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Updated: 1 week 4 days ago

Cyber defence exercise for decision makers

Mon, 22/06/2015 - 17:32

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

 

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Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Athena Mechanism joins EU SatCom Market

Thu, 18/06/2015 - 12:08

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.”


EU SatCom Market

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.


The Athena Mechanism

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.


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Categories: Defence`s Feeds

High-level Group of Personalities on defence research issues statement

Thu, 18/06/2015 - 11:52

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.


Official Statement by the Group of Personalities on defence research

 

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).

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Categories: Defence`s Feeds

One week to go until Italian Blade 2015

Mon, 15/06/2015 - 09:07

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.


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Special aerospace issue of EDA magazine available

Fri, 12/06/2015 - 16:35

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. 


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Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Negotiations of Administrative Arrangement with Ukraine launched

Thu, 11/06/2015 - 12:16

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.


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EDA places first order for Carl-Gustaf ammunition

Thu, 11/06/2015 - 11:45

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.   


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Hungary hosts personnel recovery course

Tue, 09/06/2015 - 09:27

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.


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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.

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Exchange of views with Slovak Minister of Defence

Thu, 04/06/2015 - 16:59

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.


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EDA and Italy discuss defence cooperation

Wed, 03/06/2015 - 09:44

On 13 May, Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive, met with Roberta Pinotti, the Italian Minister of Defence, to exchange views on the preparation of the European Council in June 2015 and Italy’s participation in EDA projects. 

“The visit to Rome allowed for numerous interesting and forward looking discussions. We touched upon Italy’s involvement in EDA’s key capability programmes on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems and cyber defence as well as the update of the European security strategy. Another important topic was the Agency’s project on maritime surveillance (MARSUR). I also assured Minister Pinotti of the Agency’s willingness to provide operational support for a possible CSDP mission in the southern central Mediterranean”, Jorge Domecq said in Rome. 

The visit in Italy also allowed for meetings with other high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Defence, the Chief of Defence, the President of the Defence Committee in the Italian Senate and the CEO of Finmeccanica. It is part of a series of visits by Mr. Domecq to all EDA Member States following his appointment as EDA Chief Executive. 

 

The picture shows EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq (right) with the Italian Secretary General of Defence and National Armaments Director, Lt. Gen. Enzo Stefanini. Copyright picture: Italian Ministry of Defence.


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EDA holds ammunition safety workshop in Slovakia

Tue, 26/05/2015 - 09:22

Twenty-five experts from 10 EU Member States as well as Switzerland gathered in Slovakia recently for the 3rd edition of the Ammunition Safety Workshop organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA).


The primary objective of the event, which took place at the Zahorie Test Centre (about 60 km from capital city Bratislava), was to provide European ammunition safety experts with an overview of the military test centre itself with a view of learning, comparing and harmonising test methods to achieve mutual endorsements of ammunition test houses.

The first part of the workshop addressed test procedures of small, medium and large ammunition. A second part was held at the Slovakian Ministry of Defence premises in Bratislava, where national test and evaluation capabilities were showcased.

Thanks to the fruitful expert discussions at the laboratories and test ranges, the workshop was deemed successful by participants and contributed to the further harmonisation of ammunition safety test procedures.


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France hosts EAATTC course in Orléans

Fri, 22/05/2015 - 09:15

This year’s second edition of the European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course is taking place in Orléans, France, 18-29 May. It gathers transport aircraft from five European Member States training together to increase interoperability.


The main objectives of this course initiated by the European Defence Agency, run by the European Air Transport Command (EATC) and hosted for the first time by the French air force were presented to a group of Distinguished Visitors on 21 May. The EAATTC series of events aims to provide air transport crews with a robust airlift tactics syllabus in order to enhance interoperability between European air forces.

EAATTC15-2, the 2nd of three similar courses to be held in 2015, put the emphasis on formation-flying techniques and procedures. The complexity of the missions flown during the event increases over the course of the exercise, and graduating crews are presented with an official certificate at the end of the event.

“The French air force has been extremely supportive in the organisation of EAATTC15-2 and is now delivering a top-level training in close cooperation with the EATC “, EDA Course Director Michele Rega underlined during the DV Day. “Organised as part of the wider European Air Transport Fleet partnership, the EAATTC series of events makes a tangible and long-lasting contribution to the increase of military airlift capabilities in Europe”, he added.


