Defence`s Feeds

In October 2013, Romania bought 12 second-hand F-16AM/BM aircraft from Portugal to replace part of its fleet of Russian built MiG-21 Lancer fighter aircraft. Romania was rumored to have paid about 638 million EUR with 120 million EUR for the acquisition of the planes. The contract also included modifications and upgrades performed by Lockheed Martin; additional engines; logistics support; and the training of 9 Romanian pilots and 69 maintenance technicians.

Romania is currently working on modernizing the Fetesti 86 military base which will be host to Romania’s first F-16s. Those are scheduled to arrive in 2016. The base must meet NATO standards by then.

Tag: RomaniaF-16

Saab believes India could still be a cust

Thales has launched a new campaign to res

Defence Industry Bulletin is a specialist publication designed for professionals in the commercial security and defence sector. It provides the latest market intelligence and industry news covering topics from all corners of the industry with news categorised into Land, Sea, Air and Se

Israeli LORA Short-Range Ballistic Missile

As of 1 October, the European Defence Agency (EDA) has taken over the provision of Satellite Communications (SatCom) services for the EU Training Mission (EUTM) in Somalia.

EUTM Somalia is the first CSDP military mission to draw on the option of the Agency to cover its requirement for SatCom services. Earlier this year, Athena - the mechanism established to finance CSDP military operations - joined the Agency’s EU SatCom Market as part of its efforts to improve the procurement process of the different operations. 

Through the Agency, the mission benefits from a strategic link between Somalia and Europe. The services include rental, shipping and installation of a C-band remote terminal in Mogadishu International Airport as well as a high data rate unclassified satellite link with anchoring in Europe. The services include also 24/7 technical support and on site-intervention if required.

In the coming months, the Agency will also take over the provision of Mobile Satellite Services for the operations EUNAVFOR Atalanta, EUTM Mali and EUTM Somalia as well as ATHENA Central.

Speaking about the cooperation, Brigadier General Antonio Maggi, EUTM Somalia Operation Commander said: “Thanks to the excellent cooperation between the EUTM J6 team, EDA and the contractor, EUTM Somalia will benefit from a reliable and secure connection with Europe for its Command and Control chain.”

EDA’s Chief Executive, Jorge Domecq added: “Supporting CSDP operations is one of the core missions of the EDA. I am confident this first example will pave the way for other CSDP military operations to make extensive use of all the support the Agency can provide.”

EUTM Somalia

On 10 April 2010, the European Union launched a military training mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) in order to contribute to strengthening the Federal Government and the institutions of Somalia. This support is part of the EU's comprehensive engagement in Somalia, which aims to support stabilising the country and to respond to the needs of the Somali people.

Since 2010, EUTM Somalia has contributed to the training of approximately 3,600 Somali soldiers with a focus on the training of Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), Junior Officers, specialists and trainers. 

EU SatCom Market

Within the EU SatCom Market project, EDA acts as the central purchasing body on behalf of the contributing members. It purchases the services from a commercial provider. The project uses a ‘pay-per-use’ model, so members do not have to contribute with regular fees, instead they only pay for what they order. Since May 2013, 24 orders have been passed for a total value of around €4 million. Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, Romania, the United Kingdom and the Athena Mechanism are members of the project. Further participation is open to all EDA participating Member States as well as all entities entitled to take part in Agency activities.

The Athena Mechanism

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

 

More information

• News "EDA supports EUTM Mali to enhance medical facilities" (8 September 2015)
• News "Athena joins EU Satcom Market" (18 June 2015)
• News: "EDA signs cooperation arrangement with Athena" (2 March 2015)
• EU SatCom Market project page
• Operations Support project page

 

The European Defence Agency (EDA) last week successfully installed energy management equipment at camp Koulikoro, the location for the European Union’s Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali. The equipment is part of EDA’s Smart Camp Technical Demonstrator project which analyses the benefits of integrating new technologies into traditional power grids for deployed camps.

The elements installed include fixed solar photovoltaic panels on a test building (16KWp), flexible soldier portable solar photovoltaic panels as well as monitoring and metering equipment for water and electricity. The test building is occupied by the Belgium contingent who will provide valuable feedback regarding end-user experience with energy demand management. 

Objective of Demonstrator

The demonstrator will be installed initially for a test phase of twelve weeks. The objectives are to:

1. Test efficiency of various types of photovoltaic panels in specific climatic conditions;
2. Test the integration of renewables with battery storage in a deployment scenario;
3. Test demand management technology and its impact, if any, on inhabitants;
4. Raise awareness of energy efficiency and renewable energy as a military capability;
5. Encourage energy efficient behaviour among troops;
6. Collect reliable data for analysis and sharing with other Member States and further work;
7. Collect data to develop benchmarks for planning support tools for CSDP operations.

Further Opportunities for Energy & Environment Management

Following the test phase, further work can be envisaged including an upscaling of the equipment installed to provide more renewable power to the camp, water management technologies, waste management technologies including waste to energy conversion and further efficiency measures. A full report will be presented at the next Energy & Environment working group meeting on 12 and 13 November in Brussels.

 

More information:

• More information on the Agency's energy and environment programme is available here. 

Austrian Oberaigner 6x6 Light Utility Vehicle

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The hearing is on the situation of women in armed conflicts, in the context of the 1325 UN Security Council resolution on Women, Peace and Security, organised on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the landmark resolution.
Location : ASP 3E2, Brussels
Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

Source : © European Union, 2015 - EP

The Scorpion after completing its first transatlantic flight, July 2014. Source: Textron Airland.

On 7 October, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq met with Pedro Morenés, Spanish Minister of Defence, to exchange views on cooperation opportunities and assess ways to enhance Spain’s involvement in EDA projects. Mr Domecq also visited the EU Satellite Centre for discussions with Director Pascal Legai.

Jorge Domecq and Pedro Morenés had a fruitful exchange of views, especially on different aspects of military aviation and space initiatives currently covered by the Agency. Other topics discussed were the European Tactical Airlift Centre in Zaragoza (this centre will be established in the framework of the Agency’s air transport programme by 2016), EDA's key programme on Government Satellite Communications (GovSatCom) which is led by Spain and other areas of EDA's work such as on Research and Technology. Discussions also covered broader aspects with focus on EDA's role to ensure civil/military synergies aiming to achieve efficiencies, in line with June 2015 Heads of State and Government tasks. Mr Domecq also met with the the Spanish Secretary of State of Defence, the Spanish Deputy Chief of Air Force, as well as the National Armaments Director.

The visit to Madrid also gave occasion to enhance cooperation between the EDA and the European Union Satellite Centre (EU SatCen). Jorge Domecq and Pascal Legai agreed that common challenges in operations should be explored through EDA's expertise on capability development, for example as regards earth observation, on the grounds of the complementary roles of the two agencies. Other topics of discussion were cooperation in space surveillance and tracking, maritime and border surveillance as well as cyber.

 

More information:

• Cyber defence project page
• Military airworthiness project page
• SESAR project page

Thirty two participants representing eleven countries and twenty-four industrial and governmental organisations met for the second edition of the European Reference Open Architecture Standard for a Modern Integrated Electronic Mission System in Military Land Vehicles (LAVOSAR II) workshop, held at the European Defence Agency (EDA) on 9 July 2015. 

Very positive comments after the first LAVOSAR workshop organised in 2014 resulted in the continuation of an initiative to promote and develop an open architecture standard for military land vehicles. It is important to underline the fact that previously involved industry unanimously supported the idea and joined in for the second session.

Whilst LAVOSAR I focused mainly on mission systems of land vehicles of participating member states, LAVOSAR II went one step further to specify in more detail areas not covered before, e.g. selected aspects of maintenance and logistics. Several work packages which are currently under investigation in the ongoing LAVOSAR II study were incorporated in the workshop agenda. These included elements such as Architectural Domain Analysis and Requirements, Workflow and Procedure Update, Through Live Capability, Open Reference Architecture Standards Update, Alignment with NATO General Vehicle Architecture (NGVA) and Architecture Contribution to the EDA Repository.

An important aspect of the LAVOSAR project is how it dovetails with NATO General Vehicle Architecture (NGVA) standardization efforts. As highlighted by Member States at the CapTech Ground Systems meetings, the LAVOSAR work should  complement other international organisations’ efforts regarding the construction of an efficient open architecture Marek Kalbarczyk, EDA moderator of the CapTech stressed the importance of the initiative: “Implementation of open architecture to mission systems for land vehicles would bring not only whole life cost savings of between 10 - 25% to Member States, but would also simplify logistics and increase operational functionalities.”

Lively and fruitful discussions held throughout the workshop added substantial value to the ongoing LAVOSAR II study and will be integrated in the study results to advance work in the open architecture domain.

