014, while European collaboration part within this category increased in both absolute – from EUR 168 million to EUR 172 million – and relative – from 82.5% to 93.3% of total collaborative R&T – terms. In relation to total defence R&T, the share of collaborative R&T decreased from 9.7% to 9.3%, indicating that 90.7% were non-collaborative expenditure. Meanwhile, the share of European collaborative R&T in total defence R&T increased from 8.0% to 8.6% during the same period, signalling a minor progress in terms of the respective benchmark.

 

Defence personnel decline slowed down

Since 2006, defence personnel (military and civilian) has been steadily declining, mainly due to internal restructuring processes. Between 2008 and 2011, this was more evident (-4.9% annual average decrease), possibly due to unfavourable economic conditions. Thereafter personnel numbers continued to fall, thought at a slower pace, a rate of -1.7% per year on average. From 2013 to 2014, total civilian personnel reduced by almost 2% to 400,000, whereas military personnel - by half that (almost 1%) to 1,423,000. During the entire period from 2006 to 2014, total defence personnel shrank by almost 500,000 or 21.4%, where civilian personnel decreased by almost 85,000 or 17.5%, and military personnel – by almost 411,000 or 22.4%.

As total military personnel decreased, so did the numbers in each military personnel breakdown category. During the 2006-2014 period, Army reduced by 209,000 or 22.5% to 720,000, Maritime – by 36,000 or 16.0% to 191,000, Air Force – by 96,000 or 28.4% to 241,000, and military personnel not assigned to any of the above categories and nominated as “Other” – by 72,000 or 21.3% to 268,000. In relative terms, the shares of military personnel categories remained to a greater or lesser extent stable, with Army accounting for 52%, Maritime – for 13%, Air Force – for 18%, and Other – for 17% of the total military personnel, on average.

Investment (equipment procurement and R&D) per military has been increasing since 2006 (except in 2011) – a growth caused more by decreasing military personnel numbers, than increasing Member States’ investment – but the last two years witnessed a decline resulting from faster diminishing overall investment. In 2014, investment per military stood at around EUR 24,000, a 6.8% reduction on the 2013 figure of EUR 26,000.

 

Deployment figures noticeably decreased

The average number of troops deployed outside the European Union territory decreased by almost 46%, from 58,000 in 2013 to 32,000 in 2014, mainly due to disbanded ISAF6  security mission at the end of 2014 and withdrawal of participating Member States’ troops from Afghanistan. In relation to the overall strength of the 27 Member States’ military personnel, the share of deployed troops almost halved, from 4.0% in 2013 to 2.2% in 2014. During the period from 2006, when deployment figures were the highest, to 2014, the average number of troops deployed decreased by over 62% in absolute terms, and from 4.6% to 2.2% in relation to the total military personnel.

Total number of deployable (land) and sustainable (land) forces also decreased between 2013 and 2014 by over 13% and over 28%, respectively. In 2014, the 27 EDA Member States had in total 417,000 deployable (land) forces and 79,000 sustainable (land) forces, both numbers being the smallest since 2006. The ratio between the sustainable and a pool of deployable forces, which remained virtually stable during 2006-2013 at around 1:4, in 2014, equalled to 1:5.

After a five-year-long upward trend, costs of deployed operations decreased for the third year in a row, both in absolute terms and as a share of total defence expenditure. It reduced by over 25%, from EUR 7.4 billion (3.9% of total expenditure) in 2013 to EUR 5.6 billion (2.9%) in 2014, the lowest value and share since 2006, which is again largely a result of withdrawing Member States’ combat troops from Afghanistan. Operations costs per military deployed followed the same pattern in 2012 and 2013, but it increased in 2014 by almost 38% to EUR 176,000. This may signal that deployments become increasingly expensive, and, in the case of some Member States, can be explained by the fact that countries continue contributing to international operations financially, without sending actual troops.

