EDA News

The European Defence Agency (EDA) recently published two calls for tender from operation EUFOR ALTHEA on its Contractor Support to Operations (CSO) platform. The signature of the cooperation arrangement with the ATHENA mechanism in March 2015 provides new impetus for the usage of the CSO platform.

Procuring customised assets such as armored vehicles or specific services (e.g. air to ground surveillance) can be challenging especially on short notice. EDA assists EU military operations in fulfilling their complex goods or services needs through the CSO platform, a powerful tool of interaction. The CSO platform connects economic operators and EU-led operations by for example actively promoting business opportunities. Economic operators are invited to subscribe to the platform database to receive information on business opportunities advertised by governmental and institutional authorities.

Currently operation EUFOR ALTHEA is looking for the provision of jet fuel distribution services and food, water and catering supply. Full description of the contract notice can be found at http://cso.eda.europa.eu/Pages/BusinessOpportunities.aspx.

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

Procurement of contracted solutions has become increasingly relevant for EU military operations not only to fill capability gaps in the force generation process, but also as a general planned support for ongoing operations.

The arrangement with ATHENA opens the option for the Athena Administrator or any Operation/Mission Commanders as Contracting Authorities to call upon EDA to provide, upon its expertise and available means and capabilities, technical and overall administrative support for procurement of infrastructure works, as well as a variety of services or supplies, through direct contracts or pre-mission solutions, e.g. through framework contracts.

The Agency plans to further upgrade the CSO platform to respond to new requirements and to turn the platform into an one-stop solution for procurement by operations. Regular updates for industry including a workshop are planned. 

(c) Picture: EUFOR ALTHEA/Herbert PENDL

• Support to operations project page
• News: "EDA signs cooperation arrangement with Athena" (2 March 2015)
• CSO platform (password required)

The latest flying event organised as part of the Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) was successfully conducted from 22 June to 3 July in Viterbo, Italy. More than 1000 personnel and 30 helicopters from seven countries attended this multinational training, the largest of its kind organised in Europe this year.

Over the course of Italian Blade 2015, 201 missions and 445 sorties were flown by the participants, accounting for a total of 618 flight hours. Missions of increasing complexity were conducted, with scenarios including air assault, close air support, combat search & rescue or medical evacuation.

 “Italy has provided great support to this year’s HEP exercise as host nation”, Andrew Gray, EDA Helicopter Programme Manager, underlines. “Next year the HEP will move to Finland for exercise Cold Blade, which will provide participants with a totally different yet very relevant training environment”, he adds.

To date, more than 350 crews and 200 helicopters have taken part in EDA-developed HEP exercises. The overall HEP project was endorsed at a Ministerial Steering Board in November 2009, and a formal programme arrangement was signed in November 2012 by 13 contributing Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom; as well as Norway.

• Other EDA Helicopter Initiatives
• Italian Blade 2015 factsheet

Military working dogs (MWDs) are of great value in Counter-IED operations, and the pooling and sharing of this capability at the European level has long been a subject of discussion among C-IED experts. Late last month, the European Defence Agency organised the first Ad Hoc Working Group on MWDs at the Austrian Military Working Dogs School facilities of Kaisersteinbruch, in Austria.

Twenty-two participants from Austrian, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden gathered for three days  to discuss national capabilities and their respective level of ambition. The C-IED Centre of Excellence and representatives from academia also took part in the event.

Several training opportunities were also staged on the margins of the meeting. Four MWD teams (each comprising a dog and its handler) from Hungary and the Netherlands attended the event, as well as teams from host nation Austria. Capabilities of Labrador dogs were also demonstrated, while a full day was dedicated to training at the Austrian MWD school. Attendees took the opportunity to train teams with specific innovative explosive conditioning materials in a pure multi-national environment.

The Working Group also had the opportunity to receive lectures on innovative solutions for MWDs preparation as well as on previous operational deployment experiences and lessons learned. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts from the Austrian Armed Forces provided support by preparing specific scenarios for military search performance by the teams.

Big interest was showed by all participants and planning for the next Ad Hoc Working group meeting is currently on-going. It is envisaged that MWDs teams will participate in further multi-national C-IED related exercises in 2016. Thus, such a capability will be fully included within the planning process and subsequent execution of C-IED related tasks at the mentioned events.

