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Acht Vorschläge für eine effizientere bilaterale Kooperationsarchitektur im Bereich der Verteidigung

The European Centre for Manual Neutralisation Capabilities (ECMAN) has successfully concluded an intense two-week exercise dedicated specifically for MNT (Manual Neutralization Techniques) operators. The EUROPEAN GUARDIAN 2024 exercise gathered 14 MNT operators from the army, air force, navy and special police units from Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland and Italy.

Manual neutralisation techniques are the most advanced improvised device disposal proficiencies, which enable experienced and specially trained operators to access, diagnose, and manually dispose of hazardous material. These tactics, techniques and procedures need to be applied where the use of regular explosive ordnance procedures or of energetic weapons are inappropriate, and manual improvised explosive devices’ neutralisation capabilities are the last resort.

During the two-week course, operators were confronted with sophisticated improvised explosive devices (IEDs). These IEDs were embedded in realistic scenarios based on past, current and potential operations at home and abroad, including minor CBRN incidents. The aim of this Field Training, which culminated in a live exercise was to maintain and further improve the skills and techniques of the trained operators and thereby meet the national and international requirements of the participating nations in dealing with complex IEDs, which may also contain CBRN payloads.

Distinguished Visitor’s Day – Staying one step ahead

The Commander of the Austrian Logistics School, Brigadier General Stefan Lampl, and the Director ECMAN, Colonel Jürgen Pirolt, welcomed all guests and invited them to experience first-hand what an MNT operator is capable of, during the distinguished visitor’s day on June 4 in Vienna.

EDA, which is responsible for the ECMAN project, was represented by the Director of the Capabilities, Armament and Planning Directorate, Stefano Cont, who took the opportunity to share his thoughts on the ECMAN project with the participating guests. In particular, he emphasised that “ECMAN is a visible product of each country's commitment to multinational cooperation. It enhances operational capability through training in the procedures and techniques used in the manual neutralization of complex IEDs.”

Looking at lessons from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Director Cont stated that C-IEDs are more relevant than ever in recent history and encouraged the Director ECMAN, on behalf of the entire project, to continue all efforts to train these sophisticated MNT operators and explore new techniques and procedures to always stay one step ahead.

• Learn more about EDA’s efforts in Counter-IED in this article Synchronized Counter-IED Threat in Europe,Counter-IED Report Spring-Summer 2024 by Delta Business Media Limited - Issuu

Nagyjából 20 évvel ezelőtt engedélyt kértem a lengyel légierőtől, hogy a kijelölt országút szakaszokról akkoriban gyakran végrehajtott gyakorlatok egyikére ellátogassak. Nem is időzíthettem volna rosszabbul, mert a DOL-nak (Drogowy Odcinek Lotniskowy) nevezett gyakorlatok megrendezését éppen felfüggesztették. Mivel nem volt miért kiutazzak, a lengyel sajtótiszt egy postacímet kért azzal, hogy küld egy pár fotót a lengyel gépekről. Valóban csak néhányat küldött, nem is mind DOL során készült, de jó minőségű, 21x15-ös darabok voltak a borítékban és természetesen azt is értékeltem, hogy vette a fáradságot, és foglalkozott a dologgal.

[...] Bővebben!

Une forte explosion a eu lieu dans le centre de Cetinje. Deux personnes ont été tuées et plusieurs autres blessées. La police avance le cas d'un règlement de compte entre deux puissants gangs criminels.

- Le fil de l'Info / Monténégro, Courrier des Balkans, Défense, police et justice, armes

Right-Wing Populism Could Soon Undermine It

Staatssecretaris van Justitie en Veiligheid
Entsandte ukrainische Arbeitnehmer: Der Mitgliedstaat, in dem die Arbeiten durchgeführt werden, darf die Einholung einer Aufenthaltserlaubnis vorschreiben

Staatssecretaris van Justitie en Veiligheid
Posted Ukrainian workers: the Member State in which the works are carried out may impose an obligation to obtain a residence permit

dm-drogerie markt
Rechtsangleichung
Werbung für Biozidprodukte: Das Unionsrecht verbietet die Verwendung der Bezeichnung "hautfreundlich"

dm-drogerie markt
Approximation of laws
Advertising for biocidal products: EU law prohibits use of the indication ‘skin friendly’

Die freiwillige Auflösung des Parlaments könnte den Weg für eine rechtspopulistische Regierung in Frankreich ebnen. Das stellt ein enormes Risiko für Europa dar.

L'accord de Prespa a mis fin en juin 2018 au vieux contentieux entre la Grèce et la Macédoine – devenue « du Nord ». Alors que cet accord est désormais remis en cause, ses deux artisans, Alexis Tsipras et Zoran Zaev, tirent la sonnette d'alarme.

- Le fil de l'Info / Macédoine du Nord, Grèce, Courrier des Balkans, Nom de la Macédoine, Relations régionales

With France busy with the parliamentary elections due to take place on 30 June and the United States already focused on its November presidential elections, a decision on the thorny question of the formation of an alliance between the two

Brussels - EU police data access report pushes for cooperation with messaging platforms over intrusionThe EU Council's High-Level Group (HLG)

The ongoing relocation of the maintenance activities of Emirates airline, a subsidiary of the Emirates Group which is owned by

According to Intelligence Online sources, the United Kingdom's likely future premier, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, has welcomed a plan

Former Utah Congressman Chris Stewart's new lobbying firm has joined forces with the government of Azerbaijan, as it seeks to

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has declared 2024 to be a “green world solidarity year” ahead of the COP29 Conference that will be held this year in his country.   The declaration aims to showcase how Azerbaijan is a global partner in the struggle against global climate change.   Azerbaijan has set ambitious targets, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by 2030 and 40 percent by 2050, relative to the 1990 baseline year.