 

Slight progress recorded on two out of four collective benchmarks

In 2007, EDA Member States agreed on a set of four collective benchmarks for investment. There is no obligation in terms of timelines or translation of these benchmarks into national targets.

Since 2012, due to incomplete collaborative data it is no longer possible to accurately measure progress towards two out of the four agreed benchmarks, namely European collaborative equipment procurement as a percentage of total equipment procurement (benchmark 2: 35%) and European collaborative defence R&T as a percentage of total defence R&T (benchmark 4: 20%). Nevertheless, the partial data suggests a slight increase in European collaboration in both equipment procurement (from 15.0% in 2013 to 19.9% in 2014) and R&T (from 8.0% in 2013 to 8.6% in 2014) among those countries that reported the data.

With regard to the benchmark 1 – defence equipment procurement and R&T (investment) as a percentage of total defence expenditure – the trend has been mixed. Since 2006, it has been slowly but steadily increasing, but after reaching its maximum of 21.9% in 2010, it appears to be on a decline. It stayed above the 20% benchmark from 2007 to 2012, except in 2011, but in 2014, it dropped to the lowest recorded level of 17.8%.

As for the benchmark 3, defence R&T expenditure as a percentage of total defence expenditure has been steadily declining since 2006, except in 2011 and 2013, when it slightly increased. In 2014, it dropped to the lowest level so far of 1.02%, which is barely above half of the 2% benchmark.

 

More information:

• Download the 2014 Defence Data booklet

Footnotes

1. During the 2014 Defence Data gathering round, Member States were asked to provide not only the actual defence expenditure of the previous year (i.e. 2014), but also the estimated defence expenditure of the current year (i.e. 2015). At the aggregate level, however, these estimates are only available for total defence expenditure. At the same time, a major effort has been undertaken by EDA to revise all the previous years’ data, including 2005 data collected as part of the pilot exercise, to ensure the best achievable data accuracy and comparability across Member States and over time. Consequentially, numerous figures have been revised.

2. Data in this publication do not include Denmark, which is not an EDA Member State. 2005 data do not include Bulgaria and Romania, which joined EDA in 2007. 2006–2012 data do not include Croatia, which joined EDA in 2013.

3. In order to measure real growth and ensure a “real” comparison over years, inflation needs to be taken into account. Thus, data from 2005 to 2015 has been adjusted to 2010 economic conditions (Source of deflator: European Commission, DG ECFIN, based on the weight of the EU-28).

4. As of 2014, reduced defence expenditure shares in relation to GDP in most Member States can partially be explained by the new GDP accounting methodology implemented by Eurostat, following the introduction of the new European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010).

5. All 2012-2014 figures on collaboration are partial, as several Member States were not in a position to provide the data.

6. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan, established by the United Nations Security Council in December 2001 by Resolution 1386, as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement.

 

What impact the EU’s regulations on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of chemical substances and mixtures (CLP) have had on the European defence sector since they entered into force in 2007 and 2009 respectively?

To find out, the European Defence Agency (EDA) has commissioned REACHLaw Ltd. (www.reachlaw.fi) to carry out a study the results of which should be available by November 2016. The study is directed to the entire spectrum of European defence stakeholders including, in particular, the defence industry from small and medium-sized to big multinational companies, at all levels of defence supply chain.  

The objectives of the study are threefold:

• to carry out an impact analysis of REACH and CLP regulations on the EU defence sector;

• based on the results of this analysis, to formulate practical proposals for the improvement of the REACH and CLP regulations and their current implementation regime. These proposals will then serve as a basis for the EDA and its participating Member States’ input into the European Commission’s upcoming REACH review process scheduled for 2017;    
• to collect information about the impact, on the defence sector, of other EU chemical regulations (especially the BPR, POP and ODS regulations) in order to define a strategy and proposals for improvements in the future.

The overarching goal of the EDA’s study initiative is to come up with proposals to the European Commission, EU Member States, Ministries of Defence (MoDs) and the defence industry on how to make of REACH and CLP a win-win situation which would allow for both a high level of protection for health and environment and, at the same time, a strong, competitive and innovative European defence industry.

The contractor for the study has recently kicked off the consultation process through different means (questionnaires, interviews etc.) with all competent stakeholders, such as: Member States MoDs, European Commission, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Member States REACH Competent Authorities and, last but not least, defence Industry.

Defence industry stakeholders are especially invited to take part in the consultation, by downloading from the dedicated contractor’s webpage (link below), filling and returning the related questionnaire/survey and any attachments to EDAsurvey@reachlaw.fi, by Thursday, 30 June 2016 at the latest.

For additional information/clarifications, the contractor’s point of contact is Mr. Tim BECKER (e-mail: tim.becker@reachlaw.fi, phone: +358 40 773 8143), while the EDA point of contact is Costas TATAROGLOU (E-mail: costas.tataroglou@ eda.europa.eu or Tel: +32 2 504 2949).

 

More information:

• Contractor’s webpage on industry consultation/questionnaire
• EDA letter - support to REACH and CLP study
• REACH - EDA project page

Twenty-five experts in Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) matters participated in a workshop held in Soesterberg (The Netherlands) from 24-26 May 2016.

The workshop - the first of its kind organised under the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL) framework - attracted participants from across Europe (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden), from the United States as well as from the Centre of Excellence for C-IED. Discussions focused on JDEAL and on current and future trends in exploitation.

Attendees agreed that the JDEAL was crucial for the technical exploitation of IED incidents (analysis of events, scenes, components and materials) in order to gain valuable technical and tactical information on such threats and identify supply chains.

The briefings and discussions covered diverse but inter-linked topics, ranging from hybrid warfare through JDEAL potential support to common terminology and deployable capability concepts. Presentations were notably delivered by representatives from the Centre of Excellence C-IED, the EDA, NATO Headquarters, the Netherlands Forensic Institute, French munitions and explosive specialists, the Dutch Armed Forces as well as by US experts.  Participants also had the opportunity to visit the 1st JDEAL deployable capability (which is now fully operational) and to follow a guided tour of the JDEAL training facility in Soesterberg.

The main takeaways of the workshop were summarized by JDEAL Commander, Major Geert Jan Verkoeijen, as follows: 

• now that JDEAL has been delivered and the first deployable capability is operational, it should be used to a maximum for the benefit of the community. Given that the impact of IEDs on missions and operations continues to be significant, Member States are encouraged to deploy JDEAL in operations and to continue to prioritize joint training capabilities;
• JDEAL should become as visible as possible and be considered both a strategic and rapid reaction asset for decision-makers;
• there is an urgent need for agreeing on a common C-IED terminology to be used by all stakeholders.   

Francisco Cifuentes, the European Defence Agency (EDA) Project Officer for C-IED, welcomed the fact that the event had allowed to open new lines of communication and networking among experts which will certainly prove useful for the further development of the JDEAL project.

2016 promises to be a particularly busy year for the JDEAL deployable capability. In July, the laboratory will be sent to Spain to take part in multinational exercise "Interdict", followed, in August, by exercise Bison Counter 2016 in Sweden. The laboratory will be staffed by experts from all its contributing Member States as well as by observers from other stakeholders.

 

More information:

• JDEAL: ready for deployment (Feb.2016)
• Project page: Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL)

Four EDA participating Member States - Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, The Netherlands - as well as Norway have agreed to develop a joint project to enhance the European capabilities in the area of energetic materials.

 

Energetic materials are a class of material with high amount of stored chemical energy that can be released. These materials are commonly used in military applications, such as explosives, pyrotechnic compositions, propellants and fuels.

The new research project builds on acquired expertise from the previous EDA Formulation and Production of New Energetic Materials (FPNEM) project in the framework of the Agency’s capability technology group dealing with ammunition technologies (CapTech AMMO).

Under the lead of Sweden, experts will develop mutual awareness and knowledge of selected future energetic materials, production methods for critical components including raw materials, and small scale evaluation methods.

The project was named Energetic Materials towards an Enhanced European Capability (EMTEEC) and kicked-off during a meeting at the Swedish Defence Research Agency on 19/20 May; it will run over 4 years. France also participated in the kick-off meeting as an observer as discussions about the country joining the project are ongoing.

 

More information:

• Project page: Research & Technology

• European Network of National Authorities on Ammunition (ENNSA)

Around 30 experts from EU Member States and defence research institutes as well as industry representatives participated in an EDA workshop on ammunition technologies which was hosted by The Netherlands in Utrecht (25/26 May).

Over two days, participants discussed topics relating to energetic materials and missiles & munitions technologies as well as the possibility to launch common R&T activities on areas like 3D printing of energetic materials, extended range munitions and open architecture for missiles and munitions. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the laboratories of The Netherlands’ Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) where energetic materials and materials’ resistance to projectiles and blasts are tested and developed.

The operational conclusions of the workshop will be further developed in the remit of the EDA CapTech “Ammunition Technologies”.

 

More information:

• Research & Technoloy

• European Network of National Authorities on Ammunition (ENNSA)

On 31 May, high-level representatives and experts from the Member States, EUMC and EUMS Staff, NATO Allies and Officials of the European Commission (DG MOVE), SJU, SDM, EASA, NATO and EUROCONTROL met at the European Defence Agency for the 8th edition of the SES/SESAR Military Implementation Forum. The meeting was followed by the first EDA Single European Sky Military Aviation Board (ESMAB) policy level meeting.

The aim of this year’s Forum was to share with a wider audience, in an informal setting, the main strategic issues with regard to Single European Sky. The meeting was chaired by General Fernando de la Cruz Caravaca of the Spanish Air Force. Mr. Umberto Rossi of the European Commission replacing Mr. Henrik Hololei, Director General Mobility and Transport, opened the discussion on the challenges and opportunities for civil-military cooperation deriving from the EU Aviation Strategy and civil rulemaking activities in the framework of Single European Sky.

The Chairman of the EU Military Committee General Mikhail Kostarakos then provided the vision of the EU Chiefs of Defence on SES/SESAR in the wider context of military aviation.

Finally, Vice Admiral Ignacio Horcada focused on NATO C2 needs in the wider context of Single European Sky. The discussion provided for relevant exchanges on innovative technologies to be considered in SESAR, taking into account global trends in civil and military aviation.

“The SMIF is a key opportunity for European air forces to come to a common understanding of key priority areas of the Single European Sky. Today also underlined the importance of a broad consultation and coordination between the European and Allied defence community as well as civil aviation. The SMIF reconfirms EDA’s commitment to the three-step consultation process with EUROCONTROL and NATO, to serve the need of Member States”, said Jorge Domecq.

The first EDA Single European Sky Military Aviation Board (ESMAB) policy level meeting then brought together representatives from the participating Member States, as well as Denmark, Norway and Switzerland, and a representative from EUMC. Experts collectively agreed on priorities with regard to the upcoming milestones for Single European Sky in the broader context of military aviation and to ensure the necessary national involvement up to the appropriate decision-making level. Concretely, experts discussed and validated among other things the SES Military Aviation Action Plan and the roadmap on Performance Based Navigation.

More information:

• Single European Sky project page

The second European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course (EAATTC 16-2) of 2016, sponsored by the twenty Nation European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) Partnership, started on 22 May with the  arrival of six aircraft and six crews from France, Germany and Spain at the French Bricy Airbase near Orleans in France.  The course will run for two weeks and will take the already combat ready crews to the next level through an intensive round of academic lectures, one-on-one tuition and increasingly complex flying evolutions. 

