EDA News

EDA’s ‘OMBT-Leo2’ project, launched in spring 2017 with the ambition to optimise existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities in Europe (with an initial focus on the Leopard 2A4), will enter a new phase in the coming days with the publication of a call to European industry to participate in a Preliminary Market Consultation (PMC) and offer possible market solutions. 

The purpose of the PMC is to gather accurate information regarding possible commercial solutions for upgrading Leopard 2A4s up to the 2A7 or equivalent version, in-line with existing technical standards and requirements. Participants are asked to respond to the PMC with proposed solutions that are sufficiently detailed and include a realistic price range and possible timelines. 

The objective is to reach out to the full European defence industry spectrum and ensure the collection of comprehensive and accurate cost data.  To this purpose, the PMC will be disseminated via the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) and EU National Defence Industry Associations (NDIAs). Industry will have to submit their responses to the PMC until 18 July 2019. Only responses covering full system-level solutions will be taken into further consideration.

EDA encourages the establishment of European multinational cross-border industrial partnerships as the preferred mechanism to exploit this opportunity. The Agency also considers this programme as a suitable vehicle for enhanced access for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to the cross-border supply chain.

The PMC follows EDA’s Request of Information (RFI) in 2017 through which a first contact was established with industry on this concrete programme
 

In order to support the PMC, EDA will organise a business-to-business (B2B) workshop at its premises in Brussels around mid-May. Further details on this workshop, including participation criteria and related requirements, will be communicated by EDA to industry in due time.

The aim of the B2B workshop is to promote cross-border cooperation within the EU and enhance mid-caps/small and medium enterprises’ access to defence contracts in general, and to the future OMBT-Leo2 programme (contractual) implementation in particular, by facilitating initial contacts between industrial stakeholders with relevant expertise (at full-system and / or subsystem level), in this field. Specific criteria for participation of interested industries will be part of the communication and each request will be assessed by contributing Member States experts and EDA, on a case-by-case basis.
 

The information gathered through the PMC will be assessed by EDA and governmental subject matter experts. The results of the assessment will further support contributing Member States in their national decision, and EDA in the awarding process of possible future contracts.
 

In spring 2017, EDA launched the ‘OMBT-Leo2’ project, a new Pooling & Sharing initiative which aims at optimizing existing Main Battle Tank (MBT) capabilities in Europe with an initial focus on the Leopard 2A4. The concept foresees the offer of surplus Leopard platforms available in certain Member States (the ‘providers’) and transfer them (lease, rent or sell) together with an upgrading package to one or several other Member States (the ‘receivers’) interested in acquiring and introducing in-service this type of capability. The Pooling & Sharing of training, exercises and maintenance between providers and receivers, using already existing facilities, is also part of the concept. Upgrade of legacy MBTs to the latest technical standards would have a positive impact for European defence industry in the area of land systems. It would also contribute to the maintenance of technological excellence of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). Additionally, regarding economies of scale, Member States owning and operating for national purposes the same type of MBTs, can opt-in for upgrading their in-service fleet.
 

• EDA seeks European defence industry’s input on Main Battle Tank optimization (EDA news, September 2017)
  
  

EDA held a workshop in Athens recently to conclude the first phase of the Smart Blue Water Camps (SBWC) research project. 

Water infrastructure is facing pressures due to climatic changes and sometimes a lack of investment. At the same time, military installations can be insufficiently acknowledged in both distributed water management and pollution control despite their ubiquitous presence.

Against this backdrop, EDA’s SBWC research project was launched in 2017 with the Hellenic MOD as lead nation to investigate how to improve water management in military camps from sustainability, hydro-informatics, and technological perspectives. During 2017 and 2018 at sites from each of the six participating Member States involved (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain), the National Technical University of Athens collated water supply, distribution and consumption data, and made technical assessments. Bespoke recommendations were made for each of the military sites from across these different European geographic and climatic regions based on:

• detailed modelling of water and wastewater cycle of each camp using an Urban Water Cycle Optioneering Tool (UWOT)  
• assessments of alternative scenarios regarding interventions for each camp 
• consideration of social, economic, environmental and technological context factors such as population, monitoring and automation of water transmission and storage systems, budget availability, regional water quantity and quality, climate change, and the feasibility of using information and communications technology (ICT)
• development of Key Performance Indicator protocols, including economic, operational and social impacts 
• economic assessments of interventions for each camp based on modelling results.

Recommended interventions varied in scale and complexity and ranged from those of a more straightforward nature, such as the installation of grey water recycling and water harvesting systems, to more technologically sophisticated measures, such as the application of ground penetrating radar to support leak detection and control  or the use of a grid of smart sensors to enable real-time monitoring and management of water supply systems.

It was found that leakage was responsible for considerable water losses with mitigation measures costing around 40% of the annual cost of water lost to leakage in one case, thereby providing a significant return on investment.

