Defence`s Feeds

A CONVOY of soldiers was attacked by Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen militants on the outskirts of Beledweyn in Somalia's Hiiraan region on 6 December, Shabelle Media Network reported. Reports conflicted however on the nature of the attack, with accounts of both an ambush and a security forces

The Brazilian Navy is seeking to commission the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Ocean landing platform helicopter (LPH) by June 2018, the navy told Jane’s on 6 December. The navy is authorised to negotiate with the United Kingdom towards a GBP84.6 million (USD113 million) procurement. Prior to

The Brazilian Army is seeking to modernise its remaining M113B armoured personnel carriers (APCs), it recently told Jane’s . Such a programme has not been finalised, but plans are being discussed for a “third phase” of the M113BR project, officials said. The Brazilian Army

CAE has partnered with Rockwell Collins to advance Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) capabilities for distributed training exercises, with flight training as one of the developmental efforts currently under way. In the quest to develop LVC integrated training, the addition of the live flying aircraft

The government of China will “spare no effort” in boosting private-sector participation in defence production activities, the state-run China Daily reported on 6 December citing a senior defence industry official. In comments reported by the China Daily, Long Hongshan, chief engineer at

The Chinese military has voiced strong opposition to what it described as an “intrusion” of an Indian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into Chinese airspace, according to a 7 December report by the state-owned Xinhua news agency. “The Indian UAV intruded into China’s airspace

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has awarded Spanish company Aertec Solutions a contract to develop a prototype laser countermeasure system for integration on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The agency is studying critical components for military lasers and their use as wide-area sensor

Confusion is apparent over what impact the EU’s forthcoming European Defence Fund (EDF) will have on restructuring Europe’s defence technological and industrial base (DTIB) and especially national defence supply chains that mostly exclude foreign small- and medium-sized enterprises

Key Points The agency has broadened its cyber activities in recent years Collaboration with industry will assist in developing capabilities For the first time the focus of the European Defence Agency’s (EDA's) annual conference was exclusively on one topic: cyber, reflecting the importance

China’s future straight-deck carriers will operate aircraft such as the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group J-20 and the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation J-31 ‘fifth-generation’ stealth-enhanced fighters, according to a 6 December report by the state-owned Global Times newspaper.

Israeli cyber security firm Votiro has received accreditation from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) – an agency under the Department of Defence in Canberra – allowing the company to supply products to Australian government customers, including defence. Votiro, which specialises

Japan and China have largely agreed on the implementation of a maritime and aerial communication mechanism aimed at preventing unintended incidents in and above the East China Sea, the Kyodo news agency quoted unnamed sources as saying on 6 December. The mechanism, which was described by the media

Defence officials from Japan and the United States have met in Tokyo to smooth the administrative processes behind the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ (JSDF’s) efforts to modernise through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism. The Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Japan’s

Meggitt Training Systems has expanded its range of small arms training systems, launching its FATS 300 multi-screen immersive trainer at the 2017 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) exhibition in Orlando. The system consists of five flat 150x84 inch, 16:9

NATO’s Standardisation Agency has released initial details of the Standardisation Agreement (STANAG) covering active protection systems (APS). While still a working draft, STANAG 4686, in addition to the accompanying Allied Engineering Publication (AEP)-62 has already defined methodologies for

Northrop Grumman has received a second request for information from the US Federal Trade Commission relating to its proposed USD9.2 billion merger with Orbital ATK, but stressed that it “continues to expect the acquisition to close in the first half of 2018”. Northrop Grumman said in a

Chinese PLZ-07B Self-Propelled Howitzwer

Russian Kh-555 Air-Launched Cruise Missile

The EU and NATO Councils yesterday took EU-NATO cooperation to a new level by endorsing a new set of common proposals on the implementation of the June 2016 Joint Declaration.

In addition, a joint progress report was presented to the respective Councils by the HRVP and Head of the European Defence Agency Federica Mogherini and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg demonstrating the good progress made on the implementation of the existing 42 proposals endorsed in December 2016. These will be complemented by 31 new proposals, covering new topics such as counter-terrorism, women, peace and security and military mobility. The next progress report is planned for June 2018.

The EDA actively contributes to the implementation of the June 2016 Joint Declaration in areas such as capability development, cyber defence, hybrid, defence industry/research and exercises, and is expected to play a central role on the implementation of the new proposals, including on military mobility, on the basis of the agreed principles on the implementation of the 2016 Joint Declaration.
 

More information:

• Remarks by HR/VP and Head of the EDA, Federica Mogherini, at the joint press conference with Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO
• Read the Council Conclusions

Promoting women’s participation in CSDP missions and operations is important to sustain EU’s credibility, to improve effectiveness, to promote equality at home and abroad, to increase the talent pool for personnel, and to make the best use of our financial resources. More needs to be done by both member states and the EU to fulfil promises to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. This report looks at three issues that contribute to more inclusion and better effectiveness: First, the structures that promote equality in the security sector institutions within the EU; second, the effects of women’s participation in missions and operations; third, how CSDP structures and EU member states policies could be further adapted to create a working environment that is conducive to both men and women contributing their full potential to better solutions to security challenges. Political commitment and hands-on leadership by the EU and its Member States is key to more diversity and inclusivity in CSDP structures. A pro-active approach to recruitment and retention of female staff, adapted job-descriptions, comprehensive family policies, and employing an approach that values diversity and creates a positive work environment are all necessary in this regard.
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP