You are here

EDA News

Subscribe to EDA News feed
Updated: 2 months 2 days ago

EDA finds record European defence spending in 2020 with slump in collaborative expenditure

Mon, 06/12/2021 - 07:20

Today, the European Defence Agency (EDA) published its annual Defence Data report for 2019-2020, detailing defence spending by the 26 EDA Member States. In 2020, total defence spending stood at €198 billion, marking a further 5% increase on 2019, and making it the highest level ever recorded by EDA since it began collecting data in 2006. EDA’s report also finds that 19 Member States increased their overall defence spending in 2020, with 6 raising spending by over 10%.

Sustained Rise in Defence Expenditure and Investment

At €198 billion, total defence expenditure corresponds to 1.5 % of the 26 EDA Member States’ gross domestic product (GDP) and marks the sixth year of consecutive growth. For the second year in a row EDA has recorded a 5% rise in defence spending, despite the economic impacts of COVID-19.

EDA’s Defence Data report finds that the sustained increase in overall spending is also reflected in national numbers. In 2020, of the 19 Member States who increased spending, 13 raised spending by 5% or more. 6 Member States raised it by 10% or more.  7 Member States reduced spending, up from 3 in 2019, for a combined total reduction of €1.42 billion.

Increased spending was also recorded in a variety of areas, with defence investments in research, development and procurement of new equipment continuing to grow. Defence investments by Member States hit EDA’s high-ever recorded figure of €44 billion, representing a 5% increase on 2019.

When combined, Member States have achieved the 20% benchmark of defence investment as a percentage of total defence expenditure, with 14 Member States allocating 20% or more, while a joint EDA recorded low of only 3 states spent less than 10% in this area.

New low in collaborative European defence spending

Despite the sustained rise in total defence expenditure, collaborative defence spending has continued to trend downward. In 2020, Member States spent a total of €4.1 billion on the procurement of new equipment in cooperation with others, a fall of 13% compared to 2019. The data submitted to EDA shows a significant reduction in European collaborative defence equipment procurement since 2016. Member States conducted just 11% of their total equipment procurement in cooperation with other EU Member States in 2020, falling well short of the 35% collective benchmark, which is also a commitment under Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

European Defence Spending - 2020 Key Findings

EDA’s report, based on data voluntarily provided by Ministries of Defence, also finds that total defence expenditure represented 2.8% of total government expenditure. Additional findings include:

  • Of the €44 billion spent on defence investments, 83% or €36 billion were used for equipment procurement and 17% or €8 billion for research and development. The same percentage split as in 2019.
  • Procurement of new equipment has benefited most from increased spending with a record €36 billion allocated in 2020, compared to the recent low of €21 billion in 2014.
  • A record €2.5 billion was allocated to defence research and technology in 2020. The increase is driven by two Member States – France and Germany – who together provide more than 90% of the increase in R&T.

EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý said: “The sustained rise in European defence spending is a positive development and 2020’s figures show that the errors of deep defence cuts following the 2007-2008 financial crisis are unlikely to be repeated. I particularly welcome the record €2.5 billion allocated to defence research and technology as a positive sign for the long-term, but equally hope to see more Member States invest in this key domain for European competitiveness and autonomy.

Through EDA’s work on European defence cooperation, I remain convinced that spending better means spending together. Based on the data we received, the downward trend on European collaborative spending is particularly concerning. There are reasons to be optimistic that this trend will be reversed in the years to come as PESCO projects mature, CARD focus areas are taken forward and the European Defence Fund is launched. It is now time for Member States to firmly move European defence collaboration from process to projects.

Uneven Investment in Defence Research & Technology

In 2020, defence Research and Technology (R&T) spending amounted to €2.5 billion, marking a massive 46% increase compared to 2019 and an EDA recorded high. This brings defence R&T expenditure as a percentage of total defence expenditure above 1% for the first time since 2014.

The trend of running defence projects predominantly nationally rather than collectively also applies to defence R&T. In 2020, Member States spent €143 million on defence R&T projects in cooperation with other EU states, representing 6% of Member States total defence R&T expenditure. This marks the lowest share recorded by EDA since it started collecting data in 2005 and is far below the benchmark of 20%. Uneven R&T investment is also evident here as 6 Member States – Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain – do achieve the 20% benchmark, of which 3 spend more than 50% of their defence R&T expenditure with others.

Background

EDA collects defence data on an annual basis, and has done so since 2006, in line with the Agency’s Ministerial Steering Board Decision of November 2005. The Ministries of Defence of the Agency’s 26 Member States provide the data. EDA acts as the custodian of the data and publishes the aggregated figures in its booklets.

All data is collated (“total incorporates 26 EDA Member States”), and it has been rounded. Defence expenditure figures are provided in constant 2020 prices, to take inflation into account and allow for a comparison across years.

 
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

EDA Chief Executive holds talks in Croatia

Fri, 03/12/2021 - 14:06

EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý, visited Croatia this week (2-3 December) for high-level talks with Minister of Defence Mario Banožić, Chief of Defence Vice Admiral Robert Hranj, Defence State Secretary Zdravko Jakop, as well as the country’s national policy, capability, armaments and research directors. Mr Šedivý also met with Political Director Petar Mihatov (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and representatives of Croatian Defence Industry Competitiveness Cluster.

Discussions with Minister Banožić focused on the potential and opportunities for Croatia to grow its engagement with EDA. Mr. Šedivý took the opportunity to further present EDA’s work and projects, with a special focus on the cooperation opportunities identified in the first Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the state of play in the PESCO implementation where Croatia is participating in seven projects.  Defence innovation, and EDA’s crucial role in it, were also raised with the minister, following up on the recent debate at EDA’s ministerial Steering Board. Several options for EDA’s future role are currently being discussed, including that of establishing a Defence Innovation Hub within the Agency. The ongoing work on the EU’s Strategic Compass was another agenda point. Mr Mr. Šedivý explained how the Agency contributes to the capability and technology dimensions (Invest chapter) of the Compass while insisting on the need for developing full spectrum, high-end capabilities by using the existing prioritisation and implementation tools such as the CARD, PESCO and the European Defence Fund (EDF).

“I am delighted to have had the opportunity to personally present EDA’s work and role to Croatia. This visit also allowed me to thank Croatia for its continuous support to the Agency and the different EU defence initiatives, including CARD and PESCO, which are crucial for bringing defence cooperation forward. I believe with the challenges that Europe is facing, cooperation remains the best and most effective way of addressing them. There is much potential in defence cooperation and the EDA for Croatia to exploit. I particularly welcome the opportunity to encourage the Croatian authorities to benefit further from collaborative opportunities in defence, especially using the Agency to their full potential”, Mr Šedivý commented.

Croatian Defence Minister Mario Banožić said: “The participation of Croatian companies in projects co-financed by the EDF opens up numerous opportunities. Certain amount of financial resources will need to be invested and this fact should also be considered when planning activities in the coming years. From the very beginning, Croatia has supported the establishment of the European Defence Fund and one of the priorities in the field of defence and security during the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU was to support strengthening the competitiveness of the defence industry. Therefore, Croatia supported the initial proposal of 13 billion euros for EDF and also regarding the cooperation - we supported the requirement of having minimum 3 entities from at least three Member States”.

Croatia is involved in several major EDA projects and programmes, such as Military Mobility (under which two technical arrangements for air and surface cross border movement permissions were signed by Croatia on 16 Nov.), the Chemical, Biological, Radiological Nuclear Surveillance as Service (CBRN SaaS) project where a Croatian company (Dok-Ing) is a member of the consortium implementing the project, or the Maritime Surveillance Network (MARSUR) which Croatia joined last year. Yet, the list of opportunities for additional involvement in EDA’s work is long.

