Defense`s Feeds

With the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022 has marked not only the return of all-out war to European soil but also a paradigm shift for security and defence in Europe. Member States have reacted with determination and resolve, providing significant support to the Ukrainian armed forces. Given the urgency of the situation, the European Defence Agency (EDA) has stepped up its support to our EU governments as they debate the way forward for European defence.

A visible sign of this paradigm shift is the increase in defence spending by the Member States. However, the conflict has highlighted gaps and potential future shortfalls in inventories and armed forces. EDA, in 2022, directed its energies to respond to these issues and help coordinate a joint response.

2002 Annual Report

The 2022 annual report provides an overview of EDA’s milestones and achievements over the past year. From deepening our work on the EU defence initiatives, assisting in the setting up of the Defence Joint Procurement Task Force, to launching a Hub for EU Defence Innovation (HEDI) and managing military projects and exercises across all domains.

Overall, in 2022 the Agency managed 97 cooperative ad hoc projects and programmes in capability development, training, joint procurement, as well as Research and Technology (R&T) and innovation, with a total estimated value of €672 million.

Delivering through cooperation

Among EDA's accomplishments was the completion of the ‘Safe Autonomous Flight Termination’ (SAFETERM) project in June 2022 with a successful flight campaign in a live operational environment. SAFETERM aims to develop a proof of concept of autonomous functionality to ensure a predictable yet adaptative Remotely Piloted Aircraft behaviour in case of emergency involving multiple failures.

In November 2022, Ministers of Defence signed the new EDA project for the ‘Military Computer Emergency Response Team Operational Network’ (MICNET). Known as milCERTs, this operational network is a substantial step towards enhancing cooperation in the cyber domain at the EU level.

With the European Green Deal, the EU aims to become climate neutral by 2050. To meet this goal and reduce the carbon footprint of armed forces, the EDA developed the Incubation Forum for Circular Economy in European Defence (IF CEED). The Forum is a place to discuss how the defence sector can mitigate its environmental footprint by applying and promoting the principles of a more circular economy in European defence.

From personnel recovery to Counter-IED and deepening our work on emerging disruptive technologies, EDA’s 171 staff have worked across departments and domains to support European defence cooperation.  

• Download the full report here 

Americas Elbit America won a $10 million order deal with no options for the procurement of integrated avionics processors in support of the V-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Haifa, Israel; and Fort Worth, Texas. Work is expected to be completed by December 2024. Annual working capital funds (Navy) in the full amount of […]

Americas Northrop Grumman won a $60 million modification, which adds scope to procure long lead parts and associated support for two E-2D Advanced Hawkeye plus up aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York (25.06%); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (9.52%); Woodland Hill, California (5.87%); Menlo park, California (5.08%); Greenlawn, New York (3.33%); […]

Critical maritime infrastructure is fundamental to the security and economic stability of the European Union. With the majority of global trade and commerce taking place via sea routes, any disruption to maritime infrastructure can have severe consequences. From underwater infrastructures attacks - such as pipelines and undersea cables - to illicit activities like terrorism, piracy, human trafficking and environmental disasters, the risks and actors involved are multiple. To effectively address the multitude of risks facing critical maritime infrastructure, EDA hosted its first ‘Critical Maritime Infrastructure Protection’ symposium on April 27 in Brussels. The seminar gathered 170 experts who discussed critical maritime infrastructure protection, from threats and vulnerabilities to military capability and governance viewpoints. 

The event was opened by EDA Deputy Chief Executive, André Denk, who underscored the importance of cooperation in addressing maritime challenges and strengthening EU maritime infrastructure. “Without integrating new technologies in defence systems; without increasing resilience, EU maritime infrastructure will continue to be vulnerable”, he said. 

Professor Christian Bueger outlined to the audience that there are six key problems in critical maritime infrastructure protection (CMIP); defence; diplomacy; maritime safety; maritime security; cyber and strategic autonomy, which each requiring dedicated solutions. In her keynote speech, Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary General of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), highlighted how ports have become crucial energy hubs, with 40% of commodities energy sources growing with offshore and that “to protect ports, we must keep a balance between the free flow of goods and security," she said.  

Panel discussions: How to protect critical maritime infrastructure?  

Throughout the day, three successive panel discussions were held, with the first focusing on how maritime infrastructure are vulnerable to a multitude of threats, including state-actors, terrorism, piracy, natural disasters, and cyber-attacks. One of the key points made in the panel was that current threats and vulnerabilities of critical maritime infrastructures are a combination of issues stemming from the past, present and future; especially with rising threats from hybrid actors. 

The second panel focused on how, given the multitude of maritime infrastructure protection configuration mixes including public, private and military actors, can governance of critical maritime infrastructure be improved. One of the main risks identified by the panel was that European CMIP governance remains siloed between multiple maritime security actors. There was also agreement that CMIP needs to be integrated within wider maritime security policies, and a strategic focus on deterrence and prevention of threats to CMIP is needed across the EU.