• Counter-IED project page

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq travelled to Spain yesterday to visit the Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Centre of Excellence (C-IED CoE), a multinational organisation with which the European Defence Agency is cooperating closely.

During the visit, Jorge Domecq received briefings from commander Colonel José Zamorano González as well as other C-IED CoE staff. Together they discussed the Centre’s missions and projects  as well as its current priorities in the field of information sharing, technology & development, and training.

In January 2015, a cooperation framework agreement was signed between the EDA and the C-IED CoE allowing for coherent progress in C-IED capability development initiatives and potential participation in joint projects. It will also avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts.

“The good cooperation we have in place with the C-IED CoE allows us to exchange lessons learned and enlarge the European C-IED community of interest, which ultimately benefits capability development in this crucial field with the aim of mitigating and/or preventing IED threats”, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed during the visit. “I expect our cooperation to grow based on our Member States’ needs for robust capabilities to fight improvised explosive devices in operations as well as in the homeland”, he added.

• C-IED CoE website
• EDA C-IED project page

European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides visited the European Defence Agency today to exchange views and cooperation opportunities with EDA staff and top management.

The Commissioner started his visit with a meeting with EDA Chief Executive as well as the Agency’s top management, with whom he exchanged views on the EDA’s way of working, especially its role of interface with wider EU policies, as well as on current workstrands that might contribute to support Humanitarian missions and initiatives.

After the meeting, Commissioner Stylianides met with EDA project officers who briefed him on some of the Agency’s ongoing initiatives in the field of operations support, satellite communications or medical. Current EDA projects focusing on maritime surveillance, personnel recovery or airlift support to humanitarian missions were also discussed.

“A lot of activities and projects developed under the framework of the Agency have a potential dual-use role, and thus can be as useful in humanitarian missions as they are in high-intensity conflicts”, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq commented during the visit. “As part of our close cooperation with the European Commission we stand ready to provide support  in areas of dual-use capabilities and dual-use research, while at the same time enhancing the pooling and sharing of capabilities”, he added.

• Link to Commissioner Christos Stylianides' website
• Link to EDA Operations Support project page

Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), and Massimo Garbini, Managing Director of the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Its purpose is to establish efficient cooperation and support between the two organisations with regard to SESAR deployment.

“Europe’s military fleets include some 9,500 diverse aircraft accounting for more than 150,000 flights each year. In other words, they form the single biggest ‘airline’ operating in Europe today. The challenges of the Single European Sky programme and the modernisation of European air traffic management are manifold. However, it is the role of the EDA to ensure that the European air forces will continue to have free and safe access to European airspace for training purposes, air-policing, as well as air defence missions. The financial and technological impacts of the programme need to be mitigated to ensure that they do not adversely affect European defence capabilities. Only through constructive cooperation between military and civil stakeholders, our shared vision of an efficient, safe and flexible European airspace can be realised. It is in this spirit that we sign the Memorandum of Understanding today”, said Jorge Domecq at the signature ceremony. 

Massimo Garbini, “This MoU reflects the kind of relationship we aim for with all stakeholders. Only through efficient cooperation and mutual support between both civil and military stakeholders, we can deliver the modernisation of European Air Traffic Management technology together.”

The scope of the MoU covers the SESAR deployment of sets of functionalities in accordance with the relevant regulations1. The EDA and SDM will work together to support the Member States in translating the regulation into projects to be deployed nationally with financial support from the EU. The EDA will ensure that military viewpoints and needs are captured in the SESAR Deployment Programme and support the bidding and execution processes of the projects. At the same time, the Deployment Manager will coordinate with the military through the EDA to avoid any adverse impact on national and collective defence capabilities. This involves inter alia enabling and exploiting military contributions as well as optimising the use of expertise and avoiding duplications. The EDA and SDM also agree to put in place effective coordination procedures to ensure efficient synchronisation and the timely exchange of relevant information. A Steering Committee will be set up to ensure the effective functioning of the Memorandum.