The Chief Executive began his trip to Zagreb with a visit to the afore-mentioned Croatian defence company Dok-Ing where he stressed EDA’s industry engagement and the existing opportunities for industry to participate in and benefit from EDA’s activities, especially in the R&T domain.

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

EDA’s Munition Health Management project expands

Thu, 25/11/2021 - 09:48

EDA’s project on Prediction Models for the Implementation of Munition Health Management (PREMIUM), launched in May of this year with Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands as participating countries, has gained traction last week with three additional Member States joining: Germany, Poland and Portugal have become full members of the 4-year project which aims to improve Member States’ Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) based management of munition by developing models for the estimation of remaining life and health status. 

The project is meant to tackle the problem of inadequate models used by Member States to predict the life cycle and functional reliability of  materials used in munitions and missiles, or of newly developed materials. A better assessment and prediction of the materials’ ageing status and process can be achieved through accurate prediction models and corresponding sensors to measure the environment and change of material. 

More concretely, the objectives of the project are to: 

  • collect information, develop know-how and predictive models about the health status of munition for an efficient life cycle management;
  • develop more reliable ageing models at material (energetic and non-energetic) or component level to customise and integrate them into improved HUMS units;
  • harmonise the management approach across Europe and develop in Member States a common method for the surveillance of munitions and missiles.

The project is expected to perform analyses of ammunition life-cycle stored in mainland depots, on board of a ship, a fighter jet and an armoured vehicle, both in Europe and outside in operations. 

The expected military benefits of the project are improved missiles and munitions reliability and safety and reduced costs. 

The project is implemented by a consortium composed by 13 European organisations, namely: MBDA Italy, Italian National Research Council (CNR), The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), The Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI), BAE Systems Bofors AB, Polish Military Institute of Armament Technology (MIAT), Polish Military University of Technology (MUT), Research Network Łukasiewicz - Institute of Aviation (Ł-IoA), MESKO SA, Portugal LAETA-ADAI, CINAV, CINAMIL and CIAFA.

Background

The PREMIUM Project started in May 2021 and builds upon  previous project called Munition Life Management or MLM (2015-2018), developed by EDA Capability and Technology group on Missiles and Munitions technologies.

MLM aimed to quantify and predict the influence of extreme conditions during Out of Area operations on safe and reliable use of ammunition. The participating Member States exchanged information concerning experiences of logistical and operational use of ammunition in Out of Area operations, on whole-life-assessment (incl. analysis on returned ammunition), data monitoring during storage and operational use, selection or development of models for predicting the environmental impact on safety and reliability.

More information:
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Upgraded version of ‘IdentiFunding’ tool launched ​

Wed, 24/11/2021 - 09:08

An improved, upgraded 2.0 version of EDA’s ‘IdentiFunding’ tool, an online platform that enables defence-related stakeholders (Ministries of Defence, institutes, industry, research-and-technology organisations, etc.) to easily and swiftly check if their defence-related projects and activities are eligible for existing EU funding schemes, has just been made available on the Agency’s website.

The tool is available since 2019 and was run under its 1.0 version until the end of 2020 by when it had been used by several hundreds of defence stakeholders. It then underwent the required technical maintenance work and is now back online in an enhanced, user-friendly 2.0 version on eda.europa.eu/eufunding.

Covering the EU’s multiannual budget (2021-2027)

The revised tool covers the full EU multiannual budgetary framework 2021-2027, including its related funding programmes. It encompasses 25 funding windows potentially accessible to defence actors, under the European Defence Fund (EDF), the Space Programme, Digital Europe, the Structural Funds, InvestEU, the Connecting Europe Facility (namely the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research - SESAR - and the European Military Mobility windows), European Investment Bank (EIB) loans, Horizon Europe and many other funding schemes, including programmes supporting the EU Green Deal (for e.g. energy, environmental and circular economy projects in defence).

‘IdentFunding’ is free-of-charge and allows to easily identify, in a confidential and in tailored manner, which funding sources at European level may be eligible for defence-related project ideas and activities.

Try it yourself at eda.europa.eu/eufunding

For further questions: identifunding@eda.europa.eu

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Consultation Forum pursues work on defence energy transition

Tue, 23/11/2021 - 11:53

More than 170 experts from 30 European countries and different institutions and organisations participate in the 3rd Conference of the third phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS III) which opened today.

 The two-day online event (23-24 November), held under the auspices of the Slovenian EU Presidency and hosted by the Slovenian Ministry of Defence (MoD), will review and discuss the Energy Consultation Forum’s ongoing work (now in Phase III) to support the EU Member States' Ministries of Defence and partners in embracing sustainable energy models. The Conference will, in particular, showcase how the Forum, the largest European defence energy community, promotes innovative clean technologies, such as hydrogen, to help the defence sector in its energy transition. At the same time, the Consultation Forum also serves as the gateway for the defence community to identify and access EU funding opportunities for energy-related topics. Through the Forum, Ministries of Defence also share knowledge and national best practices in the defence energy and climate-related fields. During the Conference, participants are also updated on the latest developments regarding the EU’s objective to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and the progress made in implementing the EU's Climate Change and Defence Roadmap.

Defence needs to transition to become resilient

 The Conference was opened with speeches by Uroš Lampret, State Secretary of the Republic of Slovenia, Jiří Šedivý, EDA Chief Executive, and Jerneja Jug Jerše, Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia. Bart Biebuyck, Executive Director of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), gave a keynote speech.

In his intervention, Mr Lampret highlighted that Slovenia actively supports the EU's efforts to increase the sustainability of the energy sector. Particularly, the Slovenian MoD focuses on sustainable mobility projects and investments, energy rebuilding of infrastructure capabilities, and environmental protection. He emphasised that the Ministry recognises "hydrogen as an alternate fuel and energy carrier in the defence sector that will multiply the national efforts to decrease fossil fuel dependency". He also stressed that "it is important to raise awareness in the defence sector to adapt to climate change effects without compromising the effectiveness of armed forces". In this context, he noted that the "EU defence sector would not have such important impact on energy efficiency overall without EDA activities".

In his speech, Mr Šedivý highlighted some important international events, such as COP26 in Glasgow, which show "a high political momentum for energy and climate" and underlined that climate change significantly impacts our society and also "presents a risk for defence infrastructure and capabilities and the operational effectiveness of our armed forces." Mr Šedivý also stressed that "defence needs to transition to ensure resilience and avoid becoming obsolete", and move away from reliance on fossil fuels and outdated technologies and equipment. He provided examples of how EDA helps MoDs improve their energy sustainability and concluded that EDA would continue supporting the MoDs work and act as their "green ambassador". He called on MoDs to actively participate in helping EDA identify gaps "and address them through collaboration, share the word, and multiply our common success."

Ms Jug Jerše focused on the security of energy supplies, clean energy transition, and energy efficiency as the cornerstones of the EU’s energy policy. A fair and just transition towards a more sustainable energy system has been “the central issue of the recent COP26 Glasgow conference”, which “achieved some remarkable results” considering the complexity of negotiations. Ms Jug Jerše stressed the importance of the European Green Deal and the recently proposed Fit for 55 package, featuring a number of legislative initiatives where the public sector, and the defence and security sector as part of it, will play an important role. “We are advancing in the process of transforming both the energy and the defence sectors in Europe” and “we are encouraged by the increased public perception of the nexus between the two.”

Bart Biebuyck, in his keynote speech, said: “As a number of hydrogen and fuel cells technologies are entering the industrialisation stage, Europe is now ready to accelerate the deployment of solutions across different applications. Over the last years, we have been in close contact with colleagues at the European Defence Agency and Ministries of Defence across Europe to raise awareness of the potential of FCH technologies for decarbonising civil applications within the defence sector. We hope to continue with this successful collaboration in our oncoming partnership and to extend it to the wider FCH community”.

Next Conference in 2022

 The 4th CF SEDSS III Conference and 1st back-to-back CF SEDSS III Energy Technology Solutions Conference is scheduled to take place in Grenoble, France, on 8-10 June 2022 under the auspices of the French EU Presidency and hosted by the Ministry of Armed Forces of France and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).

About the CF SEDSS

 The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) is a European Commission funded initiative managed by the EDA. This Forum was established with the primary goal to create a defence energy-related community to share information, knowledge and best practices on improving energy management, increasing energy efficiency and buildings performance, utilising renewable energy sources in the defence sector and enhancing the resilience of defence-related critical energy infrastructure. To address these objectives, and with the support of the European Commission, EDA has implemented two phases: the first phase took place from October 2015 to October 2017 and the second one from October 2017 to August 2019. Building on the successful outcome of these two phases and to address emerging and future challenges in the field of energy, EDA and the European Commission launched on 1 October 2019 the third phase, which will run over a period of four years until 30 September 2023. CF SEDSS phase III is funded by the European Union's (EU) horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No. 882171.

More information:

 

 

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

New EDA personnel recovery simulator inaugurated

Fri, 19/11/2021 - 15:42

EDA’s prototype Tactical Personnel Recovery Mission Simulator (TPRMS) was officially inaugurated on 18 November in Italy after achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC). The new simulator marks a significant achievement for the European Personnel Recovery community as no such capability currently exists with Europe.  

An inauguration ceremony was organised at Italian Air Base Poggio-Renatico, the host organisation of the TPRMS. The formal opening was followed by a live immersion experience within the TPRMS where participants had the opportunity to engage in an immersive virtual reality simulation of Personnel Recovery (PR) missions. 

TPRMS from concept to capability

The TPRMS project was launched in April 2019 as a proof-of-concept demonstrator with an objective to test and evaluate a technical solution that uses Virtual Reality (VR) technology and simulation-based software that when put together can quickly and easily create a customisable and highly realistic operational environment. The simulator which can create conditions from across the globe offers an opportunity for PR forces to rehearse PR Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) in a risk-free environment. 

The development of TPRMS is conducted within a four-year timeframe (2019-2022) and is run jointly and co-financed by the European Defence Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence, which is acting as the project Lead Nation and Host Nation through its Air Forces.  

TPRMS also aims to demonstrate that such a capability provides at an affordable cost an immersive style of training that allows joint PR forces to hone their skills in a risk free environment that still offers a rigorous, realistic and repetitive PR training. EDA’s TPRMS project is a first step towards the creation of a European common approach in training joint PR forces through simulation and as a key enabler to the joint PR training process.  

EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý said: “The TPRMS project demonstrates EDA’s enduring engagement in supporting its Member States efforts in aiming to find affordable and well-proven technical solutions that can contribute to overcome existing capability gaps for training within the EU, in this case in the PR area”.  

Project Team Personnel Recovery Meeting 

The event was organised back-to-back with EDA’s  40TH Project Team Personnel Recovery (PT PR) meeting and was attended by PR experts from seven EU Member States (Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania) and three international organisations with expertise in Personnel Recovery (the European Personnel Recovery Centre/EPRC, the Joint Air Power Coordination Centre/JAPCC and the Air Operations Centre of Excellence/CASPOA). 

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

EDA Helicopter Tactics Symposium held in Czech Republic

Thu, 18/11/2021 - 15:08

Some 50 helicopter tactics specialists and operators from 12 EDA Member States and Switzerland, and as well as representatives of EDA’s Helicopter Chief Instructor Team, the Joint Air Power Competence Centre (JAPCC), the NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ), the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC) met from 8-11 November in Ostrava, Czech Republic, for the Agency’s 12th Helicopter Tactics Symposium, hosted by the Czech Air Force.

Organised under EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), the event allowed European helicopter crews to discuss and share expertise and best practices related to helicopter tactics, national and international training and operational experience.

A first part of the symposium was devoted to drawing tactical lessons from previous EDA helicopter training activities, such as exercise “Hot Blade 21” held last June at Beja Air Base in Portugal, and EDA’s recent 7th Helicopter Tactics Instructor Course (HTIC). Next year’s “Fire Blade” exercise, to be held in Hungary in June 2022 with a focus on Composite Air Operations (COMAO) and national training required by the participating Member States, was also discussed.

A second part of the exercise was centered on enhancing the common knowledge about other organisations and of the tactical procedures used in other partner countries. Here a wide range of topics were addressed, such as joint all domain operations, the NSHQ’s roles and responsibilities, the EPRC and personnel recovery, NATO’s Special Operation Air Task Units (SOATU) project, the German Air Force special forces H145M helicopters, evasion eraining against fighters, attack helicopter tactics and experiences, landing zone operations and evasion maneuvers against ground based air defence threats.

Switzerland, as a new HEP Member State, participated in its first HEP activity and briefed about their Air Force helicopter organisation and missions. MEDEVAC support using rotary wing assets was also addressed, including EDA´s AIR MEDEVAC project which is focused on support to operations.

A major milestone of this symposium was the introduction, by EDA’s Chief Instructor Team, of the new EDA HEP Standard Operating Procedures (HEP SOP) V5.0 following its formal release. This document is from now on the basis for all future EDA helicopter trainings, ensuring standardisation and fostering interoperability among European helicopter operators and units. 

More information:

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

14 New PESCO Projects Launched in Boost for European Defence Cooperation

Tue, 16/11/2021 - 11:35

Today, the Council has adopted a new wave of joint projects within the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) framework, which aims to deepen defence cooperation between Member States. 14 new projects are contained within this fourth wave, taking the total number of projects launched under PESCO to 60. Within today’s package, six are in the air domain, including the development of a European solution for the strategic transport of outsized cargo and a small highly deployable, multi-purpose Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). A total of 21 EU Member States are participating in projects in this wave.

JOINT PROJECTS ACROSS MILITARY DOMAINS

The 14 projects launched in the fourth wave cover five military domains: land (2), maritime (2), air (6), cyber/C4ISR (2) and space (2). Projects range from the development of new military capabilities and the identification of future needs in areas such as air power and maritime surface escort, to enhancing the exchange of classified governmental imagery and joint training for main battle tanks. Projects to be taken forward will help increase the coherence of the European capability landscape and deliver operational benefits on the ground.

The PESCO projects adopted today by the Council also include:

  • Strategic Air Transport for Outsized Cargo

    The 5-nation project Strategic Air Transport for Outsized Cargo (SATOC) aims to fill the critical shortfall for strategic transport for outsized and heavy cargo, a crucial enabler for military missions and operations. SATOC involves a gradual 3-step approach, firstly by identifying a sufficient number of project members – with possible third state participation, harmonising requirements and finally identifying and agreeing on a common European solution for the transport of outsized cargo.

    The five participating nations are: Germany, Czechia, France, Netherlands, Slovenia.  An initial project timeline for the collection and harmonisation of requirements will run until 2023 with a possible agreement on a European solution and a follow-on project foreseen in 2026.

  • Medium size Semi-Autonomous Surface Vehicle

    The 3-nation project, Medium size Semi-Autonomous Surface Vehicle (M-SASV) will develop a medium size (250-500 tons) semi-autonomous surface vehicle with multiple mission modules, such as Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), Anti-submarine warfare, Anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and Naval Mine Warfare (NMW).

    The M-SASV platform will be developed following a manned (when needed) and unmanned (when possible) approach, and will provide increased operational flexibility and crew protection. The design for M-SASV will focus on littoral operations, however the platform will be also deployable as part of naval task groups.

    The participating three nations are: Estonia, France, Latvia. The Initial Capability Requirements have already been drafted and industry partners are working to establish a consortium.

  • Next Generation Small RPAS

    The 4-nation project Next Generation Small RPAS (NGSR) aims to develop a small (150Kg) highly deployable, multi-purpose and multi-role tactical RPAS.  The system will be able to deploy, take off, land and operate in a tactical environment without need for a runway. The multi-purpose/multi-role aspect of the system will provide tactical commanders a wide multiplicity of tools in both the maritime and air domain.  

    NGSR will also have potential as a dual use system, namely for law enforcement and disaster/emergency agencies. This project also aims to reduce the radar, acoustic and infrared signature of small UAS. NGSR will also provide an additional European tactical RPAS as less than half of the platforms currently in service were manufactured in Europe.

    The four participating nations are: Spain, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia. An initial project timeline for ideation and incubation will run until 2023, followed by systems integration and interoperability tests in 2024 and 2025, finally aiming to deliver a first prototype in 2026.

  • Defence of Space Assets

The 6-nation project Defence of Space Assets (DoSA) aims to increase the EU’s operational efficiency in the space domain by making the best use of current and future space assets. Its main objectives include defining which technologies and identifying common operational needs will be needed tomorrow to defend space assets. DoSA involves a 3-step approach combining training for space military operations, space resilience and access to space and in-space manoeuvrability.

The six participating nations are: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Austria. An initial project timeline includes identifying a set of technological priorities and/or capabilities and a first joint exercise in 2022. Further specifications including a common concept of operations (CONOPS) a feasibility studies will be developed through 2024 and 2024 with a final proposition for future systems expected in 2026.

EDA Chief Executive, Jiří Šedivý said: “The launch of the fourth wave of PESCO projects is an important milestone for European defence cooperation. These new 14 projects invigorate the PESCO process which along with the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the European Defence Fund (EDF) are now beginning to create indispensable synergies for Member States to develop effective and cost-efficient capabilities together. I am proud of the work the PESCO Secretariat has done to bring this fourth wave to the table, in particular EDA’s contribution in carrying out the capability assessment of projects. EDA has already provided support to eight PESCO projects stands ready to support its Member States going forward.

PESCO WORKING TOWARDS 2025 AND BEYOND

The development and lifecycles of military capabilities are undertaken with a long-term perspective. Each PESCO project has its own timeline, with the first projects already delivering concrete results and more projects planned to deliver results before the end of the next PESCO phase in 2025.

47 PESCO projects were approved in the first three waves covering all military domains. With work ongoing since their launch, it can be expected that between 24 to 26 out of the 46 ongoing projects will reach an initial operational capability around 2025.

Projects in areas such as training and simulation technologies can be developed quicker and may see results relatively early especially in the next three to five years. The successful implementation of the EUs Cyber Rapid Response Teams (CRRTs) project underscores how project timelines vary across domains.

Capability projects involving the harmonisation of requirements, development of complex prototypes with the involvement of industrial consortia will be delivered via a longer timeline. Larger capability projects have nevertheless taken smaller but significant steps forward such as the European Patrol Corvette, while some projects such a military mobility have also seen third counties invited to join.

60 projects now launched within the PESCO framework provides a boost to European defence cooperation. Many of the projects undertaken within PESCO will enhance the EU’s capacity as a security actor, contribute to the protection of the EU citizens, while maximising the effectiveness of defence spending.

BINDING COMMITMENTS

The key difference between PESCO and other forms of cooperation is the legally binding nature of its 20 binding commitments undertaken by participating Member States. These include, increasing defence spending, planning and developing defence capabilities together with other members, whenever possible and improving the interoperability and joint use of existing capabilities.

As part of these commitments, Members States will ensure that the cooperation programmes and the acquisition strategies adopted by the participating Member States will have a positive impact on the EU's Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).

PESCO BACKGROUND

On 11 December 2017, the Council adopted a decision establishing Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). PESCO enables participating EU member states to work more closely together in the area of security and defence. This permanent framework for defence cooperation allows willing and able member states to develop jointly defence capabilities, invest in shared projects, and enhance the operational readiness and contribution of their armed forces.

An initial list of 17 projects to be developed under PESCO was adopted by the Council on 6 March 2018. A second batch of 17 projects to be developed under PESCO was adopted by the Council on 19 November 2018. And finally, a third batch of 13 additional projects to be developed under PESCO was adopted by the Council on 12 November 2019. One PESCO project from the first batch has been officially closed by its project members.

Each of the projects is carried forward by varying group of PESCO participating Member States (project members) and is coordinated by one or more PESCO participating Member States (project coordinators). The project members may agree among themselves to allow other participating Member States to join as a project member or to become observer to the project.

The 25 member states participating in PESCO are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.

FURTHER INFORMATION  

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

EDA Steering Board discusses defence innovation

Tue, 16/11/2021 - 11:21

Outcome of EDA Ministerial Steering Board meeting 

Defence Ministers met today at EDA’s Ministerial Steering Board under the chairmanship of the Head of the Agency, High Representative Josep Borrell. The main points on their agenda were the approval of the Agency’s 2022 general budget of €38 million, the negotiating mandate for the Agency for an Administrative Arrangement with the US Department of Defence and a discussion on how to reinforce EDA’s role in fostering defence innovation.  

Defence innovation and EDA’s future role 

Ministers had a debate on defence innovation at EU level, based on a Food-for-Thought paper prepared by the Agency. It followed a call from the Foreign Affairs Council (conclusions of May 2021) to reinforce EDA’s role in fostering defence innovation, including disruptive technologies, and the Council invitation issued to the Head of Agency to present possible options in this respect before the end of this year.  Among the potential options discussed by the Ministers was also that of establishing a Defence Innovation Hub within the Agency. It was agreed that, based on today’s debate, the Head of Agency will finalise and present its options in the coming weeks for further discussion at the Agency’s upcoming Steering Board meeting in R&T directors’ composition in December.  

AA talks with US, cooperation with third parties 

Ministers approved a mandate for EDA to start negotiations with the US Department of Defence on the conclusion of an Administrative Agreement (AA). The exact scope and modalities of the AA will be defined during the talks. In the joint statement adopted at the last EU-US summit in June 2021, a commitment was made by both sides “to work towards an Administrative Arrangement, with discussions, including on modalities and conditions for a closer and mutually beneficial cooperation, beginning as soon as possible.” So far, EDA has concluded AA with four non-EU countries (Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Ukraine) as well as two organisations (OCCAR, European Space Agency). 

The Steering Board also approved a document laying down the revised and updated principles for EDA cooperation with third parties.   

2022 Budget 

Ministers adopted the proposal made by the Head of the Agency, setting the EDA’s 2022 general budget at €38 million (compared to €37.5 in 2021). The budget reflects the continuous high demands on the Agency to support Member States in the development of defence capabilities as well as the implementation of EU defence initiatives such as CARD, the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF). 

Three-Year Planning Framework  

Ministers approved EDA’s Three-Year Planning Framework 2022-2024 (together with its staff establishment plan) which provides a coherent and comprehensive overview of the Agency’s activities structured around the three chapters reflecting its core taskings: - prioritising and planning defence cooperation; - supporting technology and capability development; - facilitating the interface with wider EU policies. Each chapter of the Planning Framework elaborates on key activities which EDA is undertaking, providing an overview of the nature, scope and expected impact of the Agency’s activities in support of overarching policy objectives and the added value for Member States.  

Military Mobility technical arrangements signed 

In the margins of the Steering Board meeting, Ministers signed two so-called ‘Technical Arrangements on Cross-Border Movement Permission’ to improve Military Mobility in Europe.  

“With today’s signing of the two technical arrangements, a huge step forward has been made to improve Military Mobility in Europe”, commented EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý.  At the occasion of the signature ceremony, Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder said: “Belgium is one of Europe’s main entrance points and therefore plays an important role as a transit country for military mobility. As part of its global approach, Belgium would like to join a structured cooperation aimed at harmonising and simplifying the procedures for Armed Forces’ rapid deployment in Europe”. 

Initiated by the European Action Plan on Military Mobility, these two technical arrangements - covering air and surface movements respectively - have been prepared under EDA auspices since 2018, involving all EU Member States as well as Norway. The arrangements focus on providing permission for air and surface movements, including the transport of dangerous goods. Using annual permissions through a simplified and standardised process based on harmonised data, Member States will be able to provide movement permission within five working days. The technical arrangements will also allow participant countries to reduce their administrative burden and use staff resources in the most efficient way.  

A total of 23 Member States and Norway signed the surface arrangement, while 22 and Norway signed the air arrangement. The signing kicks off their practical implementation: the signatories will now assess possible activities at national level to make optimal use of these arrangements.  

   

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

BISON COUNTER live exercise wrapped up ​

Fri, 05/11/2021 - 13:11

BISON COUNTER 21, the EDA-supported multinational Counter-IED exercise hosted this year by the Italian Armed Forces in Sardinia, has entered its final stretch with the live exercise drawing to a close today. The event will formally come to an end on 9 November with a Distinguished Visitors Day. Over the past three weeks, Counter-IED teams - in total some 650 staff - from 10 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden), as well as Norway and the United States participated in what is today the largest and most relevant EU exercise of the C-IED community.

The live part of the exercise saw a wide range of multinational expert teams plan, decide and perform all types of C-IED activities on the ground, based on a fictive but realistic exercise scenario featuring all the ingredients and challenges any national or multinational military operation (EU, NATO, UN, etc.) faces today under real circumstances. All C-IED aspects were involved and represented, from planning in joint task force headquarters , military search, route clearance and weapons intelligence, to combat engineering, Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (EOD/IEDD), manual neutralisation techniques and technical exploitation. They were all organised inside one specific multinational C-IED taskforce.

Even though it is too early to draw final operational conclusions from BISON COUNTER 21 - this important part of the exercise will be tackled only in the coming days and weeks - the overall initial assessment of the achievements is more than positive. In other words: BISON COUNTER 21 has clearly delivered on its main objectives which were to exchange and train technical skills, integrate and use available technical enablers at a tactical level and implement the full C-IED operational cycle with a view to improving interoperability and resilience among European and allied C-IED capabilities in their fight against evolving IED threats, both in military and counter-terrorism operations.  

“We were happy and proud to act as the host nation of this important exercise for the entire European military community. I think we were successful in delivering a realistic scenario in the way we structured and organised the exercise and in the manner we used the multiple military areas available in Southern Sardinia. We are confident that the lessons we will identify from Bison Counter 21 will be useful in planning and conducting future similar events”, said General Filippo Gabriele, the Italian officer directing the exercise.

EDA to play a leading role in future exercises

As it was the case in previous editions of the exercise (2013 in the Netherlands, 2016 in Sweden), EDA was closely involved in the organisation and running of BISON COUNTER 21 which had integrated several Agency projects such as the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL), the European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities (ECMAN) and the Military Search Capability Building (MSCB).

Going forward, EDA’s role will be even bigger as it is the Agency’s ambition to pursue the series of Bison Counter exercises beyond the 2021 edition in a more structured, comprehensive and coherent manner. An important step in that direction will be the launch, early 2022 by 13 Member States, of a new EDA project (Cat B) which foresees at least three additional editions of Bison Counter in 2023, 2025 and 2027. The project will also establish a permanent expert team in charge of the planning of the exercises and its subsidiary activities, both at the conceptual and technical level. This means that the joint planning and organisation of future BISON COUNTER exercises will become more centralised and structured under EDA’s auspices in close cooperation, of course, with the future host countries. As a result, this should further enhance the coordination and coherence among all participating C-IED actors at all different levels, from strategy to tactics to operations. Such a more structured approach should also help to better analyse the exercise results and implement a consolidated lessons learned cycle which is essential for moving towards even more sophisticated and interoperable C-IED capabilities in Europe.

More information
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

New REACH work roadmap adopted

Fri, 29/10/2021 - 12:41

EDA Member States have agreed on a new work roadmap for the coming years (2021-2023) that will guide the Agency’s efforts to mitigate the implications of the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) on the defence sector.

With the previous roadmap 2018-2020 successfully accomplished (some activities are in the final stages of implementation or scheduled to be continued in the future), the participating members of EDA’s REACH project - all Member States plus Norway - have now elaborated a new comprehensive EDA Roadmap 2021–2023 for REACH and related EU Chemicals/Waste Regulations that was recently endorsed by the Agency’s Steering Board.

The new roadmap foresees two different categories of activities:

  • generic activities and tasks, which are conducted in a continuous manner, including administrative tasks, interaction, and monitoring/coordinating activities with stakeholders; and
  • specific activities and tasks, which have a specific scope/duration and are therefore prioritised with respect to the sequence of implementation, including activities related to the Commission REACH Revision 2022, EDA’s Codes of Conduct on REACH and Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) Defence Exemptions, the EDA Member States’ Common Position on Ammunition Classification under REACH and specific proposals stemming from the 2020 EDA Study on the Impact (other than REACH and CLP) EU Chemicals/Waste Regulations on the Defence Sector.

Since the adoption of the roadmap, EDA has disseminated it as widely as possible to relevant stakeholders and continues to work closely with Member States’ REACH experts (including the EDA REACH Task Force at the technical level), the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency ECHA and the defence industry to advance in its practical implementation. 

More information:

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

7th EDA Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course completed

Fri, 29/10/2021 - 09:35

EDA’s 7th Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC), which ran over seven weeks at Airbase No1 in Sintra (Portugal) and Pápa Air Base in Hungary, was successfully completed last week.

The course began on 30th of August with a four-week classroom phase, which included simulator training at Airbase No1 in Sintra, followed by a tree-week deployment to the Pápa Air Base in Hungary where participants engaged in live flying exercises.  Supported by personnel from the Hungarian Defence Force and Pápa Air Base, the flying phase included a complex operational scenario employing dissimilar formation flying, evasion training against a range of airborne threats, Electronic Warfare (EW) against both ground-based and airborne systems and a variety of additional tasks such as Helicopter Assault, Convoy Escort and Mutual Support. The course was led by EDA’s HTIC chief instructor team and followed by Austrian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Portuguese and Swedish crews flying on six different types of helicopters: AW-109, EH-101, H145M, Mi-171, OH-58 and UH-60.

The staff instructors came from Austria, Germany and Sweden, together with some contracted support provided by Inzpire Ltd. Also, fixed wing support was provided by units of the Czech Alca Jets and the Hungarians Gripens, acting mainly as threats during the helicopter training. In addition, EW assets and personnel were provided by Austria and Hungary.

In total, 18 Bronze, 7 Silver and 3 Gold qualifications were awarded ensuring an important contribution to the international cadre of Helicopter Tactics Instructors (HTI).

Background

The Helicopter Tactics Instructors Course (HTIC) is an advanced helicopter training activity aimed at creating helicopter tactics instructors which are enable train nationally standardised tactics procedures to foster interoperability of the European helicopter units, their level of preparation, and to facilitate readiness for future deployments. This is done independently of the type of helicopter used. It is delivered since 2013. Since 2021, its location changed to Airbase No1 in Sintra (Portugal), where the ground and simulator of the course is executed, and to Pápa Air Base (Hungary), where the flying phase is delivered.

HTIC provides aircrew from participating nations with the skills and knowledge to teach advanced tactics to front-line aircrews from within their own national organisations and to assist in delivering the EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP), the Helicopter Tactics Course (HTC) and future HTIC. Successful graduates from the course are awarded a qualification recognised by other Member States.  HTIC development courses run over two years: in the first year, prospective instructors refine their own knowledge of advanced helicopter tactics to the maximum degree. In the second year, the emphasis shifts to develop the participants’ ability to teach those tactics. In turn, Instructors who have demonstrated excellent abilities in delivering the course will be individually selected to come back a third time and teach alongside the existing instructional staff to finally achieve their Gold instructor qualification to become supervising instructors for future HTIC and/or components of the HTIC Chief Instructor Team.

The three main elements of HTIC include Evasion Training, Electronic Warfare and advanced Operations.  They are initially taught as stand-alone skills before being brought together in a complex, non-permissive environment in the framework of the planning and execution of Composite Air Operations (COMAO).

More information
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

BISON COUNTER 21 live C-IED exercise kicks off in Sardinia

Thu, 28/10/2021 - 13:25

BISON COUNTER, the periodic EDA-supported multinational live exercise bringing together Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) teams from Europe and the US, kicked off today in Sardinia, Italy, with some 650 staff participating. The exercise’s objectives are to exchange and train technical skills, integrate and use available technical enablers at a tactical level and implement the full C-IED operational cycle with a view to improving interoperability and resilience among European and allied C-IED capabilities in their fight against evolving IED threats, both in military and counter-terrorism operations. 

BISON COUNTER is today the largest and most relevant EU exercise of the C-IED community. After 2013 (The Netherlands) and 2016 (Sweden), it is the third time this exercise is organised under the auspices of EDA. A total of 650 military staff from 10 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden), as well as Norway and the United States participate in this year’s event hosted by the Italian Armed Forces.

As in previous editions, EDA is closely involved in the organisation and running of BISON COUNTER 21 which integrates EDA projects such as the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL), the European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities (ECMAN) and the Military Search Capability Building (MSCB). It can also count on the support of NATO’s C-IED Centre of Excellence.

BISON COUNTER 21 gathers dedicated teams specialised in the following enabler capabilities:

  • Military Search
  • Military Working Dogs
  • Combat Engineering
  • Route Clearance
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal/Improvised Explosive Device Disposal (EOD/IEDD)
  • EOD Divers
  • EOD Manual Neutralization Techniques (MNT) Teams
  • Weapons Intelligence Teams (WIT)
  • Level 2 Technical Exploitation, fully manned and operational Laboratory
  • Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters.

The aim is to develop common processes, techniques, procedures and interoperability requirements. Lessons learned from previous BISON COUNTER editions will also be raised and included in the operational part. In the same vein, the exercise will also serve as an experimentation and testing ground for IED related assets, equipment and technologies.

Exercise scenario

As one of the key objectives is to increase responsiveness and operational readiness for EU crises management, the exercise scenario is built up on a Crisis Management Operation (CMO) and spread around different locations in order to meet the specific requirements of the different technical domains. The geographical dispersion also allows to replicate the real-life challenges that operations have to face in terms of Command and Control and Reporting, the handling and transportation of evidence collected from IED incidents, as well as their exploitation.

More information

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

OCEAN 2020 and VESTLIFE projects successfully closed ​

Wed, 27/10/2021 - 16:08

Two major collaborative defence research (R&T) projects, launched under the European Commission’s Preparatory Acton on Defence Research (PADR) and implemented by the European Defence Agency (EDA), came to a close end of October. The results of both projects - OCEAN 2020 and VESTLIFE – will contribute significantly to enhancing European Member States’ defence capabilities in two important domains: maritime situational awareness and soldier protection.

OCEAN 2020

The OCEAN 2020 (Open Cooperation for European mAritime awareNess) project, launched in 2018 and co-funded by the EU with €35.48 million, achieved its main objective which was to demonstrate enhanced situational awareness in a maritime environment through the integration of legacy and new technologies for unmanned systems, ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance) payloads and effectors, by pulling together the technical specialists in the maritime domain covering the ‘observing, orienting, deciding and acting’ operational tasks.  As the biggest of all PADR projects with no less than 43 entities from 15 European countries involved, OCEAN 2020 also successfully addressed the problems of integrating EU systems and individual organisations into a coherent framework to increase cost effectiveness and interoperability for joint missions. The variety of assets involved in the project highlighted how a global integration of multi-domain unmanned systems in an operational task force can provide a force multiplier.

The project implementation culminated in two major demonstrations in the Mediterranean (November 2019) and Baltic seas (2021). All in all, the OCEAN 2020 confirmed the EU’s ability to lead innovation in support of Europe’s strategic autonomy in the maritime domain.

Information on the OCEAN 2020 consortium (led by Leonardo) and its 43 members can be found on the dedicated OCEAN2020 website.

VESTLIFE

The second project now accomplished, called VESTLIFE, was signed in April 2018 and granted an EU grant of €2.43 million to develop an ultralight modular bullet proof integral solution for dismounted soldier protection, including a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological Nuclear) detection system. The new protective gear provides an increased coverage area whilst maintaining comfort, plus a weight reduction of the ballistic panels. It therefore ensures an optimum balance between protection and comfort, tailoring such a protective surface to the forecasted mission risk. The protection system developed in this project consists of soft panels and hard plates.

 

 

The VESTLIFE consortium Led by AITEX (Spain), also encompassed 5 other participants from 5 countries: CITEVE (Portugal), Brapa Consultancy (the Netherlands), TECNALIA (Spain), Petroceramics (Italy) and FYComposites (Finland).

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Additive Manufacturing’s impact on military logistics yet to be fully embraced conference hears

Tue, 19/10/2021 - 15:04

Additive Manufacturing (AM) – commonly known as 3D-Printing – has been identified as a technology that could significantly reduce the logistic footprint of armed forces deployed on missions. As part of its work to enhance the use of AM in the armed forces, EDA supported the first European Military Additive Manufacturing Symposium which took place in Bonn, Germany on 12-13 October. The conference heard that AM offers unique opportunities for the armed forces especially in logistic support, but its advantages are yet to be fully embraced within the military and faces several hurdles impeding fuller implementation in defence.

In his keynote speech to the 2-day event, EDA Deputy Chief Executive, Olli Ruutu spoke on how EDA supports its Member States in their efforts to employ AM by sustaining newest technical developments and the necessary elaboration of common standards to enhance interoperability.

“AM technologies can be highly promising for enhancing defence capabilities such Logistic Support for Deployed Forces in remote or hostile environments. Having AM technologies in the area of operation might significantly impact the course of CSDP missions. Time between failure and restoring the availability of platforms, transportation and storage of significant quantities of spares can be decreased, reducing the logistic footprint of an operation” Mr. Ruutu said. 

He also pointed to the important transfer of EDA’s work on AM from research and technology to capability development.

   

Additive Manufacturing for Logistic Support (AMLS)

Building on the results of its 2018 R&T project on AM, a new project, Additive Manufacturing for Logistic Support (AMLS) was launched by EDA within the area of Capability Development. Eight areas of activities were identified for this project, including technology aspects, training and education, as well as procurement processes. The ultimate objective is to elaborate and determine solutions in the eight areas which will foster the cooperation and enhance the interoperability among participants. 

A dedicated panel on Best Practice, moderated by EDA, addressed some of the practicalities and hurdles for the AMLS project to overcome. The panel underscored the distinction that AM is not a capability shortfall but an important skill which has the potential to reduce the logistics footprint. Two EDA supported R&T projects were also presented in this panel, which are aiming to enhance the performances of ballistic protections and energic material development for AM respectively. 

Emergence of Circular Economy and AM  A second panel discussion also moderated by EDA, discussed the emergence of AM as one of the key contributors to the circular economy. The event heard how AM is a means to intensify the use of materials and expand systems’ lifetime by providing on-demand solutions for repair, remanufacturing and recycling. The panel also pointed to EDA’s new Incubation Forum on Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED) to create common initiatives to make the most of AM’s potential for circularity: both technical and logistics aspects will be addressed in the next two years.   A first European AM Symposium

The conference was organed by the German Association for Defence Technology (DWT) and supported by EDA. Attended by over 160 representatives of industry, armed forces, academia and institutions, the event offered a unique European overview on the rapid development of AM in industry and opportunities on offer for military.

 

 

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

EDA and ESA deepen cooperation on cyber resilience

Thu, 14/10/2021 - 17:15

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) today agreed to further deepen their already close cooperation in the cyber domain. The objective of the enhanced cooperation, approved today through an Exchange of Letter between EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý and ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, is to further expand the cyber resilience cooperation between the two organisations.

EDA and ESA have established a close working relationship on the basis of the Administrative Agreement signed in June 2011 which covers important domains of mutual interest, such as space-based Earth observation, unmanned vehicles, whether on sea or air, critical technologies for non-dependence, CBRNe, Guidance, Navigation and Control, and cyber resilience. In 2016, EDA and ESA signed an Implementing Arrangement on their cooperation for the Cyber Defence for Space Project. In the field of capability research and development, ESA and EDA are jointly investing in the Space and Cyber Defence Joint Study, now concentrating on Cyber Threat Intelligence, and cooperating on an ESA-led Cyber security and space-based services study, which involves other key actors such as the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), Eurocontrol and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). In December 2020, the Joint ESA-EDA Cyber Resilience Task Force was tasked to explore new and further areas of relevance and potential cooperation or coordination. ESA is also an observer in EDA’s Cyber Ranges Federation Programme Arrangement Management Committee (PAMC).

New level of cyber cooperation

As cyber threats are constantly growing in numbers and sophistication, cyber resilience is essential to EDA and ESA stakeholders alike. Cyber-attacks can target individuals, companies and public institutions or services (e.g. energy grids, financial markets, unmanned vehicles etc.), but also democracies namely though hybrid threats. Space systems being a central link in this new intertwined security continuum, the information and data collected, managed and exchanged by ESA and EDA Member States are of critical value to Europe’s security.

Hence the need for EDA and ESA, acknowledged in today’s Exchange of Letters, to cooperate even closer to improve the cyber-resilience of space systems, notably by:

  • sharing relevant policy and technical elements to shape and orient respective activities and strengthen the partnership;
  • having EDA to act as a facilitator between ESA and EDA communities while ESA proposes to invite EDA to all Council or Sub-Committee meetings of relevance under this partnership;
  • regularly updating the list of priority cooperative avenues to be further explored, exploited and implemented. The Joint ESA-EDA cyber resilience task force will also issue a yearly implementation report;
  • exploring how EDA and ESA could expand their coordinated and cooperative approach to other key cyber security actors such as, the European Commission, the External Action Service, and namely its Space Task Force, ENISA, the European Security and Defence College, the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre and Network, the Hybrid Fusion Cell and Hybrid Centre of Excellence, or the EU Satellite Centre.

EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý said: “Space and cyber defence are intrinsically linked. Therefore, it is only natural that the European Space Agency and the European Defence Agency work closely together to strengthen their respective Member States’ cyber resilience and, subsequently, Europe’s security. The new enhanced cooperation launched by today’s Exchange of Letters is another practical step towards achieving this important common goal”.  

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said: “In today’s world, space creates and relays critical data, which we need to protect. We are now facing an ever increasing dependence on space infrastructure and services, and this dependence increases the impact of these being disrupted, even from natural occurrences. This is the very reason why ESA is committed to securing its space assets as well as those of its Member States and partners from cyber interference. In doing so, we also strive to build cooperation avenues with our partners, and one such longstanding partner in cyber resilience has been EDA. »

More information
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

CE in Cyprus for high-level talks

Tue, 12/10/2021 - 11:19

EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý was in Cyprus this week (11-12 October) for meetings with Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides and Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Dimokritos Zervakis. He also had talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Christodoulides. The visit was part of the CE’s ongoing ‘tour des capitales’ which has him visiting all 26 EDA Member States.  

The ongoing work on the EU’s Strategic Compass, the implementation of the recommendations made in the first Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the state of play of the various PESCO projects with Cypriot participation, EDA’s current and future role as the European hub for collaborative capability development and driver of defence innovation, Cyprus’ involvement in EDA projects and programmes as well as EU-NATO cooperation were among the main topics discussed. The Agency’s practical support to CSDP missions and operations was also discussed, with a particular focus on maritime surveillance (MARSUR project).  

Mr Sedivy also had a discussion with representatives from Cypriot R&D companies and entities involved in EDA and EDIDP projects. He also visited the KIOS Centre of Excellence at the University of Cyprus. 

“I had the opportunity to express to Minister Petrides and Chief of Defence Lt General Zervakis my sincere appreciation for the fact that Cyprus is not only a very active stakeholder and contributor to EDA projects and programmes, but also a constant and committed supporter of deeper European defence cooperation. I am thankful for the good and positive talks I had over the past two days with all my interlocutors and look forward to continuing the Agency’s close cooperation with Cyprus”, Mr Šedivý commented. 

“Jiří Šedivý’s visit to Cyprus was really timely in the midst of the ongoing discussions and deliberations on the various defence related European initiatives. We had the chance to exchange views on an array of issues of mutual interest, including on Cyprus’ contribution and active engagement with the EDA and in a number of defence capabilities projects. I also highlighted the important role and contribution of the EDA to this end and the significant added value and experience that the Agency to the benefit of the European defence industry, research and technology. Following our joint meeting with Cypriot companies and research centres involved in EDA and EDIDP projects, I am confident that we will be able to increase Cypriot participation in future projects”, Minister Petrides added. 

Climate Change and Security Conference

On Monday (11 October), Minister Petrides and the EDA Chief Executive jointly inaugurated the Climate Change and Security Conference organised by the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) and the Cyprus Institute.  