The final panel discussed the military capabilities in use and under development that are required for effective CMIP. Two capabilities under development were highlighted for their potential impact in this domain; the EU funded MIRICLE project, focusing on the development of the next generation of European maritime mine countermeasures capabilities and an Italian proposal for a multinational critical seabed infrastructure protection project. Speaking on the panel, Stefano Cont, EDA Capability & Armament Director, identified EDA’s role in supporting a capability-driven approach towards technological innovation and standardisation and simplification of the civil-military procedures for maritime infrastructure and sea lines of communication. 

Next Steps

These threats underscore the need for deeper cooperation between Member States and civilian and military sectors to establish adequate measures and a coherent legislative approach to enhance the resilience of critical maritime infrastructures since maritime infrastructure crosses seas and territories

To address the challenges for maritime infrastructure protection, the symposium concluded the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach regarding threats, a joint view on underwater warfare concerning European military capabilities and the creation of pooling of maritime technology. 

The outcomes from the symposium will feed into a study commissioned by EDA on critical maritime infrastructure protection which will be published later this year.  

Background 

Panel 1: Cdr Georgios GIANNOULIS, Deputy Director of Community of Interest Vulnerabilities and Resilience at Hybrid CoE, Capt. Miguel CUARTERO LORENZO (Head of Strategic Plans Section, Spanish Navy), Cdr Michel PERTHUISOT (EEAS), Cdr João PIEDADE (Head of Innovation and Transformation, Portuguese Navy), Carl WREDE (Deputy Director DLR Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures). 

Panel 2: Dr Brendan FLYNN (National University of Ireland), Augusto FRAGOSO (Portuguese Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações), Cdr Philip von Eberhardt (CoE CSW), Christos THEOPHILOU (DG MARE), Stephen DAWE (Chairman, European Subsea Cables Association). 

Panel 3:  Stefano CONT (EDA CAP Director), Géraldine DUPIN (European Programs Director, Naval Group Belgium – MIRICLE Consortium), Capt. Hans HUYGENS, EUMS Capt. Andrea QUONDAMATTEO (Italian Navy), Nils STORKERSEN (Director of FFI). 

Americas General Dynamics won a $15.7 million deal for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia class submarines. Work will be performed in the continental US and is expected to be completed by June 2026. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,715,111 will […]

Americas Northrop Grumman was awarded a $16 million deal by the Naval Air Systems Command for non-recurring engineering in support of the redesign of the MQ-4C Triton aircraft Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Airborne Recorder (BAR), the BAR ground station, and the test aircraft radar BAR due to diminishing manufacturing sources for the Navy. Work will […]

Americas The US Army’s chief of staff on Friday grounded all pilots who are not involved in critical missions until they complete required training, after four helicopters crashed in a matter of weeks. Two AH-64 Apache helicopters collided in Alaska on Thursday, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth, while two Black Hawks crashed in […]

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $180 million modification for the production of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Interceptors and associated one-shot devices to support the US government. The THAAD Interceptors and associated one-shot devices will be procured under fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract line items. THAAD is a United States Army anti-ballistic missile defense […]

Americas General Electric Aviation won a $683.7 deal for the production and delivery of 169 T408-GE-400 (T408) turboshaft engines, to include 65 full rate production Lot 8 (54: Navy, 11: government of Israel); 51 full rate production Lot 7 (39: Navy, 12: government of Israel); and 53 low rate initial production Lot 6 (36: Navy, […]

Around 80 experts from European ministries of defence, EU bodies, industry and academia met on 26-27 April in Crete, Greece for the second thematic workshop of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS)  to discuss how to reduce the carbon emissions of defence installations. 

CF SEDSS is part of the Agency’s efforts to help Member States and the defence sector contribute to the energy transition and develop more sustainable policies. 

Organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and hosted by the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence, the two-day workshop in Chania brought together experts of the CF SEDSS Working Group 1 on Energy Efficiency and Buildings Performance and Working Group 2 on Renewable Energy Sources.  

The objective was to examine the potential of renewable energy sources and building performance improvements to reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions and fossil fuel dependency. Ultimately, this should increase the defece sector’s energy efficiency and resilience. The workshop also explored how defence sector of measures - such as integration of renewable energy sources elements into structures, energy storage, nearly zero-emission buildings, smarts grids and the islanding of military installations – can contribute. 

The CF SEDSS workshop included a site visit to 115 Combat Wing Airport at Souda Bay, where a project to create a net zero carbon emissions facility has been underway since 2021. Participants visited the photovoltaic park, the energy distributing hub and other areas of interest, which helped stimulate technical discussions that followed.  

 

Beyond the national level

In his welcome speech, Col. Ilias Manolis, Head of Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Department, Hellenic Ministry of Defence (HMoD), shared his perspectives. Greece’s initiatives are based on the 2020 second revision of the HMoD’s Policy for Environmental Protection/Energy Management and Adaptation of the Armed Forces to Climate Change Impacts as well as the roadmap facilitating its implementation.  