As with previous EAATTC courses, the weeks will focus on a specific aspect of advanced capability. For EAATTC 16-2 hosted by France, the focus will be on multi-ship, formation flying - training to drop both equipment and paratroopers in a simulated high threat environment, from multiple aircraft and in a precisely coordinated manner - accurate to the second and dropping within a very small target area.  This task is very challenging as the course involves three different aircraft types: C-130, C-160 and Casa-235.

The complexity of each event builds over the period and by the end of the second week the crew commanders will be required to lead a full formation, at low level, evading enemy fighters and numerous simulated ground threat from small arms, hand-held missiles and more elaborate anti-aircraft systems.

The third course for 2016 will run in Bulgaria from  31 July to 12 August.

More information:

• Factsheet EAATTC 16-2
• Project page EATF

On 28 May the European Defence Agency (EDA) participates in the European Institutions Open Doors Day. Pass by and meet the EDA staff at an information stand in the building of the European External Action Service in Brussels.

Every year, the European Union celebrates peace and unity on 'Europe Day'. The event marks the anniversary of the 'Schuman Declaration', outlining a vision to unite separate European states into a single community.The public is invited to visit the main European institutions in Brussels on 28 May. 

For more information on the celebrations in Brussels, click here.   

EU Open Doors at the European External Action Service

Time: 10.00 - 18.00 hrs
Address: EEAS Building, 9A Rond Point Schuman, 1000 Brussels

Ensuring swift and safe recovery of personnel isolated, missing, detained or captured in a hostile territory has become a high-priority component of all EU-led Crisis Management Operations. Through its dedicated “Project Team Personnel Recovery”, the European Defence Agency (EDA) actively supports its participating Member States to enhance Personnel Recovery capabilities and improve interoperability - with tangible results.

 

The article below appeared in the 10th edition of European Defence Matters, the EDA’s official magazine, which you can read by clicking here.

 

European Defence Matters, Magazine issue 10

Any Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military operation or civilian mission carries the risk of deployed personnel being trapped, isolated, captured and/or maltreated by enemy forces. If it occurs, such an incident can have an adverse impact not only the operation’s security but also the troops’ morale as well as general public support. It is therefore imperative to ensure the effective and quick recovery and reintegration of isolated personnel. In this regard, all possible diplomatic, civil and military options should be combined and utilised. “Keeping personnel recovery high on the EU’s agenda conveys the right signal to our soldiers on the ground”, EDA’s Capability, Armament & Technology Director, Air Commodore Peter Round stressed. He further stated that “It is our responsibility to make sure that robust and effective personnel recovery capabilities and tools are in place and available, as an integral part of any deployment”.

Since 2007 EDA’s Project Team Personnel Recovery (PT PR) has been working in support of its participating Member States (pMS) in order to enhance their Personnel Recovery (PR) capabilities and to effectively address these challenges. Under the German chairmanship and with the active participation of its 14 pMS, the PT has delivered tangible results and valuable studies. In its activities the PT is also supported by the European External Action Service’s bodies; the European Union Military Staff and the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate as well as of the newly established European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC), a close partner of the Agency.

As CSDP Crisis Management Operations (CMO) involve many different Member States, Third States and other partner Organisations there is a growing need for ensuring common PR principles, practices, standards and capabilities that are interoperable. As Major Constantinos Hadjisavvas, EDA’s Project Officer on PR, underlines “developing a common personnel recovery culture supported by the relevant capabilities is vital in ensuring that an effective safety net is in place for those in need in the theatre of operations”.

 From conceptual framework to operational PR support

Personnel recovery is a complex process involving five main tasks: reporting, locating, supporting, recovering, and reintegrating. The first task, reporting, includes the recognition and notification that personnel have or may have become isolated. This information can be generated by an accountability mechanism, visual sightings, intelligence, and reconnaissance or even through direct contact with the isolated personnel themselves. The second step, the locating task, includes actions to find and geo-locate the isolated personnel, immediately followed by the supporting task aimed at providing them with mental, physical and emotional support. It is only once these essential preparatory steps have been taken that the core part of any PR mission, the actual physical recovery, can be launched. PR operations are finally concluded with the reintegrating task of the recovered personnel through medical assessments and debriefings before returning them back to duty and/or their families.