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EDA discusses defence cooperation at IDET show

Thu, 21/05/2015 - 10:10

EDA Deputy Chief Executive Rini Goos travelled to Czech Republic this week for a series of meetings with Central and Eastern European defence industry representatives on the margins of the IDET defence show in Brno. There he also chaired a workshop on the balanced European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).


On the opening day of the IDET show, Rini Goos delivered a speech at the “Security Trends” conference, highlighting the EDA’s role of strengthening the European defence industry. “At EDA, we fully recognize the diversity of the defence industry in Europe”, he stressed during his speech. “Diversity is an asset we need to exploit and this is why we are keen to insist on the notion of a balanced EDTIB”.

During his visit to Czech Republic, Rini Goos also had a series of bilateral meetings with defence industry representatives of Central and Eastern European (CEE) Member States such as Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

On 20 May, the EDA Deputy Chief Executive chaired an EDA-organised workshop dedicated to the Balanced EDTIB. “Europe can no longer afford to ignore the contribution of Central and Eastern European Member States’ defence industries to the European defence industry as a whole”, Rini Goos insisted during the event. “The EDA has just launched a six-month study whose goal is precisely to study the capabilities of the CEE countries and to identify ways to increase capacity building between them”, he added. Two similar workshops were previously held in Brussels in October 2014 and March 2015.


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2015 EDA-Egmont PhD prize awarded

Wed, 20/05/2015 - 10:31

The European Defence Agency and the Egmont Institute are proud to announce that the 2015 EDA-Egmont PhD prize has been awarded to Mr. Andrea Gilli for his research work on armaments cooperation.


The EDA-Egmont PhD prize was created in 2013 to stimulate research in the field of European defence, security and strategy. The prize rewards research work undertaken as part of a PhD thesis carried out at a recognised academic institution.

The 2015 was awarded to Andrea Gilli, Post-doctoral Fellow, Center for Security Studies, Metropolitan University Prague, for his thesis entitled “Unipolarity, Technological Change and Arms Manufacturing: Industrial Alliances in the European Defense Industry”.

“Tackling the issue of armaments cooperation, which is not just highly political but also very technical, takes daring on the part of a young PhD candidate – Andrea Gilli has succeeded brilliantly”, Prof Sven Biscop of Egmont, Jury Chair, underlines. “His dissertation is most enlightening and very readable, for academics and practitioners alike. Unlike many dissertations about European topics, Gilli does not attempt to bring a good news show. Instead he demonstrates why armaments cooperation is most difficult where intuitively one would expect it to be most evident. From that dour lesson, policy implications can be drawn and a way for the future charted. A well-earned doctorate, to which the jury unanimously added the 2nd EDA-Egmont Prize”.

Eight thesis were submitted for the EDA-Egmont Prize. The award jury, chaired by Prof Sven Biscop, was composed of Mr. Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive; General Patrick de Rousiers, EU Military Committee Chairman; Dr Antonio Missiroli, EUISS Director; Prof Jolyon Howorth, University of Bath / Yale University; Dr Hilmar Linnenkamp, Adviser SWP; and Prof Richard Whitman, University of Kent.

“The EDA-Egmont PhD prize is meant to boost innovative research in the field of European defence and security”, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stresses. “This year’s winner will not only be awarded a €2000 grant but will also have the opportunity to share his views with high-level executives during the upcoming EDA Annual Conference on 16 November, effectively bridging the gap between research and European policy-making mechanisms”, he adds.

 

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Initiative to mitigate human-related risks in cyber space signed

Tue, 19/05/2015 - 15:18

On 18 May, the Ministers of Defence of Austria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Netherlands as well as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Head of Agency on behalf of the European External Action Service, EU Military Committee and European Defence Agency, signed a pledge to mitigate human-related risks in cyber space by launching the Cyber Hygiene initiative. The initiative is an important contribution to the implementation of the EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework, notably on awareness raising for CSDP structures, missions and operations.

By joining the pledge, the signatory Member States promise to adopt and implement internal guidelines for best behavioural principles for cyber hygiene by the end of 2016. This includes, for example, introducing a mandatory e-learning platform.