Rainwater harvesting in another case could provide nearly two thirds of the supply required for vehicle washing. Installation of smart water grid systems would integrate ICT into the management of the water distribution systems to optimize operation of the water supply network.

The conclusions of the final report were presented and the way ahead, such as implementation of nationally based recommendations as well as potential further steps, were discussed at the workshop chaired by Richard Brewin, EDA Project Officer Energy and Environment Systems.

The European defence research community today discussed present and future opportunities as well as challenges at the “Capability-Driven Defence Research and Innovation” conference in Bucharest. Benjamin Les, Minister of National Defence of Romania, Ioan Mircea Pascu, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency opened the conference.

More than 500 high-level representatives from Ministries of Defence, defence research institutes, industry, academia and the European institutions attended the conference organised under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence and the European Defence Agency (EDA). 

The event showcased new prioritisation instruments for defence research, technology and innovation, highlighted potential synergies to be achieved on research priorities at national and European level and provided an update on the latest developments on the European Defence Fund. Moreover, the conference provided participants insights and lessons learned from some of the most successful R&T collaborative research projects which have been implemented under the framework of EDA.

Benjamin Les, Minister of Defence of Romania inaugurated the conference. “Today's event represents an excellent opportunity for all participants to analyse the various existing defense research instruments, the EDF and its impact on capability-based defense research and innovation. Such collaborative initiatives are meant to fuel future projects between EU Member States in the field of defense research”, he stated. 

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq underlined, “A new era for European defence research is on the way. In this rapidly evolving technological context, a coherent approach among Member States will be more crucial than ever. Investment in research and especially in collaborative research is a must to be able to deliver the defence capabilities for the future.”

 During the first part of the day, high-level guests including Andrei Ignat, State Secretary and Chief of the Department of Armaments from Romania and Gabriele Fioni, Director for International Cooperation and Deputy Director of CEA-Tech representing EARTO as well as Christian Munzinger, R&T Director from Airbus Defence and Space discussed with Denis Roger, EDA Director of Research Technology and Innovation prioritisation instruments for defence research, technology and innovation. They highlighted potential synergies to be achieved on research priorities at national and European level as well as the link with existing and new funding instruments. 

The research dimension is an integral part of the process of building a coherent capability landscape based on longer-term technological development. OSRA, the Overarching Research Agenda, validated by the Member States in January, is the instrument to harmonise views of relevant European defence research priorities and identify potential funding instruments. OSRA is therefore a key prioritisation instrument and has been acknowledged by its inclusion in the draft regulation of the European Defence Fund. It is all the more important as the research priorities must serve to mature technologies required to develop capabilities which respond to Member States armed forces’ needs. 

Sylvain Kainz-Huber, Head of Unit, European Commission Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Ralf Schnurr, R&T Director, Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany, and Christian Bréant, Director Advanced Studies, THALES and Dirk Tielbuerger, EDA Deputy Director and Head of EU-funded Defence Research Unit exchanged views on the impact of the European Defence Fund on future defence capability, research and innovation prospects.

In the afternoon, Guillermo Gonzalez Muñoz de Morales from ISDEFE, the largest Spanish defence engineering company, Panagiotis Kikiras, EDA Head of Technology and Innovation Unit and Shahzad Ali, EDA Capability Technologies Moderator discussed collaborative EDA R&T defence research projects. Since 2004, EDA has managed more than 180 R&T projects worth around 1 billion Euros.
 

• EDA conference page
• Romanian EU Presidency website
• OSRA (EDA factsheet)

EDA today launched ‘IdentiFunding’, an online tool which allows defence-interested stakeholders (industry - including SMEs, Ministries of Defence, research and technology entities, universities, etc.) to quickly and easily identify existing EU funding schemes available for defence-related projects. 

The new application, which is accessible via EDA’s European Funding Gateway for Defence and the SME corner, performs an instant scan of all existing defence-related EU funding opportunities based on a project’s topic, scope, objectives as well as the participants involved.

The application will thus considerably facilitate the task of defence-related project organisers wondering if their project qualifies for potential EU support.
The tool will be constantly updated to include also new funding opportunities arising under the EU’s upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, such as the European Defence Fund and the InvestEU Programme, which will bring together under one roof the multitude of EU financial instruments currently available to support investment in the EU.

The European Defence Agency (EDA) today (19 March) published the three 2019 calls for proposals for the EU’s Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR).

The work programme includes the following calls/topics:

• Electromagnetic Spectrum Dominance: Combined radar, communications, and electronic warfare functions based on European Active Electronically Scanned Arrays for military applications (PADR-EMS-03-2019);
• Future Disruptive Defence Technologies: 

       o  Emerging Game-changers (PADR-FDDT-EMERGING-03-2019); 
       o  Challenging the future (PADR-FDDT-OPEN-03-2019);

• Unmanned Systems: Interoperability standards for military unmanned systems (PADR-US-03-2019).

Details about the calls and participation conditions can be found here. 

The Preparatory Action on Defence Research is funded by the European Union. The decision on the work programme for 2019 and on the financing of the 'Preparatory action on Defence research, authorising the use of unit costs under the preparatory action was adopted by the European Commission on 19 March 2019.
 

Following the publication of the 2019 calls and two successful editions in the previous years, EDA and the European Commission will organise the third Info & Brokerage Day on the PADR. The event will take place on 11 April 2019 in Brussels. 

The Info & Brokerage Day aims at providing industry, research entities and other interested defence stakeholders with first-hand information on the 2019 PADR calls for proposals.

EDA and European Commission experts will provide participants with detailed explanations of the 2019 PADR topics, the rules and conditions for participation in the calls for proposals, as well as with the modalities and access to the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal. A brokerage session with b2b meetings will allow participants to exchange the views and find potential future consortia partners. 
 

• Preparatory Action on Defence Research (EDA project page)
• PADR Info & Brokerage Day 2019
• European Commission financial decision on PADR 2019 

On 13-14 March 2019, the first ad hoc meeting of the EDA Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies Working Group was hosted in Vienna by the Austrian Energy Agency, as coordinator of the Concerted Action on Renewable Energy Sources (CA-RES). 

The purpose was to develop further the deliverables on renewable energy as part of the second phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS II) including specific project proposals on hydrogen fuel cells, self-sufficient military bases, technology feasibility assessments, energy performance contracting, and energy storage. 

It was also an opportunity to strengthen civilian-military interactions through the relationship between CF SEDSS II and CA-RES, both of which are funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. CA-RES is a structured and confidential dialogue between national authorities responsible for the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive and is co-ordinated by the Austrian Energy Agency. 
  

CF SEDSS is a European Commission initiative managed by the EDA. It aims at bringing together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practices on improving energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well increasing the protection and resilience of defence energy-related critical infrastructures. On 20 October 2017, the second phase of the Consultation Forum (CF SEDSS II) was launched. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, and the agreement is between the EASME executive agency and the EDA. The contract was signed on 16 October 2017 for 22 months, expiring on August 2019. 

Based on the foundations laid during the first phase of the Consultation Forum (2015-2017), the second phase has been further expanded to cover the following interrelated subjects through three main working groups (including sub-working groups): WG 1: Energy Management including Energy Efficiency (Sub-WG1: Energy Management and Sub-WG2: Energy Efficiency; WG 2: Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies; WG 3: Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure and one cross-cutting theme: Finance.
 

• CF SEDSS II
• Concerted Action on Renewable Energy Sources

On 9-10 October 2019, the annual EDA Military Airworthiness Conference will be held in Lithuania.

The conference will bring together key stakeholders from national military airworthiness authorities, industry, European agencies and international organisations to discuss the latest developments in the cooperation between National Military Airworthiness Authorities (NMAAs).

Initiated by the Ministers of Defence in 2008, EDA participating Member States started this cooperation with the establishment of the Military Airworthiness Authorities Forum aiming at the harmonization of national regulations on military airworthiness in Europe. Since that moment, under auspices of the MAWA Forum, a comprehensive set of European Military Airworthiness Requirements (EMARs) has been developed and is now being implemented by the participating Member States The MAWA Forum is now focusing on increased cooperation in the area of oversight based on a new Airworthiness Roadmap that was approved last year.

The conference is an INVITE ONLY event. Details regarding the venue, conference agenda, registration and accommodation will be sent out in due time.

Inquiries regarding the event should be directed to: MAC2019@eda.europa.eu

At the Single European Sky (SES) Award Ceremony 2019 which took place on Tuesday (12 March) in the margins of the World ATM Congress (WAC) in Madrid, an Italian project nominated by EDA and aimed at improving interoperability between civil and military air navigation service providers was rewarded with a ‘Special Mention of the Jury’. 

Run by the Italian Air Force and the Italian air navigation service provider ENAV, the ATC Control System moving to i4D project is set to improve data sharing which is key to enhance civil-military interoperability and to achieve efficient and sustainable SES objectives. The project will introduce data link services based on air-ground point-to-point data communications and replace voice communication by standardised messages shared between the civilian and military controller in order to minimise voice communication and ensure consistency, availability and reliability of information flows across the civilian and military domains. 

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, who attended the Award Ceremony, said: “It is important that EDA works closely with all the European aviation organisations in view of integrating the military views into the Single European Sky. The fact that a civil-military project nominated by the Agency was rewarded with a ‘Special Mention of the Jury’ is an additional encouragement to continue to work for improved civil-military cooperation within the Single European Sky”.

With the Single European Sky Awards, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport rewards stakeholders who contribute to achieving the SES which aims to modernise and harmonise Europe's airspace management. The ceremony was one of the highlights of the ‘Europe For Aviation’ event at the WAC 2019 in which all European aviation organisations teamed up to showcase the joint efforts they make to achieve the SES. 
 

• Single European Sky Awards
• The Military in the Single European Sky (EDA brochure)

‘Europe for Aviation’ is the theme around which civil and military European aviation organisations working to implement the Single European Sky (SES) gather for two days at this year’s World ATM Congress which opened today in Madrid. Speaking at the joint ‘Europe For Aviation Partners’ conference, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed the need to accommodate civil and military requirements in the effort to develop a modern and innovative SES, as civil and military aviation share the same airspace and conduct mutually supportive activities. 

‘Working together will allow us to remain innovative. We need to act jointly in making the European airspace a digital European sky designed to accommodate the needs of both civil and military stakeholders, all types of platforms, manned and unmanned, and all types of missions, roles and applications, in a balanced and proportioned way, in peace time and in crisis situations", Mr Domecq stated

Over recent years, EDA has achieved tangible results when it comes to military integration into SES. The Military Aviation Strategy in the context of SES is in place and €93 million of EU co-funding have been awarded to military projects relating to SESAR deployment. With the support of EDA, the defence sector is involved in SES activities from the outset, providing inputs into the regulatory, technical and operational efforts aimed to enhance the security and defence dimension in SES. A common civil-military roadmap for Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Air Traffic Insertion has been developed to enable seamless integration of certified RPAS alongside manned aviation from 2025. One of the eleven European Capability Development Priorities approved in the 2018 Capability Development Plan (CDP) is directly linked to SES: the integration of military air capabilities in the changing aviation sector. It will contribute to foster civil-military synergies notably through digital solutions benefiting from connectivity, automation, virtualisation and artificial intelligence in support of European industries.

The ‘Europe for Aviation’ stand and theatre (#849 and #1151) at the 2019 World ATM Congress is hosting a wide range of debates, presentations and guided walking tours, illustrating the collaboration in action between European aviation organisations working to implement SES, namely the European Commission, EUROCONTROL, SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), SESAR Deployment Manager (SESAR DM), European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), European Organisation for Civil Aviation (EUROCAE) and the European Defence Agency (EDA).
 

The World ATM Congress is the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference, bringing together the world’s leading product developers, experts, stakeholders, and air navigation service providers (ANSPs).

More information on the Europe For Aviation stand is available here. 

In view of the upcoming publication of the 2019 calls for proposals for the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), EDA and the European Commission will jointly organise an Information and Brokerage Day in Brussels on 11 April 2019. The event is open to representatives from all types of companies (large, medium or small), industry associations, research organisations and universities from the EU and Norway.

During the event, which will run from from 08:30 to 17:00, EDA will provide participants with detailed information on the topics of the 2019 PADR calls, which are set to be published in the coming weeks. Participation modalities and access to the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal will also be explained. Furthermore, as it was already the case in the previous two years, a brokerage session will be organized to help attendants in finding partners for potential consortia. The Info & Brokerage Day will thus again be a unique opportunity for participants to improve their knowledge about the context, the objectives and the participation modalities of the PADR and to network with potential partners. 

More information on the 2019 PADR calls for proposals as well as on the registration process for the Info & Brokerage Day will be published soon.
 

The PADR has the objective to test the added-value of the EU budget supporting defence research, in view of a dedicated EU programme in the next EU Multi-annual Financial Framework. The PADR is implemented by the EDA through a Delegation Agreement signed between the EDA and the Commission in May 2017.

The Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Energetic Materials (AMTEM) project, for which the programme arrangement was signed last December by six participating EDA Member States (Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden) as well as Norway, was officially launched at a kick-off meeting on 12/13 February. 

The event, which took place at the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL), brought together 15 European organisations working in the field of Energetic Materials, namely: ISL, Ariane Group, EURENCO, NEXTER Group, Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT), The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), NAMMO, Chemring Nobel, Polish Military Institute of Armament Technology (MIAT), Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Finish Defence Research Agency (FDRA), Oy Forcit AB, Raikka OY and Aalto University.

Additive manufacturing (AM) - or 3D-Printing - technologies have been identified as a major enabling technology to improve Europe’s industrial competitiveness. The defence sector is also exploring the potential offered by AM technologies to further develop military capabilities. Within EDA’s CapTech Ammunition Technologies, a group of Member States agreed to join forces and develop a multinational research project on the use of Additive Manufacturing for the production of Energetic Materials to be used both as propellants as well as warheads. It was this initiative that led to the AMTEM project. 

Over the next four years, the AMTEM project team will investigate and assess appropriate materials and related Additive Manufacturing production techniques, in particular with a view to producing new types of warheads and propellants with enhanced performance and ensuring faster and cheaper production processes for short series as well as rapid prototyping. The research project is also expected to help develop new munitions and missiles systems concepts with increased operational performance and further strengthen the European industrial competitiveness.
 

• R&T project launched on 3D printing of energetic materials (EDA webnews, 13 December 2018) 
• CapTech Ammunition Technologies (EDA project page)

A €9.18 million space research project with both civilian and defence implications has been awarded co-funding under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). EDA actively supported the funding application for this project run by an Italian consortium and designed to develop a RAM-EP propulsion system (use of atmosphere gases as a propellant) expected to extend the operational lifetime of spacecraft in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) areas, i.e. below an altitude of 250 km. 

The project, known as “CLOSE to Earth” (Constellation at very Low Earth Orbit based on RAM-EP Small SatellitEs), is to be implemented by a consortium which is led by the Italian Aerospace Technological Cluster (Distretto Tecnologico Aerospaziale - DTA) and also encompasses a number of other enterprises as well as universities and R&T organisations. Among the main challenges of this project are the development of an atmospheric gas collector and a Hall-effect engine capable of using the gases already present in the atmosphere as a propellant. The project also foresees the study of a new small space vehicle (under 500 kg) able to accommodate a RAM-EP propulsion system and operate at VLEO altitudes. Half of the project cost is covered by project holders, while ESIF will co-fund the remaining 50% (€ 4.59 million).

This successful ESIF-funding application supported by EDA is yet another example of how the Agency, with its expertise, can help defence-related R&T projects to access EU funding, even (or especially) if they involve small and medium-sized enterprises. It also demonstrates once again that Member States’ investments made through EDA have multiplier effects in terms of practical output. So far, EDA has a track record of ten such ESIF success stories in defence involving projects worth a total of about €26 million. 

ESIF is open to defence projects and is expected to continue supporting them during the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. 

To explore the wide range of European funding currently available to defence and dual-use projects and activities, see EDA’s European Funding Gateway for Defence.
 

• EDA’s ESIF web-platform
• EDA’s work on Space

Over 150 experts from 27 European countries and more than 20 different institutions and organisations participate this Tuesday and Wednesday (26/27 February) in Nicosia in the 3rd Conference related to the second phase of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS II). The Consultation Forum provides a unique platform that can assist EU Member States’ Ministries of Defence in addressing defence-related challenges in energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well as in the protection of defence energy-related critical infrastructures.

Managed by the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Consultation Forum is a European Commission initiative (DG ENER) receiving funding under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 R&I programme. EDA and the European Commission will continue to work hand in hand to deliver the last steps of the Consultation Forum.
Today’s conference was opened by Mr Savvas Angelides, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus. 

In his speech, Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, highlighted that “the extensive participation makes the Nicosia Conference the biggest one since 2015 when the project was initiated.” This, he said, reflects the continuous interest of the Ministries of Defence to apply sustainable energy models in the defence sector and to benefit from the transition to an Energy Union. “The Consultation Forum is a role model of how EDA performs simultaneously its triple mission of being the major intergovernmental prioritisation instrument at EU level in support of capability development, the preferred cooperation forum and management support structure as well as the interface with the Commission and other Agencies in accordance the Long-Term Review conclusions and recommendations endorsed by Ministers of Defence”, Mr Domecq stated. He also informed the participants that he agreed with Mr Dominique Ristori, European Commission Director-General for Energy, on the possible continuation of the Consultation Forum through a third phase with a higher budget and a longer duration.

Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, the Deputy Director-General of DG ENER, recalled the three key pieces of legislation in the Clean Energy for All Europeans package that have been recently approved: the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive, the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) and the Energy Performance of Building Directive.

The Nicosia Conference focusses on the development of guidelines for improving overall energy management and energy efficiency of military building stock and fixed infrastructure. It also addresses energy considerations by reviewing renewable energy sources and their use in defence infrastructure and developing guidelines on the protection of defence-related critical energy infrastructure against hybrid threats. The Conference will last two days and address several topics ranging from the impact of the energy-related directives on the defence and security sector to the elaboration of defence energy-related project ideas.
 

The last of the three steps Conferences of the Consultation Forum will be hosted under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, and will take place in Bucharest on 12 and 13 June 2019.
 

The Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector (CF SEDSS) is a European Commission initiative managed by the EDA. It aims at bringing together experts from the defence and energy sectors to share information and best practices on improving energy management, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy as well increasing the protection and resilience of defence energy-related critical infrastructures. On 20 October 2017, the second phase of the Consultation Forum (CF SEDSS II) was launched. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, and the agreement is between the EASME executive agency and the EDA. The contract was signed on 16 October 2017 for 22 months, expiring on August 2019. 

Based on the foundations laid during the first phase of the Consultation Forum (2015-2017), the second phase has been further expanded to cover the following interrelated subjects through three main working groups (including sub-working groups): WG 1: Energy Management including Energy Efficiency (Sub-WG1: Energy Management and Sub-WG2: Energy Efficiency; WG 2: Renewable Energy Sources and Technologies; WG 3: Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure and one cross-cutting theme: Finance.
 