The Single European Sky (SES) aims at realising the optimisation of the airspace organisation and management in Europe through a combination of technological, economic, and regulatory efforts. SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) is the technical pillar of this. SESAR involves developing a new ATM system to handle more traffic with greater safety and at a lower cost. Its new technologies and procedures will also seek to reduce the environmental impact of flying. The resulting efforts will be deployed in a synchronised manner involving all stakeholders, civil and military.

SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) is the industrial partnership that synchronises and coordinates the modernisation of Europe’s air traffic management system under the political oversight of the European Commission. The main task of the SESAR Deployment Manager is to develop, submit to the European Commission for its approval and execute the Deployment Programme, a project view strictly drawn from the Pilot Common Project (PCP) set by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 716/2014, as well as any subsequent Common Projects in future regulations. Through the Deployment Programme, the SESAR Deployment Manager will ensure efficient synchronisation and coordination of implementation projects required to implement the PCP, as well as the related investments. The tasks of the Deployment Manager are described in Article 9 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 409/2013.

In order to ensure that the effects on military aviation are understood and taken into account, Member States entrusted EDA with the task of facilitating the coordination of military views from and in support of Member States and relevant military organisations and to inform military planning mechanisms of the requirements stemming from SESAR deployment. In 2014, EDA established a dedicated SESAR Cell to ensure that the military views and requirements are taken into account in the implementation of SESAR.

• Single European Sky project page
• SESAR Deployment Manager website

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1 Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 409/2013 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 716/2014

The European Defence Agency has just launched a €1 million, 18-month feasibility study to prepare a future cooperative governmental satellite communications (Govsatcom) programme.

The study will be delivered by a consortium led by Euroconsult with Airbus Defence & Space, CGI, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Hisdesat and SpaceTec Partners working as subcontractors. This work is expected to be complemented by other studies funded by the European Space Agency (ESA). Some synergies are also expected with the work currently performed by the European Commission.

“This study will help us to find new ways to cooperate in a complex institutional setting”, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stated upon signing the study contract. “Considering that Govsatcom capabilities are inherently dual-use, one of the main objectives will be to identify an efficient, innovative and sustainable cooperation model in particular by implementing synergies with the Commission. This will certainly be reflected by a genuine governance of the system”, he added. 

“Government satellite communications are evolving, due to changes in operational requirements and to the availability of innovative and cost effective solutions serving these,” stated Euroconsult CEO Pacome Revillon. ”The international consortium combines expertise across the full satellite communications value chain, while the project governance will guarantee the independence and neutrality of the results. All partners are fully committed to delivering a study that lays the groundwork for future European capability,” he added. 

Govsatcom was identified in December 2013 by EU Heads of State and Government as one of four priorities for capability development, along with air-to-air refuelling, remotely piloted aircraft systems and cyber defence. 

Under the lead of Spain, a common staff target harmonising the needs of military users was adopted by all EDA Member States in 2014. Based on this commonly-agreed document, a preparation phase started ahead of the launch of a full-scale cooperative project. By the end of 2016, a business case including more detailed technical requirements as well as a through-life management plan should allow Member States to assess various options in terms of cooperation models and system architectures. These findings will be to a large extent supported by the outcome of the feasibility study.

• EDA Govsatcom capability programme 
• "Filling the gap in space capabilities", article in European Defence Matters, issue 8, p. 30

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq travelled to Portugal yesterday to attend a Distinguished Visitors Day held during this year’s edition of the European Air Transport Training (EATT), a multinational training event gathering 15 military transport aircraft from 11 different European nations: Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Initiated by EDA, run by the European Air Transport Command and hosted by Portugal, EATT 15 takes place in Beja from 14 to 26 June. The EATT series of events aims to pool resources and share knowledge in order to develop comprehensive airlift training opportunities in Europe. Activities are based on national requirements and are designed to make the best use of multinational training opportunities.

“Exercises organised under the framework of the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) keep proving their value over the years, with an increasing number of Member States and aircraft types taking part – for instance, we have six of the eight European military air transport aircraft types participating in EATT 15”, Jorge Domecq stressed during the DV Day. “Since 2011, more than 70 crews have benefitted from the training delivered during EATF live-flying events, effectively increasing interoperability between European armed forces”, he added.