Initiated by the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the initiative calls to strengthen cyber security culture as low awareness and human-related risks are a common cause of cyber incidents. A large number of cyber incidents can be avoided, or their effects greatly mitigated, if certain behavioural cyber security procedures and implementation measures are applied. It is part of a wider project, which aims to educate the members of defence sector institutions on secure behaviour while using online resources. 

Beyond its commitment to implement internal guidelines, the Agency will contribute to expanding this initiative to other interested EU Member States.

EDA activities

The December 2013 European Council identified cyber defence as one of the priority areas to take forward in the European Union. Furthermore, in November 2014 the Council adopted the EU Cyber Defence Policy Framework. Cyber defence has also been identified as a priority area in the EDA’s Capability Development Plan. 

The armed forces are reliant on cyberspace both as a user and as a domain to achieve defence and security missions. The Agency is active in the fields of cyber defence capabilities and in the research & technology domain.

In the last three years, the Agency has completed ten cyber defence related projects with a financial volume of about two million euros. This equals to approximately 10% of EDA’s operational budget. Among these ten projects are a stocktaking study of cyber defence capabilities among all EDA Member States and EU institutions, the establishment of a cyber defence research agenda and cyber defence training courses for senior military decision makers as well as the assessment of the feasibility of a EU Cyber Defence Centre for CSDP. 


Copyright picture: European Union, 2015. 
From left to right: Ms. Jeanine HENNIS-PLASSCHAERT, Dutch Minister of Defence; Mr Gerald KLUG, Austrian Federal Minister for Defence and Sport; Mr Sven MIKSER, Estonian Minister of Defence; Ms. Federica MOGHERINI, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; Mr Raimonds VEJONIS, Latvian Minister for Defence; Mr Juozas OLEKAS, Lithuanian Minister for National Defence; Ms. Piritta ASUNMAA, PSC Ambassador of Finland


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Jorge Domecq meets Maltese Minister of Home Affairs and National Security

Tue, 19/05/2015 - 14:41

In the margins of the EDA Steering Board, Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive, met with Carmelo Abela, Maltese Minister of Home Affairs and National Security to exchange views on Malta’s involvement in EDA projects.

Minister Abela welcomed the planned visit by the Chief Executive to Malta in the near future. He stated that though Malta’s defence capabilities were limited due to its size, it nonetheless followed and supported the EDA’s work and had in fact participated in some activities such as training on access to EU funds. He looked forward to seeing improvement with regard to Malta’s contribution to the EDA’s work and would welcome proposals for joint collaboration with the EDA, especially with regard to the maritime field. 

“The European Defence Agency is at the service of all its Member States. I welcome Malta’s wish to further engage with the Agency. Our discussion today highlighted two projects of potential interest: Single European Sky ATM Research as well as dual-use research technology, especially in the maritime domain”, said Jorge Domecq.

The discussion is part of a series of visits by Mr. Domecq to all EDA Member States following his appointment as EDA Chief Executive. It comes ahead of a visit to Malta which was confirmed by Minister Abela during the discussion.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. 

 

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Defence Ministers agree on input for June European Council

Mon, 18/05/2015 - 18:00

Defence Ministers today formalised their contribution in view of the European Council at the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency (EDA). It complements the contributions from the High Representative /Head of Agency Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Bieńkowska. Among others, Ministers agreed on analysing the implications of hybrid warfare for European defence capability development, on further incentivising defence cooperation including the Preparatory Action on CSDP-related research, on a SME Action Plan, on potential basic principles, objectives and actions for a Security of Supply regime as well as future priorities of the Agency. 


Capability development

During today’s meeting, Defence Ministers welcomed the progress achieved in the implementation of the 2013 European Council Conclusions. The four capability programmes on Air-to-Air Refuelling, Cyber Defence, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems and Governmental Satellite Communications endorsed by the European Council in 2013 are making good progress in line with their roadmaps. 

Cooperative programmes are important for enhancing capabilities in Europe, but also for clarifying priorities for industry. Defence Ministers agreed that potential additional priority capability areas could be investigated using the Agency’s Capability Development Plan, an assessment of cooperative opportunities derived from the Collaborative Database (CODABA) and EU wider policies. 