• Full text of EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq speech at Nicosia conference
• About CF SEDSS II
• European Funding Gateway for Energy in Defence at www.eda.europa.eu/eufunding/energy
• Further progress in sustainable energy for defence sector 

Member States representatives together with cyber research experts from the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), industry, research organisations and academia recently met at an EDA workshop to discuss  ‘Autonomous Cyber Responses’. This research topic refers to the challenges brought about by the automation in cyber defence and includes among others self-configured networks, automated cyber resilience, decision support systems, visual analytics, autonomous mobile cyber defence agents, man-machine modules and machine learning models to address the cyber research challenges Member States’ Armed Forces are confronted with.

The objective of the workshop was to provide EDA’s Cyber Research and Technology Ad Hoc Working Group with examples of European research efforts and solutions, to identify capability gaps that could be covered with this technology and to explore new collaboration initiatives in this challenging field.

Participants acknowledged the urgency of meaningful collaborative research activities at EU level in view of building tomorrow’s defence capabilities, and supported the continuation of similar initiatives. A so-called ‘Interested Community of Experts’ (ICE) set up within the Ad Hoc Working Group will perform an evaluation of the proposals discussed at the workshop. Outline descriptions for future collaborative research projects in this field are expected to be presented to Member States in the upcoming meetings.
 

The potential benefits that European Armed Forces could draw from the use of cyber-resilient autonomous systems have also been recognised by EU Member States. One of the 11 EU Capability Development Priorities approved by Member States in June 2018 is called “Enabling capabilities for cyber responsive operations”.

The Overarching Strategic Research Agenda (OSRA) - which provides a necessary link between R&T efforts and the military tasks and long-term capability needs of the Capability Development Plan (CDP) -  identified a number of Research and Technology areas, the so-called Technology Building Blocks (TBBs), in which a cooperative approach at the European level would bring an added-value to support the development of defence capabilities. The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) on Cyber Defence developed within the relevant EDA Ad Hoc Working Group in compliance with OSRA requirements provides informed prioritisation on cyber-related technologies necessary for the military while identifying opportunities for dual-use efforts and investments, be it in national, multinational or EU-funded contexts. Autonomous Cyber Response is one of the TBBs developed under the Cyber SRA.

In November 2018, the European Council adopted an updated version of the EU cyber defence policy framework (CDPF) which calls for considering cyber defence issues in the calls of the Preparatory Action on Defence Research and in the topics called for in the European Defence Fund.

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq and Hans-Werner Grenzhäuser, the Athena Administrator, have signed an arrangement renewing the framework for future cooperation between EDA and Athena.

The Cooperation Arrangement signed on 1 February 2019 aims at replacing the previous arrangement which was signed on 27 February 2015 and was valid for a limited period. It offers the option for any CSDP Operation/Mission Commander to call upon EDA to provide technical and overall administrative support for their most complex procurement procedures. The full text of the arrangement is available here.

Under the previous arrangement, the Agency has supported the EU Training Mission in Mali for the procurement in Europe of a medical incinerator between May 2015 and February 2016. EDA also supported operation EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a cost-benefit analysis of camp management in the Sarajevo Camp Butmir from July to October 2015.

In addition, the Agency supports CSDP military operations and missions with other projects as well as contracted support pre-mission solutions. On the project side this has so far included cyber awareness seminars, maritime surveillance, personnel management as well as management of geospatial information. Contracted support reaches from satellite communications to wider logistics support. 

This has already been the case for CSDP military operations in the Central African Republic (EUFOR RCA and later EUTM RCA), the Mediterranean Sea (EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia), Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR Althea), Mali (EUTM Mali), Somalia (EUTM Somalia and EUNAVFOR Atalanta). 

Most recently, EDA also started supporting the newly established Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) with contracted communication services, and it is supporting CSDP civilian missions as well.
 

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

• Cooperation Arrangement signed on 1 February 2019 (full text)
• Support to Operations (EDA brochure)

The European Defence Agency has just concluded multiple framework contracts with Global Helicopter Service GMBH, Elitaliana S.R.L. and Starlite Aviation Operations Ltd. for the provision of fixed and rotary wings medical evacuation services in the context of EDA’s Support of Operations. The contracts run until January 2023 for a maximum value of 120 million Euro. 

In national and multinational operations, the provision of In-theatre aeromedical evacuation services is often a challenge. In many cases, capabilities are not available from Member States and outsourcing is necessary to provide air medical evacuation services through private companies. Experience shows that contracting on the spot under time pressure is mostly not a cost-effective solution. Having in place ready-to-use arrangements is very beneficial to ensure immediate availability of services, whilst equally reducing the administrative burden and achieving economies of scale.

The overall purpose of the AIRMEDEVAC project is to efficiently and cost effectively provide contributing members with an option to order ‘ready-to-use’ commercially available In-theatre aeromedical evacuation services through EDA. The 4 contributing members (CM) today are: Austria, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The project is open to all EDA participating Member States, EU entities as well as third states having an administrative arrangement with EDA.

The contributing members have mandated EDA through a Project Arrangement (PA) to manage the project including the negotiation of Multiple Framework Contracts (FWCs) and service requests on their behalf. The contracts concluded today are the result of a close cooperation dating back to 2016 between EDA, the EU Military Staff and the contributing members to define the requirements and evaluate the services required. EDA has been in the lead of the process up to the conclusion of the contract and will continue to be fully responsible for its management throughout the implementation. 

The contractors offer services to evacuate patients from the point of injury to the initial Medical Treatment Facility (Forward AIRMEDEVAC) or to transfer them between in-theatre Medical Treatment Facilities (Tactical AIRMEDEVAC) in the context of national and/or international defence and/or security operations. Services include access to a wide range of Rotary and Fixed-Wing aircraft in Europe and Africa to meet a variety of operational needs, both abroad and at home. 

The project constitutes an efficient pay-per-use solution that does not impose any binding financial commitments beyond services requested. It is quick and flexible and will reduce the administrative burden for members who do not have to run their own bidding processes since they can rely on the EDA framework contracts.
 

• AIRMEDEVAC factsheet
• EDA brochure support to operations

“Europe for Aviation” is the theme around which European aviation organisations working to implement the Single European Sky (SES) will gather at this year’s World ATM Congress, from 12 to 14 March in Madrid, Spain.

Strong collaboration between European aviation organisations (civil and military) is proving key to generating growth for the industry and to meeting the passenger demand for safer, smarter, greener and more seamless air travel, in line with the EU Aviation Strategy. Over the course of the 3-day Congress, these organisations will come together to show how through collaboration they can go much further in tackling pressing challenges, such as air traffic delays and congestion, drone integration, digital transformation and cyber security.

The “Europe for Aviation” stand and theatre (#849 and #1151) will host a wide range of debates, presentations and guided walking tours, illustrating the collaboration in action between European aviation organisations working to implement SES, namely the European Commission, EUROCONTROL, SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), SESAR Deployment Manager (SESAR DM), European Aviation Safety Agency, European Defence Agency, Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), and EUROCAE. In doing so, the organisations will show how between them they cover the full project management cycle from policy and funding to research and deployment.

Look out for:

• Official opening by Director General of DG MOVE, Henrik Hololei with the Executive Directors/Director Generals of each of the participating organisations.
• Single European Sky Awards ceremony (#SESAwards) followed by a networking drink (12 March, 17:00).
• Panel debate sessions on the looming capacity crunch, global interoperability, civil-military collaboration, standardisation, and the future of the Single European Sky.
• Technical sessions on U-space and drone integration, communications navigation and surveillance (CNS), datalink services implementation, digital transformation and cybersecurity.
• A series of SESAR walking tours on the latest technological advances underway by SESAR partners, and their status in terms of research and development, and deployment.
• Dedicated stand for networking with SES partners, featuring interactive and virtual reality experiences.

Register as exhibitor visitor at the Congress and gain free access to the “Europe for Aviation” stand and theatre.

Follow #EuropeForAviation for updates from: 
@Transport_EU @eurocontrol @SESAR_JU @SESAR_DM @EASA ‏@EUDefenceAgency @INEA_EU @EUROCAE1

Europe for Aviation” is the theme around which European aviation organisations working to implement the Single European Sky will gather at this year’s World ATM Congress.  Over the course of the 3-day Congress, these organisations will come together to show how through collaboration they can go much further in tackling pressing challenges, such as air traffic delays and congestion, drone integration, digital transformation and cyber security.

Under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, in cooperation with the European Defence Agency (EDA), organises a conference on the theme of “Capability-Driven Defence Research and Innovation”.

The conference will take place on 26 March 2019 in Bucharest at the Palace of the Parliament venue. 

High-level representatives from Ministries of Defence, defence research centres, industry and the European institutions will discuss the present and future opportunities as well as challenges of the Capability Driven Defence Research. The event will showcase the new prioritisation instruments for defence research, technology and innovation, highlight the fusion that can be achieved on research priorities at National and European level and provide an update on the latest developments on the European Defence Fund. Moreover, the conference will provide to participants insights and lessons learned from some of the most successful R&T collaborative research projects which have been implemented under the framework of EDA.

A formal invitation, including the full programme will be available in the coming weeks. 

Inquiries regarding the event should be directed to: conference2019@dpa.ro

EDA’s Governmental Satellite Communications (GOVSATCOM) Pooling and Sharing demonstration project (GSC Demo) entered its execution phase this Tuesday 15 January with the first meeting of the Project Arrangement Management Group taking place in Madrid.