“I also wish to underline the good cooperation between EDA, the European Air Transport Command as well as host nations – Portugal in this case – who all work very hard to enhance airlift capabilities in Europe and to make these events possible”, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stated.

The EATT series of training events form part of a wider ecosystem of EATF events that all converge towards the same objective of increasing the European Union’s airlift capabilities. In 2015, two editions of the European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course, or EAATTC, have already taken place in Bulgaria and France, with a third one planned for September in Spain. In the meantime, four European Advanced Tactical Instructor Courses (EATIC) will be organised in Italy this year.

• EATT 15 dedicated website (Portuguese Air Force)
• EATT 15 Factsheet
• European Air Transport Fleet project page
• Exercises & training project page
• European Air Transport Command website

Earlier this month, at the Bakony Combat Training Centre in Hungary, the European Defence Agency attended exercise Capable Logistician 15. The event was coordinated by the Multinational Logistic Coordination Centre (MLCC) and supported by Hungary as host nation. Capable Logistician 15 provided the EDA with an opportunity to test its Sharing of Spare Parts (SoSP) mechanism and to prove the effectiveness of its operational procedures.

Sharing of Spare Parts (SoSP) is an initiative aimed at establishing a multinational framework for the request and provision of Mutual Logistic Support (MLS) in peacetime and during the execution of operations. MLS focuses on unforeseen and temporary shortages of common supplies as well as on in-service support for standard or specific equipment.

In this respect, Capable Logistician 15 offered a realistic scenario in which to simulate the lack of an appropriate level of logistic support - which in turn may have affected the operational effectiveness of a unit in the field. The unavailability of spare parts (in this simulated event, a transmission gear for land vehicles) has often caused serious problems in operations, especially where there is a particularly long logistic chain, where there are security considerations, or where similar collaborative solutions are not feasible or convenient.

The simulated application of the SoSP scheme allowed the exchange of spare parts between two units in the field which were using the same land vehicles.

• Exercise Capable Logistician 2015
• Sharing of Spare Parts project page

More than 30 helicopters and 1000 military personnel have gathered 80 kilometers north of Rome for Italian Blade 2015, this year’s largest military rotary-wing exercise in Europe. Crews from seven different countries have started training together yesterday using joint procedures and tactics during missions of increasing complexity.

After three successful live-flying events hosted by Portugal from 2012 to 2014, the EDA-developed Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP) has moved to Italy this year. More than 1000 military personnel and 30 helicopters coming from seven nations are taking part in Italian Blade 2015. The exercise is delivered by the Italian Army Aviation in Viterbo, about 80 km north of Rome. 

During two weeks, helicopter crews as well as ground forces will take part in joint missions during which efforts will be made to maximise interoperability between all assets involved. They will fly and operate in conditions likely to be faced in future operations, while promoting cooperation in helicopter training through the integration of multinational elements in the air and on the ground.

A mentor team of six instructors from Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom will support multinational crews in the preparation and execution of complex missions. The team will be managed by an EDA Chief Instructor, serving officer of the UK Royal Air Force, who will ensure consistency of the output as well as proper exchange of lessons learned during other EDA-organised training events, namely the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC) and the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC), which also contribute to increasing the overall availability of European military helicopters.
 

• Pictures of the exercise are available on our Flickr gallery
• Helicopter initiatives project page
• EDA exercises & training
• Italian Blade 2015 factsheet

With the exception of Poland, all EDA participating Member States as well as Norway have decided to subscribe to and therefore participate in the implementation of the Code of Conduct on REACH Defence Exemptions which was adopted in March 2015.

This new milestone highlights the importance of harmonising national defence exemption procedures. Poland is still conducting an internal analysis towards a final decision regarding its subscription to the Code of Conduct.

A harmonised approach towards national REACH defence exemptions will contribute to a level playing field for European defence industries, reducing their administrative burden and related costs. It will also support the creation of an open and transparent European Defence Equipment Market and a capable and capability-driven European Defence Technological and Industrial Base, providing armed forces with the right defence equipment to meet their operational requirements.

In coming years the EDA will act as a facilitator to support national implementation and application of the CoC in practice, by the Member States.

• EDA's project page on REACH
• EDA Code of Conduct (CoC) on REACH Defence Exemptions
• Annex to CoC - Framework for Applying for a Defence Exemption from a Requirement of REACH

From 16 to 18 June 2015, the European Defence Agency (EDA) together with the Czech National Security Authority (NBU) organised an exercise for Comprehensive and Strategic Decision Making on Cyber Security and Defence in Prague. The exercise was opened with keynote speeches from the Director of the NBU, Mr Dušan Navrátil and the Estonian Ambassador to the Czech Republic, H.E. Mr. Sten Schwede. The Estonian Ambassador to NATO, H.E. Mr. Lauri Lepik, visited the exercise on 17 June.

The exercise execution was supported by the Estonian based European Cyber Security Initiative (ECSI), a Non-Governmental Organisation aiming at improving cyber security across Europe, as well as representatives from the Estonian and Portuguese governments, the EU Military Staff and CERT-EU.

The tabletop exercise aimed at training senior decision makers from the public and private sectors to comprehensively deal with complex cyber attack scenarios. The methodological concept of the exercise, that refers back to an Estonian initiative, was initially piloted with the Portuguese government in May 2014. The exercise in Prague served as a first proof-of-concept. In total 57 representatives from the Czech government, the Czech private sector and observers from Austria, Estonia, Slovakia, ENISA and CCD COE participated. 

Participants expressed their appreciation of the exercise in general. In particular they valued the realistic scenario and concept as well as the pragmatism in transferring a complex issue into a coherent training concept. They also agreed that the exercise addressed an existing gap in the training and exercise landscape. 

A second proof-of-concept exercise will be organised with the Austrian government in September 2015 in Vienna

• Website Czech National Security Agency
• Cyber defence capability programme overview
  
  

Athena Administrator Hans-Werner Grenzhäuser today signed the declaration to join the EU SatCom Market, an ad hoc project of the European Defence Agency.

Speaking about the cooperation, Hans-Werner Grenzhäuser said: “As part of the ongoing efforts to improve the procurement process of the different operations, I am convinced that Athena will benefit from its participation in this already existing mechanism with several other EU Member States being able to pool the purchase of satellite communications and related services through the European Defence Agency.”

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq added: “With Athena now part of the EU SatCom Market project, CSDP military operations will benefit from an easier procurement process thanks to the framework already in place, instead of using ad hoc outsourcing. The foreseen additional use of this pooled procurement initiative will increase the pooling and sharing effect, while making the project more attractive to the service providers.”

Within the EU SatCom Market project, EDA acts as the central purchasing body on behalf of the contributing members. It purchases the services from a commercial provider. Airbus Defence & Space holds the current contract. Since May 2013, more than 20 orders have been placed for a total value of almost €4 million. So far, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and the United Kingdom are part of the EU SatCom Market.

The project uses a ‘pay-per-use’ model, so members do not have to contribute with a regular fee, instead they only pay for what they order. Under the arrangement with Athena all present and future EU-led military operations will be able to draw this option to cover their SatCom requirements.

Athena is the mechanism established to administer the financing of the common costs of European Union operations having military or defence implications governed by Council Decision 2015/528/CFSP. The Council Decision allows for arrangements to be signed with union bodies to facilitate procurement in operations in the most cost-effective manner.

• News: "EDA signs cooperation arrangement with Athena" (2 March 2015)
• EU SatCom Market project page
• Operations Support project page

The European Commission has recently set up a high level group of politicians, academics, think tankers and CEOs from research technology organisations and defence industry to advise on how the EU can support defence research programmes relevant to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

Working on a tasking from the December 2013 European Council, the European Defence Agency is bringing its expertise to this work strand through the organisation of workshops with the Commission and the discussion of modalities related to the future Pilot Project on CSDP Research.

The High-level Group is chaired by Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska and supported by the High Representative, Commission Vice-President and Head of the European Defence Agency Federica Mogherini – who has been represented by EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq in the Group of Personalities. It is expected to make recommendations for a long-term vision for EU-funded CSDP-related defence research in support of European defence cooperation.

While the Group will report in full in early 2016, it offers now the following considerations as a preliminary contribution in the run up to the June 2015 European Council.