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

SPARTAN exercise underway to boost C-27J interoperability

Thu, 07/10/2021 - 14:29

The ‘European Spartan Exercise’ 2021, an annual flying exercise organised by the C-27J community with the support of EDA and hosted this year by the Bulgarian Air Force, is currently underway at Plovdiv (27 Sep.-8. Oct). The aim of the exercise is to increase interoperability among European countries operating the C-27J Spartan military aircraft. It is one of the concrete outcomes of the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) partnership signed in 2011 by 20 EDA Member States.
 
Four countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia) are participating in this year’s event, with four aircraft. The exercise is part of EDA’s dedicated C-27J project (Cat.B) where the five participating Member States C-27J users (the four afore-mentioned countries plus Romania) identify and develop common projects in the domains of operations, training, logistics, procurement, airworthiness and SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research) to achieve a high level of interoperability and cost-efficient operating and maintenance models. It’s the 5th edition of the exercise the last of which took place in Romania in 2019 (the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic).

Tactical training

The C-27J Spartan aircraft is designed to perform tactical missions in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, providing direct air transport to the theatre, day and night. The Spartan Exercise is also focused on those types of operations, training C-27J crews to fly low level, tactical navigations in different scenarios. Several airfields in Bulgaria have been chosen for training: at Cheshnegirovo airfield, crews are performing Tactical Approaches, Personnel Airdrops and Aerial Cargo Delivery, whereas Bezmer Air Base was chosen to simulate EROs (engine running operations) for medical evacuations. Operators from the Bulgarian Joint Special Operation Command as well as a Combat Control Team from the Special Forces of the Italian Air Force also take part in the exercise. 

More information  
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

CYBER PHALANX: EDA’s dedicated cyber training for Operation Planners wraps in Portugal.

Tue, 05/10/2021 - 09:50

Cyber Phalanx 2021 a one-week combined course and exercise for operations planners has successfully concluded in Lisbon, Portugal. Co-organised by EDA and Portugal, the training aims to raise the awareness of cyber and hybrid threats among operation planners, in the Operations Planning Process (OPP) on both the strategic and operational levels. 

During the week, more than 130 operations planners, cyber and hybrid experts from 15 EDA Member States as well as Switzerland, EU institutions, partners  and NATO were challenged to plan an EU CSDP operation based on a fictitious scenario, taking cyber and hybrid attacks into account during the Operations Planning Process.

 

The training focused on the cyber implications in the OPP, including military cyber and hybrid threat awareness, countering hybrid threats, EU cyber diplomacy toolbox, EU military strategic planning and the legal context of cyber operations. Cyber Phalanx 21 underscored the importance of cross-interaction and communication between cyber/hybrid threat experts and operations planners. The exercise also confirmed the necessity and value of cross-domain thinking, including cyber and information environments, in synchronised operations planning.

Addressing the opening of the exercise, EDA Deputy Chief Executive, Mr Olli Ruutu said; “Cyber Phalanx 2021 will play an important role as a final proof-of-concept and for evolving Cyber Phalanx further, covering the full operational military planning cycle towards a series of operations planning exercises, be it at EU level, at Headquarters level (OHQ/FHQ) or as national exercises in Member States.”   Originally launched in 2018, Cyber Phalanx 2021 was the second and enhanced iteration of the exercise. Cyber Phalanx 2021  demonstrated again that this type of training in a course-exercise combination enables targeted and operations-oriented training of EU armed forces on a strategic (OHQ) and operational (FHQ) level. 

 

Going forward, national preparatory training courses will also benefit from Cyber Phalanx based training and foster a cross-domain-approach, including within the cyber domain and the information environment in operations planning.   During the Distinguished Visitors Day on 30 Sep 2021, Vice Admiral António Henrique Gomes, acting head for Planning and Coordination of the General Staff of the Portuguese Armed Forces pointed out that “Member States can make better use of Cyber Phalanx by targeting operations planners instead cyber personnel to the exercise.”  

MULTINATIONAL AND INTERAGENCY TRAINING   
One of the unique aspects of CYBER PHALANX was the diversity of Member States and organisations present among the 130 participants. 15 EU Member States  (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania) plus Switzerland were represented. Officials from EU institutions and organisations; such as EDA, EEAS, EUMS, MPCC, ESDC, EU OHQ Rome, EU Hybrid CoE were also joined by NATO (ACT, HQ & CCDCOE) colleagues. 

MORE INFORMATION 

Fact sheet 
Cyber defence brochure 
EDA Cyber Programme video 

   
Categories: Defence`s Feeds

EDA’s Technology Foresight Exercise delivers first results

Thu, 16/09/2021 - 14:47

First preliminary results of EDA’s Technology Foresight Exercise 2021 are now available in our website: details of the innovative methodology applied, the so-called ‘Futures Narratives’ and some key trends and developments likely to occur in the future. In the meantime, the final analysis of the exercise findings is still underway with the objective to be completed by the end of this year. 

The methodology applied and activities developed throughout 2021 were designed to support the central objective of EDA’s Technology Foresight Exercise: the identification of new technologies, weak signals and innovative trends to support the R&T and capability planning processes and inform future defence policies and programmes of the EU and its Member States. To achieve that, the exercise looked up to 20 years into the future, to provide a strategic vision of the possible impact those new technologies will have on defence in 2040 and beyond.

From Future Narratives to Divergent Thinking to Convergent Thinking 

The exercise stretched over 2021, with successive sessions that brought together different experts, know-how and foresight creativity. Thanks to the wide variety of ideas provided by a multidisciplinary group of foresight experts, so-called ‘Futures Tellers’, multiple possible futures were described in the Futures Narratives. Initially created as food-for-thought to spark the initial discussions among the participating experts, the narratives were meant to widen our vision and imagination about what could be possible towards 2040+, and also what kind of challenges this would entail. Descriptions of the Futures Narratives are now available on EDA’s dedicated website on the Technology Foresight activities.

Based on these narratives, other experts then engaged into a ‘Divergent Thinking’ process with the aim of narrowing down what the afore-mentioned narratives could potentially mean for security and defence in the future.  As a result, a set of 14 key challenges and developments has been identified, providing a general and high-level a vision of the future in 2040. A summary of the Divergent Thinking results are also available on the exercise website.

Final analysis still ongoing

The security and defence-related trends identified in the Divergent Thinking process are currently being analysed and converged into clusters (‘Convergent Thinking’ process) with the aim to deduct from them hints about potential disruptive technologies and innovations that will be needed in the future to cope with those developments. A report about the final outcome of the whole foresight exercise is due to be published before the end of this year. 

Next steps

The exercise findings will eventually:  

  • provide a high-level, long-term vision on multiple possible futures with defence relevance, with a special focus of the impact of emerging disruptive technologies;
  • inform the 2022 review of the EU’s Capability Development Plan (CDP), in particular the CDP’s Strand B (long term);
  • produce an input for future updates of the other EDA prioritisation tools such as the Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA) or the Key Strategic Activities (KSAs), as well as the preparative work for the EU’s Strategic Compass.
Methodology

The exercise was based on a new EDA technology foresight methodology which combines different existing methods and processes, along with best practices and lessons learned from the wider EDA community of foresight practitioners. To facilitate outside-the-box thinking, the methodology foresaw different activities, which were taken place along 2021, involving experts from different international organisations, Ministries of Defence, as, as well as from non-governmental bodies, academia, industry, and civil society. 

 

 

Categories: Defence`s Feeds

Pages