The Agency was also tasked to conduct an analysis of the implications of hybrid warfare for European defence capability development in light of the changed security environment to the East and South. The analysis might form part of wider efforts, co-ordinated by the External Action Service and also including the Commission, to analyse the impact of hybrid warfare on the European security environment and to identify, and recommend improvements to existing EU tools and instruments that are best suited to counter this threat.

 

Incentives for defence cooperation

While Member States spent 26% of their defence equipment budget in collaborative procurement in 2011, this ratio was 16% in 2013. There is a need to spend better on defence, and to do more together. 

Defence Ministers today confirmed the need for  EDA to work on  non-market distorting fiscal and financial measures to further incentivise defence cooperation. Tangible progress has been achieved on VAT exemption for ad hoc projects in EDA, with the support of the Commission and the Belgian authorities. Three pilot cases currently benefit from VAT exemption. Formalisation of this VAT exemption is pending the currently ongoing review of the EDA Council Decision.

EDA is investigating with Member States financial engineering mechanisms in support of defence cooperation, including a potential European investment fund for defence, for example to improve the availability of funds and the synchronisation of budgets allocated to cooperative programmes. This fund could be part of the pooled procurement mechanism. In addition, EDA has initiated contacts with the European Investment Bank to investigate potential financial support to the industrial sector and cooperative programmes of a dual-use nature.

In November 2014 the EDA proposed and Member States approved a Policy Framework for long-term and systematic cooperation. Its objective is to provide a coherent basis for defence cooperation in Europe, from priority-setting through in-service support to disposal/decommissioning.

 

Preparatory Action on CSDP-related research

There is a need to halt the continuing decline in investment of defence R&T and maintain competence in areas of critical technologies. The Preparatory Action on CSDP-related research, and its potential follow-on action in the next Multiannual Financial Framework, could provide fresh impetus. Ministers of Defence supported the progress achieved towards the development of the Preparatory Action by the European Defence Agency and the European Commission in close cooperation with the Member States.  They endorsed consolidated views pushing for a defence-oriented and CSDP-related Preparatory Action. The European Council in June 2015 is expected to provide further guidance. 


SME Action Plan

Defence Ministers furthermore agreed on revised guidelines for facilitating access to the defence market for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), supporting the implementation of the  Agency’s SME Action Plan. SMEs are considered to be the backbone of the EU economy in terms of jobs creation, growth and innovation. The role of SMEs in the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) has gradually increased over time, partly as a result of greater outsourcing. The non-binding guidelines were prepared in close cooperation with the Member States and the European Commission. They contain recommendations dedicated to access to supply chain, access to finance, support to innovation, competitiveness and industrial performance, and security of supply aspects. 


Security of Supply

Security of Supply arrangements are indispensable for the sustainment of operations, the development of long-term planning and cooperation, and the functioning of the internal market for defence. The December 2013 European Council called on the Commission to develop with Member States and in cooperation with the High Representative and the EDA a roadmap for a comprehensive EU-wide Security of Supply regime, which takes account of the globalised nature of critical supply chains. Due to the significance and multi-dimensional nature of the Security of Supply and taking into account experience gained from its work and activities, the EDA has together with its Member States identified potential basic principles and objectives of such a  regime as well as actions that could be taken at the intergovernmental level. Proposed actions include establishing specific measures to ensure access  to critical capabilities and technologies, e.g. through an early-warning or prioritisation mechanism, developing a mechanism to address concrete short term shortfalls, promoting cross-border cooperation, and bringing the supply and demand side closer together, for example through user-clubs.

 


Future priorities of EDA 

Ministers of Defence today endorsed the future priorities of the EDA including three core activities to further strengthen defence cooperation: support the development of capabilities and military cooperation; stimulate defence R&T to prepare the capabilities of tomorrow and support the EDTIB; and ensure that the interests and specificities of defence are taken into account in wider EU policies.

Under the authority of Federica Mogherini, the Head of the Agency, EDA is a key instrument for supporting and facilitating defence cooperation in Europe. EDA’s strength is that it is Member State-owned and -driven. To date, EDA has managed around 150 R&T projects with a total aggregate budget of almost €500m. 


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EDA and ESA launch DeSIRE II demonstration project

Mon, 18/05/2015 - 09:49

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) agreed to kick-off on 9 April 2015 a new project in accordance with their demonstration roadmap to support the development of governmental, institutional and commercial services provided by Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) flying in non-segregated airspace.