The EU's security role and the need for a strong EDTIB

To ensure its long-term security, the EU and its Member States need political will and determination underpinned by a broad set of relevant instruments, including strong and modern military capabilities. These will enable the EU to live up to its responsibilities as a security provider and to be a relevant and reliable partner at global level. Investing today in future-oriented defence research programmes is crucial to developing the capabilities that will be required tomorrow.

It is widely recognised that Europe needs to retain robust military capabilities in its Member States, which, however, can no longer afford to sustain a full range of defence industrial assets on a purely national basis. Years of defence spending cuts by EU countries risk producing a net loss of combined military and industrial capabilities. And while defence-related research is pivotal in maintaining the technological edge that ensures military advantage, European investment in defence R&D has declined by more than 29 % since 2006 – and by more than 27 % in R&T.

The European defence industry needs therefore to become more integrated and more sustainable in order to maintain critical mass and global competitiveness, to remain an equal and attractive partner internationally, and to generate the key defence technologies needed to ensure Europe’s long-term operational autonomy. A common understanding of the capability-driven research areas that should be developed cooperatively - and of the ways to identify and select them - will be required, taking into account all existing processes at EU level.

The role of future collaborative programmes in addressing capability gaps

Cooperative defence research programmes will clearly be essential for sustaining and fostering key military capabilities in Europe and addressing well-known shortfalls. Currently, however, only 8% of national defence budgets are spent on collaborative projects.

The Preparatory Action and its follow-on programme can contribute significantly to the development of crucial military capabilities for Europe and help ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of the European defence industrial sector - from prime contractor level through to SMEs - thus also underpinning the Union’s long-term security.

The Preparatory Action should therefore pave the way to a substantial and ambitious CSDP-related defence research programme in the next EU multi-annual funding framework, thus making a quantitative and qualitative difference to the current situation and demonstrating the added value of a permanent EU scheme.

Key principles for EU-funded CSDP-related defence research

The future research programme must be clearly defence-oriented, coherent with and complementary to existing national defence research efforts, and must take fully into account the unique aspects of the defence sector in its governance principles and modalities.

It must help address specific capability needs stemming from the evolving security environment, avoid duplications, and catalyse collaborative research efforts.

The Preparatory Action needs to properly test the effectiveness and relevance of EU-funded defence research and the appropriateness of the proposed governance model. As such, it should be endowed with appropriate and credible means – preferably up to the maximum budget allowed by the legal framework.

Members

• Fernando Abril-Martorell, CEO Indra;
• Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• Antoine Bouvier, CEO MBDA;
• Håkan Buskhe, CEO of Saab;
• Paul de Krom, former secretary of State for Social Affairs and Employment, President and CEO of TNO, a Dutch organization of applied scientific research
• Tom Enders, CEO Airbus Group;
• Michael Gahler, MEP, EP rapporteur for Commission's communication on defence;
• Elisabeth Guigou, President of the Foreign Affairs Commission in l'Assamblée Nationale, former Minister of European Affairs, of Justice and of Employment;
• Ian King, Chief Executive BAE Systems;
• Bogdan Klich, former Minister of Defence, member of Polish Senate;
• Mauro Moretti, CEO Finmeccanica;
• Reimund Neugebauer, President of the "Frauenhofer-Gesellschaft", application-oriented research organisation;
• Arndt Schoenemann, Managing Director of Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Chairman of ASD Supply Chain and SME Group;
• Teija Tiilikainen, Director of Finnish Institute of International Affairs;
• Nick Witney, former EDA Chief Executive, senior policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

More information

• Link to release on DG GROW's website
• Link to EEAS website

Italian Blade 2015, the 8th training event organised under the framework of the European Defence Agency’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), will start on 22 June in Viterbo, Italy. Gathering about 40 helicopters from seven different countries, it will be one of the largest exercises organised since the establishment of the HEP.

Aircraft from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia will attend this year’s exercise. The event will be hosted by the Italian Army Aviation (Aviazione dell'Esercito) in Viterbo airbase, about 80 km north of Rome. In total, more than 1000 military personnel are expected to take part in the event which will run from 22 June to 3 July.