Col. Manolis also underlined the framework for developing suitable project ideas and specifically mentioned the HMoD’s intention “to explore all possibilities so that this pilot endeavour can be further exploited and implemented, not only at a national, but also at the EU level.” 

Mr Panagiotis Kikiras, EDA Head of Unit Technology and Innovation, highlighted that the 115 Combat Wing Airport project was “one of the very first projects among the EU armed forces aiming to render military installations net zero emissions and carbon neutral using renewable energy and smart distribution.”  

Mr Kikiras also said: “Examples such as these show us that the defence is making great strides towards greener, more energy efficient and resilient defence, while contributing to the overall EU climate targets. There is still a lot of work to do, but we hope that this workshop will provide some guidance on how to decarbonise defence installations more quickly and efficiently.”  

He concluded by inviting ministries of defence to “join forces to come up with ways to ensure that military buildings and installations are healthier, greener and more resilient to extreme weather events.” 

 

EDA’s wider role 

EDA supports all EU Member States in improving their defence capabilities through European cooperation. Acting as an enabler and facilitator for Ministries of Defence willing to engage in collaborative capability projects, the Agency has become the hub for European defence cooperation with expertise and networks spanning the whole spectrum of defence capabilities.

Member States use EDA as an intergovernmental expert platform where their  collaborative projects are supported, facilitated, and implemented. For more details, please see here 

More information: 

• CF SEDSS website 

• Podcast (europa.eu) 

• Green defence - How is the EDA contributing to the energy transition and circular models in defence (europa.eu) 

• Fifth Consultation Forum meets in Prague to promote sustainable energy in defence (europa.eu)  

• Consultation forum explores hydrogen technologies for green defence (europa.eu) 

• Consultation Forum concludes first round of defence energy deliverables (europa.eu) 

• 1st Energy Technology Solutions conference and exhibition held (europa.eu) 

Brussels, 26 April 2023. Today, the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the Department of Defense of the United States of America (DoD) have formalised a framework for cooperation through the signing of an Administrative Arrangement (AA). The EDA-DoD AA provides for stronger transatlantic cooperation in defence in specific areas, including in the exchange of information.

The conclusion of this AA is a strong political signal, delivering on the tasking of EU and U.S. leaders in the June 2021 EU-US Summit Statement. The arrangement confirms the value of a transatlantic partnership in security and defense to confront shared security challenges, and the importance of a stronger and more capable European defence that is complementary to and interoperable with NATO.

Head of the Agency, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, said: “At a time when war has returned to Europe, we need to open every avenue for cooperation with our closest partners. The EDA-U.S. Administrative Arrangement provides another pillar to strengthen transatlantic cooperation and the link between the EU and the U.S. The European Defence Agency, as the hub for EU defence cooperation, plays a unique role in raising our level of defence cooperation and contributing to make the EU a stronger defence actor and partner.”

United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin said: “The signature of the Administrative Arrangement with EDA is evidence of the strengthening U.S.-European Union relationship.  DoD and EDA’s dedicated dialogue and engagement will further contribute to transatlantic and global security.  Russia’s aggression against Ukraine underlines the importance of strong U.S.-European ties in NATO and with the European Union. Deepening dialogue and cooperation will only strengthen this key strategic partnership moving forward.”

Scope, collaboration and exchange: Progressive development of the AA

The two parties have reached an understanding on an initial scope of cooperation, which may, upon mutual consent, progressively develop in the future.

• Forum of exchange and dialogue: The AA will enable a substantial defence dialogue on all topics within EDA’s remit, and invitations for U.S. DoD to attend relevant meetings of EDA’s Steering Board and for EDA to attend meetings convened by the U.S. DoD, as appropriate.
• Activities of cooperation: Initial activities include consultations on the impact of EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation; military mobility; supply chain issues; and the impact of climate change on defence. It also allows for U.S. participation in the open session of the European Defence Standardisation Committee.

The AA was signed today in Brussels by Jiři Šedivý, EDA Chief Executive, and Dr. William LaPlante, United States Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

Further Information 

• Signed text of EDA -U.S. DoD AA
• Questions and Answers on Administrative Arrangement 
• Photos from signing ceremony - Photos can be used with reference to © European Defence Agency 
• Website EDA – European Defence Agency
• Website U.S. Department of Defense - Releases (defense.gov)

Americas Raytheon Technologies has unveiled its next-generation electro-optical intelligent-sensing capability to allow military pilots to detect threats faster and more accurately. Called the RAIVEN, the new threat identification system can identify multiple objects optically and spectrally at once in real time. It uses artificial intelligence (AI), hyperspectral imaging, and light detection and ranging, enabling pilots […]

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Americas General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) announced that it successfully conducted flight maneuvers with its MQ-20 Avenger drone using artificial intelligence aided by Low Earth Orbit satellite communication. The company demonstrated its “live, virtual, constructive collaborative combat aircraft ecosystem over a Low Earth Orbit satellite communication (LEO SATCOM) provider’s IP-based Mission Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) datalink” […]