More information: 

• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop Study Presentation
• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop 1
• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop 2 
• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop 3  
• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop 4
• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop 5
• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop 6
• LAVOSAR II Industrial Workshop Minutes  
• News "LAVOSAR Study Delivers Results" (16 June 2014)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in May 2015. Source: CTV News

A mSafe Bridport, provide

Slovak Zuzana 155-mm Self-Propelled Howitzer

This week’s post is focused on security and crisis decision-making, on the murky distinction between a bit of domestic disorder which, albeit a nuisance, poses no threat to society, and disorder as a simple use of force in an event which approaches conflict. Specifically, it is concerned to unpick the issues of tactics meant to turn protest to disorder, and that disorder to strategic mayhem. The practice, under the heading of ‘Black Bloc Tactics,’ has yet to be used to any greater objective than momentary chaos which it is hoped will give heft to the political point of the protest. However, as the events of the Arab Spring amply demonstrate, protest is not necessarily far from conflict of the worst sort. So, read the post, consider the questions, and join the discussion on Twitter at #CCLKOW.

This weekend I travelled to Manchester to observe the policing of the protest and the Conservative Party Conference. Rather than run about on the streets following the public order officers, [1] this time I was a guest of the force and was allowed to observe the policing from the central command by way of CCTV and helicopter footage. It was utterly fascinating.

The anti-austerity protest planned for Sunday involved a march and rally of significant numbers. And as I am very interested in urban mayhem, watching the events I calculated the many opportunities, moments and locations in which a dedicated operative could act to bring chaos out of the calm. In fact, this has been a tactic of varying use and utility adopted by different groups within a protest in the last couple of decades. Often associated with Anarchists, Black Bloc tactics are not necessarily limited to that group. Briefly, these tactics encompass small cells of anonymised actors who have traditionally used token violence to punctuate the political statement of the protest.

To date, they have not been used in any real capacity beyond the general aim of the protest. And to be perfectly clear, this thought piece does not direct its consideration to protest as protest, even when it might include violence and disorder. Free expression and democratic principles do not always play out in the neatest possible fashion, but that is by far to be preferred over other forms of governance. I have argued elsewhere and I do not step back from that position here that the state and police forces must live by the rule that ‘you can’t shoot rioters.’ [2] In fact, as we have witnessed in the uprisings collectively known as the Arab Spring, strong arm responses to even violent protest can turn political action to conflict too easily.

So, what are we concerned with here if not protest run amok of its own volition? I have argued in another article that the strategic actor – either terrorist or state affiliated – could use mayhem in lieu of battle. It’s worth jogging over to give that piece a read as it describes the concept in detail, but in brief, it envisions the intentional use of such tactics as would turn the mob in the urban setting into a cheap but effective army to be wielded against the society. That is, such an approach, which to date has only been used to create token or short term violence, could be adapted as a type of warfare.

This is where it all becomes difficult. A competent actor will be able to camouflage the strategic intent of the disorder, at least in the short term. Done very well, a society could slowly be bled white with exhaustion coping with disorder. Or, in frustration, the security forces could escalate the situation to the point of conflict. Thus, with very few resources, a state could be defeated.

Whereas my very first post in this series put to you the problem of the local, rural partisan, in this case you are forced to confront a modern urban warrior, whether at home or abroad on COIN or other stabilisation operations. And so the questions are:

1. How will you identify that protest is not protest but an act of war?

2. How will you act without doing undue additional harm or damage?

3. Is this a strategy you might consider?

4. At what point does this amount to an act of war?

 

Give your answers some thought and join the conversation on Twitter at #CCLKOW.

 

Notes

1. The police are rarely troubled by my close presence to their activities as I look nothing short of harmless. Seriously, I won’t ever be mistaken for anarchist or terrorist, and as yet ‘rogue professional woman’ is not yet a style adopted by any combatants.

2. Despite a heavy ethos against the use of force generally, and in public order policing specifically, there has been an uproar in the British press today regarding the deployment of a sniper on a rooftop which overlooked the protest route. It also overlooked the conference venue site. Given the heightened threat level with respect to terrorism and the high-profile nature of the event, such precautions are to be expected. However, with the highly constrained model for the use of lethal force, the idea that the police would even consider using snipers against protesters when it is their job to facilitate protest is beyond silly. And given the control on the police use of firearms, the thought is even more far-fetched. Read the IPCC investigation report on the shooting of Mark Duggan in 2011 if you want to understand how it works, at pages 96 ff – the officers were questioned repeatedly regarding what happened. The material directly related to the officer who fired the fatal shot is at pages 118-164.

Former Minister of State for Security and Counter Terrorism, Rt Hon Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG, will be chairing the Cyber Defence and Network Security conference in January. Ahead of the event, in an exclusive interview with Defence IQ she discusses government-level cyber security v

Not since the Cold War has the world seen such a widespread interest and effort to build (or rebuild) submarine fleets. With littoral operations attracting more military activity and discussions over anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) becoming more urgent, there appears to be a common bel