As with previous HEP live-flying exercises, Italian Blade’s main objectives will be to train European helicopter crews in conditions likely to be faced in possible future operations, while promoting cooperation in helicopters training and developing joint interoperability between multinational elements, both in the air and on the ground. A particular focus will be given to the integration of ground forces into the exercise’s scenarios so as to develop common procedures and build trust between flying crews and ground personnel from different nations.

The HEP exercises are only one of multiple projects undertaken by the European Defence Agency to increase the overall availability of European military helicopters, with other initiatives such as the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC) or the Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC) now ongoing. These efforts demonstrate that at very low-cost, quick operational benefits can be yielded to ensure success on tomorrow’s battlefields.

• Italian Blade 2015 Factsheet
• EDA Helicopter Initiatives project page

The latest issue of European Defence Matters, the official magazine of the European Defence Agency, is now available. Timed to coincide with the opening of the 51st edition of the International Paris Air Show, it focuses on European military aerospace issues.

This eighth issue of European Defence Matters will cover a wide variety of aerospace-related topics ranging from air-to-air refuelling, satellite communications, implementation of the Single European Sky or remotely piloted aircraft systems. It includes interviews with EDA experts and key players in the area such as Général Denis Mercier, French air force Chief of Staff, or Fernando Alonso, Head of military aircraft with Airbus Defence & Space.

In addition to our European aerospace feature story, this issue also includes an exclusive opinion piece from High Representative and Head of the Agency Federica Mogherini, who shares her thoughts on the future of European defence. 

• The latest issue of European Defence Matters is available at this link 

Following a Steering Board mandate to the Head of the Agency to initiate formal negotiations of an Administrative Arrangement with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine earlier this year, the EDA Chief Executive, Jorge Domecq today met with the Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Ihor Pavlovskyi, and a Ukrainian delegation.

“The purpose of today’s meeting is to launch the negotiation process for a possible Administrative Arrangement between the Agency and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. This arrangement will enable Ukraine, when agreed, to participate in EDA’s projects and programmes. Specific areas of cooperation will need to be defined”, Jorge Domecq said after the meeting.

Cooperation between Ukraine and EDA on capability development including technology issues is foreseen in the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement that was signed by EU Heads of State and Government and the Ukrainian President in 2014.

• The EU’s relation with Ukraine, EEAS website (/)

The European Defence Agency (EDA) today placed the first order of Carl-Gustaf ammunition on behalf of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Poland. The order is the first since EDA signed a framework contract with Saab on behalf of the participating Member States in 2014. The order amounts to € 13.6 million and deliveries will take place during 2015-2016. 

“By pooling resources through this multinational agreement, participating Member States ensure they get the capabilities they need in the most efficient way possible. It also allows participating countries to purchase ammunition according to their national needs despite having different budget cycles”, says Peter Round, EDA Capability, Armament & Technology Director. 

“This unique and very flexible way of providing Carl-Gustaf ammunition ensures that our customers can maintain highly capable and deployment-ready defence forces. The proven and reliable Carl-Gustaf system offers soldiers unique flexibility and capability through its high accuracy, light weight and built-in compatibility with future innovations,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab business area Dynamics. 

On 30 June 2014, the EDA and Saab Dynamics AB signed a multi-annual framework agreement for the provision of different types of ammunition for the ‘Carl-Gustaf’ recoilless anti-tank weapon. The framework agreement lasts five years and includes a possible renewal of two more years, with an estimated value of up to € 50 million. 

It comes under a procurement arrangement between EDA and Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Poland, agreed on 23 April 2013. Under this arrangement EDA acts as the central purchasing body, taking the leading role in the procurement procedure for Carl-Gustaf ammunition in the framework of EDA’s Effective Procurement Methods (EPM) initiative. EDA will also be in charge of managing the framework contract to fully exploit the effects of pooling demand.   

• News "EDA signs a framework agreement to provide Carl-Gustaf ammunition for its Member States" (08 July 2014)
• News "Pooled Ammunition Procurement: EDA Supports Baltic States" (12 March 2013) 
• Factsheet Effective Procurement Methods

The fourth edition of the Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course (PRCPC), a project initiated by the European Defence Agency, took place from 25 May to 5 June 2015 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 8 countries.