This means that the project is now ready to provide GOVSATCOM services to meet the GOVSATCOM demands of Member States and European CSDP actors through pooled capabilities (bandwidth/power and/or services) provided by contributing Member States. This governmental pooled capability is set up to provide satellite communication (SATCOM) resources that cannot be obtained on the commercial market with sufficient level of guaranteed access and security.  The GSC Demo corresponds  responds to an existing need and is fully in line with the revised 2018 Capability Development Plan and its related EU Defence Capability Priorities. It has also to be seen in the light of the ongoing efforts within the European Union to establish an EU GOVSATCOM within the EU’s next space programme. Furthermore, the GSC Demo project also complements EDA’s EU Satcom Market project, already in place since 2012, which provides commercially available SATCOM and CIS services in an efficient and effective manner. 

Today’s milestone was achieved after intensive work done since June 2017 to establish a Project Arrangement. Under the leadership of Spain, all 15 contributing EDA Member States of the project (Spain, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Greece, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom) accepted the Project Arrangement as baseline for mutual support and collaboration. Norway, which has signed an Administrative Arrangement with the Agency, is also contributing to the project.

EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq, who attended today’s meeting in Madrid, stated: “The role of satellite communication in a European strategic autonomy perspective cannot be overstated. I am pleased to say that EDA has played its part in facilitating SATCOM solutions for the EU for some time and in an incremental fashion that has proved quite successful. This GSC Demo project together with the Agency’s EU SatCom Market project underlines the importance of SATCOM and confirms the priority that has been granted to this capability during the most recent revision of the Capability Development Plan".

Major General Salvador Alvarez Pascual, the Deputy Director of Programs in the Spanish Ministry of Defence, said:  "Now it is time to start this project which is the result of significant work of experts from different nations. Spain will face the chairmanship of the Project Arrangement Management Group with confidence to have a good cooperation. The project will fulfill our common objectives and targets and provides the ideal opportunity to test its governance“.
 

Reliable, stable and secure communications are crucial in any CSDP mission and operation. Yet, terrestrial network infrastructures are not available everywhere, for instance in areas hit by natural disasters, at sea, in the air or in hostile zones. SATCOM can be the solution: rapidly deployable, flexible and distance insensitive, SATCOM can offer communication links where terrestrial networks are damaged, overloaded or non-existent.

However, access to SATCOM cannot be taken for granted at any time, especially not when governmental users require them at short notice and without pre-arranged agreements. In situations of high demand, competition with other users of commercial SATCOM capacities creates a risk of non-availability and high costs. Against this backdrop, EU leaders decided in 2013 that there was a need for a new solution combining the advantages of commercial and military satellite systems in order to address both civil and military needs through European cooperation. The European Defence Agency, in collaboration with the European Commission and the European Space Agency, since then is preparing the next generation of GOVSATCOM. 

GOVSATCOM is seen as a capability that is placed in between the commercial satellite communication market and the highly protected military satellite communication capability.

The project originates from an EDA Steering Board decision of November 2013 which tasked EDA to pursue its work on GOVSATCOM coordination with Member States, the European Commission and the European Space Agency in order to propose a comprehensive programme for Member States who wish to participate. After a sound preparatory work, the aforementioned EDA Member States decided in June 2017 to establish the GSC Demo project and intensify their collaboration in GOVSATCOM.

Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, today accomplished a two-day visit to Vilnius where he had talks with the Lithuanian Minister of National Defence, Raimundas Karoblis, as well as with Vice-Minister Giedrimas Jeglinskas. He also met with representatives of Lithuanian industry associations. Mr Domecq furthermore attended the ‘Snow Meeting 2019’, an annual event organized by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss common security challenges. 

The main topics discussed during the bilateral meetings at the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence included the current state of play and way ahead in the implementation of the various EU defence initiatives (PESCO, CARD, European Defence Fund), the revised EU Capability Development Priorities adopted last June, Lithuania’s current and potential future contributions to EDA projects and programmes (it currently participates in 10 of them), the implications of the Agency’s recent Long-Term Review as well as the EU-NATO relations. 

Mr Domecq welcomed that the launch of PESCO, CARD and EDF has raised EU defence cooperation to a new level which, he stressed, "requires Member States’ strong and continued engagement throughout the implementation to ensure that the governments’ commitments are taken forward in the national priority setting and implementation of new capability projects". In this respect, he commended Lithuania for taking the lead of the PESCO project on ‘Cyber Rapid Response Teams and Mutual Assistance in Cyber Security’ which is progressing well. He also confirmed EDA’s readiness to provide the support requested by Lithuania in view of the project implementation.  

Snow Meeting 2019 

The EDA Chief Executive also attended the ‘Snow Meeting 2019’ (an annual event organized by the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs gathering a close group of foreign and security policy leaders, politicians, opinion-makers and experts from Euro-Atlantic community to discuss common security challenges and develop policy ideas that could lead to practical solutions) where he participated as a panelist in the discussion on European leadership.