Situational awareness, information management, command and control aspects as well as appropriate capabilities are thus absolutely crucial for any successful PR operation. However, as Major Hadjisavvas stresses, “even with the most cutting-edge technology, personnel recovery cannot be successful unless you have trained and motivated personnel”. Working on four different but interrelated work strands (Concept, Command & Control, Equipment and Training), the PT aims at addressing the full spectrum of PR; from the cultural and conceptual context through training aspects to the development of advanced technologies.

 PR FAS ATD: an operational output of EDA

PR provides the capability to safely recover isolated personnel. However, it was identified that an operational technical solution to plan, launch and monitor personnel recovery missions was missing. To close this critical gap, EDA has developed a conceptual framework which led to the successful development of the Personnel Recovery Functional Area Service Advanced Technology Demonstrator (PR FAS ATD), one of the most important operational outputs of PT PR so far.

This ATD is an information management and Command & Control (C2) system designed to increase the efficiency of PR missions and operations. In fact, PR FAS ATD supports planners and controllers with numerous functionalities and a significantly improved situational awareness.

The system is portable and works on a ‘plug and play’ basis, so it can be used by directly connecting to a number of laptops or integrating into existing networks in command posts or headquarters. Significantly, the ATD does not need any additional client software due to access via internet browser. This minimises the rollout effort and increases Information Technology (IT) security.

The demonstrator was successfully evaluated and tested during multinational courses in 2015. In mid-2016, an important milestone was reached when PR FAS ATD was finally distributed to all pMS. They can now use the tool as a web based and stand-alone system during national or multinational trainings and exercises.

 Deployment Support, Training, New Projects

At this stage, the PR FAS ATD is still only a demonstrator, albeit an advanced demonstrator. In order to achieve operational capability additional organisational and technical measures have to be taken. Most important tasks include interfacing existing air command and control systems as well as the provision of service support. EDA is leading these tasks by providing deployment support to pMS, addressing the various aspects of the through-life management of the tool and ensuring its viability.

Furthermore, the Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Courses (PRCPC), run by the six contributing Member States (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, Sweden) as an EDA project ensures that trained personnel are available to support any future PR activities under CSDP. Seven editions of PRCPCs have taken place so far, the most recent in April at the EPRC in Poggio Renatico Air Base (Italy).

Additionally, by the end of 2016, pMS will also obtain a web-based e-learning tool for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE), based on the existing Swedish e-training tool. The SERE project aims to provide pMS with PR training for their military personnel before being deployed. Instead of developing a new tool, EDA was authorised by the Swedish Armed Forces to translate the Swedish tool into English and disseminate it to all pMS. “SERE is a model of how pooling & sharing of assets and best practices can save time, resources and money”, Major Hadjisavvas explains. This tool could also be useful for the personnel deployed in the context of CSDP civilian or other humanitarian missions.

Way Ahead

The need for enhancing interoperability of European Armed Forces’ PR capabilities will be further enhanced by the increasing multinational character of CSDP operations and the volatile environment that the EU is operating in. Topics currently under consideration in the EDA to further advance this important work includes among others, the contribution to the possible revision of the EU’s conceptual framework for PR in support of CSDP and enhancing the PR efficiency with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) support.

Finally in November 2016 the Agency in cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) will organise a PR Conference in order to enhance awareness of the importance of PR in saving lives and protecting the EU’s reputation.

The Netherlands EU Presidency, in cooperation with the European Defence Agency, today published a report summarizing the main findings of the recent conference on “Setting priorities for R&T in Europe to prepare the future together” which took place on 25/26 April in Amsterdam.

Organised in cooperation with The Netherlands’ Ministry of Defence, under the auspices of the current Netherlands EU Presidency, the conference saw some 150 participants discussing emerging and critical technologies, innovation in defence as well as strategic agenda setting for R&T in Europe.

Click here to download the final conference report.

Click here to see the presentations made by the various speakers at the conference.

 

More information:

• R&T seminar sparks lively debates and new ideas

For its 10th edition which is now available, European Defence Matters, the EDA's official magazine, spoke with Dutch Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert about the defence-related objectives of the current Dutch EU Presidency, the upcoming EU Global Strategy as well as the importance of European defence cooperation.
 

European Defence Matters, Magazine issue 10

• Minister, one of your goals during the Dutch EU Presidency is to give a fresh boost to defence cooperation. What achievements do you strive for during the EU Presidency?

Defence cooperation is not the easy way but it is the only way, if we want to retain our military capabilities, especially the high end capabilities. Cooperation demands a continuous and active pursuit of possibilities for cooperation and requires a persistent and determined mindset to become successful.

The Netherlands would like to lead by example when it comes to defence cooperation. There are several examples of successful cooperation initiatives, like the France-UK cooperation under the Lancaster House Treaties, the Visegrad 4, NorDefCo and the Baltic Defence Cooperation, but I still think that we need more and closer cooperation. We should go beyond the obvious cooperation areas such as training, logistics and education.

Joint training is a good start, but we have to go further. We should use small scale cooperation that works and build on those. The defence cooperation between Germany and The Netherlands could be used as an example. We are integrating a German tank battalion into a Dutch mechanized brigade, which itself will become part of a German armoured Division. This allows us to maintain our ability to fight with and against tank units, since we no longer have that capability ourselves. Another example is the long standing maritime cooperation between Belgium and the Netherlands, which has been developed to a high level. The cooperation between the BENELUX-countries in protecting their airspace is another promising example.

During our EU Presidency I try to promote all these types of European cooperation where I can. And let’s not forget that these cooperation initiatives, be it for operational purposes or joint capability development, also need some kind of political framework and strategic guidance.

This is why I attach so much value to the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy which should be presented by HR/VP Mogherini in June. And I strongly believe that this new strategy should immediately be translated into actionable proposals to strengthen European defence cooperation. A ‘White Book like document’ should describe the CSDP-related tasks and means we need to execute the Global Strategy. It should give us a clear picture of which military capabilities we need the most and so guide our future cooperation efforts.
 

• You mentioned the follow-up document to the Global Strategy, a ‘White Book like document’ as you call it. In your view, what should be its main elements?

We see the Global Strategy, a possible ‘White Book like document’ and finally the European Defence Action Plan as three closely related documents. Essential elements for a ‘White Book like document’ are a clear military level of ambition in line with the Strategy, a description on the capability shortfalls and a proposal for a follow-up mechanism to monitor the progress at the political level.
 

• The Netherlands are a forerunner in terms of defence cooperation. Your country has a history of successful cooperation with Belgium and Luxembourg for example. The latest example is the conclusion of far-reaching cooperation agreements with Germany. What are the lessons learnt?

We have learned that for cooperation to be successful, partners should start as early as possible in the capability development process to identify shared interests. It is easier to find common ground when all options are still open.

We have experienced that extending the scope of cooperation beyond the purchase of equipment into operations, maintenance and organization helps too. Requirements become more aligned and the relationship for the long term is bound to contribute to successful cooperation.

Finally, it is important to have support at all levels. After all, it is a matter of commitment and trust. This is why the political level, the policy level and the executive level should all be involved.
 

• But you are also active in many multinational programmes through EDA. What type of cooperation do you think gets most out of taxpayers' money?

As an ideal, the taxpayers’ money would be best spent when a programme is aimed at addressing a shortfall at the European level, which corresponds to the national needs of a large number of Member States. A good example of such a combination of goals is the European Air Transport Command at Eindhoven.