Students from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom benefitted from the knowledge and experience of a cadre of instructors from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, and the United States. Personnel recovery (PR) is usually defined as the sum of military, diplomatic and civil efforts needed to ensure the recovery and reintegration of isolated civilian or military personnel.

During the course, the newly-developed EDA’s Personnel Recovery Functional Area Service Advanced Technology Demonstrator (PR FAS ATD) was successfully tested and evaluated. 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 amongst European armed forces in the field of personnel recovery.

The next EU PRCPC will take place from 23 November to 4 December 2015 in Italy (Poggio, Renatico) and will be organised by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC). During the course, the final test of the PR FAS ATD will take place and should then allow the system to be available to all EDA participating Member States.

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. EPRC is a potential candidate for the continuation of the project.

• Successful personnel recovery course held in Sweden (6 March 2015)

Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive, today met with Martin Glváč, Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic, to exchange views on the preparation of the European Council in June 2015 and Slovakia’s participation in EDA projects.

The Slovak Chief of Defence stated that Slovakia and the Ministry of Defence were ready to support EDA’s intentions and reinforce present cooperation. „We will support your initiatives. I think we should begin with smaller projects and then move to the bigger ones,“ said Minister of Defence Martin Glváč. He also noted that in V4 countries one of the problems with closer cooperation is that V4 countries were for too long aiming in different directions. „This is the main problem why we sometimes have difficulties to unite our development programmes“, he stated.

He also informed the EDA Chief Executive about current defence modernisation projects, which until now covered mainly air forces. „Our task now is to continue with modernisation of land forces, where we would like to focus on 4x4 and 8x8 vehicles“, he said. He also noted that Slovak defence companies are awakening. „A good example are our military repair facilities, which we leased to our strategic partners so they can offer their products further“, said Minister of Defence Martin Glváč.

“The Agency’s main tasks are to support Member States in their efforts to improve defence capabilities, to encourage cooperative R&T, to support the national defence industries and to ensure that military views are taken into account in wider EU policies. The Agency clearly is at the service of Member States and our support corresponds to their level of ambitions. We welcome the active participation of the Slovak Republic in countering improvised explosive devices; the harmonisation of the Single European Sky and works on airworthiness and standardisation topics. We hope this engagement will increase in the near future”, said Jorge Domecq during the visit in Bratislava.

The discussion is part of a series of visits by Mr. Domecq to all EDA Member States following his appointment as EDA Chief Executive. So far, Mr. Domecq visited Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden and Italy.

More information:

• News "EDA and Italy discuss defence cooperation" (3 June 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq meets Maltese Minister of Home Affairs and National Security" (19 May 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq discusses defence cooperation in Finland" (13 May 2015)
• News "Sweden welcomes EDA Chief Executive" (12 May 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq in Luxembourg to discuss cooperation" (5 May 2015)
• News "Defence cooperation talks in Cyprus" (23 April 2015)
• News "Chief Executive meets Hungarian Minister of Defence" (23 April 2015)
• News "EDA Chief Executive visits Athens" (22 April 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq in Poland for defence discussions"(20 April 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq meets Estonian Minister of Defence" (20 April 2015)
• News "Meeting with Croatian Defence Minister in Zagreb" (17 April 2015)
• News "Slovenia welcomes Jorge Domecq" (15 April 2015)
• News "EDA Chief Executive visits Czech Republic" (13 April 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq in Bulgaria to discuss defence cooperation" (8 April 2015)
• News "EDA Chief Executive travels to Romania" (8 April 2015)
• News "EDA Chief Executive meets French Minister of Defence" (30 March 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq exchanges views with Irish Minister of Defence Simon Coveney T.D." (25 March 2015)
• News "EDA Chief Executive visits The Netherlands" (23 March 2015)
• News "Discussions on European defence in Portugal" (19 March 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq meets German Secretary of State" (19 March 2015)
• News "Belgium and EDA discuss future defence cooperation" (18 March 2015)
• News "Jorge Domecq in the UK for cooperation talks" (25 Feb 2015)
• News "Latvia and EDA discuss cooperation opportunities" (19 Feb 2015)
• News "EDA Chief Executive visits Lithuania" (17 Feb 2015)