The DeSIRE II demonstration is expected to run for 18 months with a total budget of €2,6 million. An industrial consortium led by Telespazio, one of the world’s leading company in space applications and end-to-end satellite communications services, will act as prime contractor and system integrator. The main results and recommendations coming out of the project will be disseminated to support European standardisation and regulatory activities, especially for the definition of future satellite-based command & control datalinks.

During DeSIRE II, a Piaggio Aero P.1HH HammerHead will be used as a flying testbed for the development, integration and testing of a set of capabilities designed to allow safe RPAS operation in civilian airspace in support of missions such as environment monitoring, maritime surveillance or crisis management. The joint EDA-ESA project will also aim at characterising Satcom command and control datalinks in different frequency bands through simulation, emulation and flight demonstration campaigns. Meanwhile, DeSIRE II will be also be supported by end users (Italian Coast Guard, Italian Civil Protection Department, Guardia di Finanza, European Fisheries Control Agency, Ceren and Armasuisse) who will consolidate their operational and regulatory requirements to operate RPAS in non-segregated airspace. 

This new project is a follow-on to the first DeSIRE demonstration, an EDA-ESA project led by Spanish company Indra which ran from 2011 to 2013. It culminated with a series of successful test flights demonstrating the ability of a RPAS using a satellite link to safely share the sky with other airspace users. 

Out of the €2,6 million project budget, €1,2 million will be invested by ESA, €600.000 by the EDA on its operational budget and €800.000 by the industrial consortium composed of Telespazio, e-GEOS, Selex ES, Piaggio Aero, ViaSat, Skyguide and Ædel Aerospace GmbH. 


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Jorge Domecq discusses defence cooperation in Finland

Wed, 13/05/2015 - 15:09

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq travelled to Finland on 8 May for discussions with the Finnish Minister of Defence, Carl Haglund on the preparation of the European Council in June 2015 and Finland’s participation in EDA projects. 

”Finland is actively involved in many of the Agency’s initiatives such as our commercial satellite communication joint procurement scheme, helicopter exercise programme, cyber defence and measures for the European defence industry including support to small and medium sized enterprises. Finland furthermore leads the Agency’s work on maritime capabilities in the Arctic as well as the maritime surveillance project which is ready to be used by Member States. With its long experience in regional multilateral cooperation, we have a lot to learn from Finland in areas such as security of supply”, stressed Jorge Domecq during his visit in Finland. 

During his visit in Finland, Jorge Domecq also spoke at a seminar on European defence organised by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and the Ministry of Defence of Finland. He furthermore held meetings with the Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, as well as the Permanent Secretary Arto Räty and other high-level officials at the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister’s office. 

It is part of a series of visits by Mr. Domecq to all EDA Member States following his appointment as EDA Chief Executive and ahead of the Ministerial Steering Board on 18 May 2015. 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, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus and Luxembourg. Upcoming confirmed visits are Sweden and Italy. 

 

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Sweden welcomes EDA Chief Executive

Tue, 12/05/2015 - 16:50

Jorge Domecq, EDA Chief Executive, today met with Jan Selstrand, Swedish State Secretary to the Minister of Defence to exchange views on the preparation of the European Council in June 2015 and Sweden’s participation in EDA projects. 

“It has been a very fruitful meeting with Jorge Domecq. It is of great importance that we not only exchange views ahead of the European Council in June 2015, but that we also discuss how we can further deepen our participation and cooperation in EDA projects”, said Swedish State Secretary Jan Salestrand. 

“Sweden is an active member of the European Defence Agency. It is for example involved in the Agency’s work on maritime capabilities where the EDA runs projects focussing on unmanned maritime systems, maritime surveillance, as well as maritime mine counter measures. Sweden is also the lead nation of the MIDCAS project developing a mid-air collision avoidance system which will contribute to the safe integration of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems into normal airspace. This project reached an important milestone end of April with the successful completion of a series of flight tests”, Jorge Domecq said after the meetings. 

The visit in Sweden is part of a series of visits by Mr. Domecq to all EDA Member States following his appointment as EDA Chief Executive and ahead of the Ministerial Steering Board on 18 May 2015. 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, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus and Finland. He will next travel to Italy.

 

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