Furthermore, taxpayers are, in the long run, best served by a well-functioning European Defence market and a strong European industrial base which are not hampered by barriers. If the market functions well, we are more capable of developing innovative, high-end military capabilities in Europe. I think this would benefit the taxpayer, but more importantly, it benefits our armed forces.
 

• To what extent has the Dutch defence industry benefitted from the country’s cooperative approach?

The Dutch defence industry consists mostly of medium and small enterprises that offer high quality contributions to capability development. However, our cooperative approach does not automatically benefit our own national industry.

We see that the defence industry in Europe is subject to national considerations. For SMEs especially, it therefore remains difficult to gain cross border access to defence and security contracts, even within the framework of cooperative programs. The result is that the competitive and innovative power of our European defence industry does not reach its full potential, something which we cannot afford if we really want to gain a degree of strategic autonomy in this market.
 

• If you look at the upcoming Preparatory Action on defence research and the Commission’s Defence Action Plan: how do you see these two major initiatives develop? Will they be a game-changer for the sector?

The Preparatory Action, as part of the European Commission Action Plan, will certainly be a game changer, if it succeeds in preparing the way for a dedicated European defence research programme. First of all, this initiative shows that the European Commission is involved and committed to strengthen European defence. Secondly, investing in R&T makes it more attractive for the defence industry to focus on non-dual use technology, being commercially less attractive, but essential nonetheless. Thirdly, the Preparatory Action and the subsequent dedicated research programme will serve as an incentive for joint capability development further down the line, when R&T efforts are used to develop real capabilities.

 

Biography

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert is Minister of Defence in the Dutch government since November 2012. Previously, she worked for the Directorate-General for Enlargement of the European Commission in Brussels as well as in Riga, Latvia. She was a Member of the European Parliament for the VVD (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) from 2004-2010. In June 2010, she was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives.

 

The Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Christoforos Fokaides and the Deputy Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), Mr Rini Goos, addressed today the Cypriot security and defence stakeholders at a seminar targeting EU funding opportunities. The event in Nicosia was co-organised by EDA and the Ministry of Defence.

More than 100 representatives from the Ministry of Defence, National Guard, industry, universities, research and technology organisations, and business associations participated in the seminar which included know-how building and in-depth coaching sessions. Experts from national authorities involved in the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) deployment in Cyprus have also attended the seminar.

Minister Fokaides said at the opening, "The seminar organised today in Cyprus seals in the most vivid manner the excellent collaboration of the European Defence Agency and the Cyprus Ministry of Defence. A collaboration which unfolds benefits for the Cypriot academia, SME’s, and the broader public and private sector. The pre-selection of the two projects recently submitted from Cyprus, out of 142 in total, serves as a solid proof which can only make us optimistic about future prospects. We want to facilitate Cypriot stakeholders to seize cooperative opportunities, to explore synergies, to open new avenues for SME’s creating new jobs.

The seminar showed how to access the various funding and other instruments within main European Union funding programmes running until 2020, including ESIF, COSME (EU Programme for COmpetitiveness of SMEs), Horizon 2020 and SESAR. A particular focus was dedicated to dual-use R&T funding and Enterprise Europe Network free-of-charge services. Ways to participate in EDA networks and groups of experts was addressed as well.

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

On the occasion of his presence in Cyprus, EDA Deputy Chief Executive Rini Goos participated in a round-table discussion with high-level officials coming from the Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces, police, and other ministries and also from academia and the research community of Cyprus. The main objective was to raise awareness on EDA’s mission as well as concrete lines of work. Taking account of the increasing blurred lines between internal and external security on the one hand and civil and defence technology on the other, different stakeholders in Cyprus exchanged views with Mr Goos on how to take advantage of EDA’s benefits through close cooperation with the Ministry of Defence in order to promote civil/military synergies when appropriate.

  More information:

• Access to EU funding