Recently, Azerbaijan showcased to a delegation brought over by UNDP and Anama the newly created “smart village” in East Zangezur, which seeks to assist ecosystem restoration.  Similar models are being employed throughout Karabakh and Nachshivan, which have been declared “green energy zones.”   Focusing on energy policy, Azerbaijan prioritizes the creation of green energy sources and the global distribution of green energy. The goal is for renewable energy to constitute 30% of electricity generating capacity by 2030. 

The office of the president of Azerbaijan declared: “The unanimous decision to host the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Azerbaijan reflects the international community’s profound respect and trust in Azerbaijan, recognizing the nation’s endeavors in environmental protection and addressing climate change on national, regional, and global scales.”

According to USAID, “Azerbaijan is an emerging middle-income country. The agriculture sector contributes only 7 percent of GDP but is a critical component of the non-oil economy. As a key source of jobs and a priority in the context of food security, Azerbaijan’s agriculture sector will be increasingly at risk from higher temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and natural disasters.”

They added: “The country’s rapid economic development created a number of environmental challenges that will be exacerbated by climate change, such as severe air pollution from industrial plants, water pollution, soil degradation and important biodiversity and forest reserve degradation and losses. Another major risk to economic development and the population is the increase in frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Azerbaijan is considered to be one of the most flood-prone areas in the world and extreme events, mainly floods, landslides and mudslides cost Azerbaijan an estimated $70–80 million annually. 

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources told the UN: “Upon ratification of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1995 and the Kyoto Protocol of the Convention in 2000, the Republic of Azerbaijan has actively joined international efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of global climate change. As a non-Annex I country, Azerbaijan has undertaken the obligations such as preparation of inventory of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and emission removals, its regular updating, and the preparation of national communications and submission of this information to the Secretariat of the Convention, as well execution of public awareness activities.”

They continued: “All these commitments are fulfilled in a systematic manner. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan is not included to Annex I group under the convention and has not taken any quantitative obligations in accordance with Kyoto protocol, the country has already contributed and is continuing to contribute to the global emission reduction efforts. So far, a number of mitigation activities have been implemented in Azerbaijan such as suspension of using black oil for power stations by using gas instead, application of smart cards in electricity and gas consumption measuring devices, enhancing application of renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies, expansion of forest territories, etc.”

According to them, “Azerbaijan has recently submitted its intended nationally determined contributions and, as developing country, taking into account national circumstances, future development perspectives and national interests, has taken target of the 35% reduction in the level of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990/base year as its contribution to the global climate change efforts.”

Paris, le 18 juin 2024 À l’occasion du salon Eurosatory 2024, Safran Electronics & Defense a annoncé le lancement de sa solution de lutte anti-drones Skyjacker. Ce système répond à la menace croissante des drones, aussi bien sur le champ de bataille qu’à...

Paris, le 19 juin 2024 À l’occasion du salon Eurosatory 2024, Safran Electronics & Defense lance l’intelligence artificielle ACE, pour « Advanced Cognitive Engine ». Son objectif est d’intégrer des capacités IA dans l’ensemble des produits de Safran Electronics...

The European Defence Agency (EDA) is delighted to announce the three winners of its Research, Technology, and Innovation Papers Award 2024. This year, the competition focused on innovative technologies, processes, and applications for enhanced future defence capabilities. The three winners were presented with their awards at Eurosatory in Paris by EDA Research, Technology and Innovation Director, Nathalie Guichard. 

EDA’s award seeks to increase the visibility and impact of tomorrows innovators and aims to promote and support the work of early career researchers by introducing their work to the defence community, stimulate engagement of innovators to widen their access to emerging and potentially disruptive research, and identify areas in which additional investment is needed to address future defence capability needs. Each of the three prize presented their papers at a dedicated EDA event hosted at the Eurosatory Innovation Lab, which is the dedicated area of the exhibition dedicated to start-ups and young innovators. 

“With this initiative EDA supports young talents with the aim to retain unique skills in the defence and security sectors”, said Nathalie Guichard at the event. “This is the second edition of this award, set up in the context of the Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI), and we have seen an increasing interest from academia in competing at European level which is a sign of the thriving R&T ecosystem in Europe.”

And the winners are:

- Michele MAESTRINI from the POLITECNICO DI MILANO for a paper titled “SPACEGUARD: How space law enforcement can enhance space security through comprehensive monitoring and response to threats” - award collected by co-author Niccolo’ FARACO. 

- Isabel CARNOTO AMAT, from the University Carlos III of Madrid for a paper titled “Towards small object detection in space: photonic integrated quantum illumination”.

- Giulio MEUCCI from the National Inter-University Consortium for Telecommunications for a paper titled “AI-generated threats to maritime navigation using deceptive ISAR images”. 

Abstracts

SpaceGuard: How Space Law Enforcement can Enhance Space Security through Comprehensive Monitoring and Response to Threats

"SpaceGuard: How Space Law Enforcement can Enhance Space Security through Comprehensive Monitoring and Response to Threats" by Michele Maestrini and colleagues proposes an innovative solution for space law enforcement. 

The paper addresses the need for robust monitoring and response capabilities to manage the growing threats from unknown and potentially hostile space objects. SpaceGuard integrates guidance, navigation, and capabilities identification modules to inspect and characterize these objects autonomously. 

The approach leverages existing technologies from Active Debris Removal (ADR) and On-Orbit Servicing (OOS), aiming to enhance space security and resilience. The dual-use nature of the technology also opens commercial opportunities, potentially positioning the EU as a leader in space security and commercial space services   


AI-Generated Threats to Maritime Navigation using Deceptive ISAR Images
The paper "AI-Generated Threats to Maritime Navigation using Deceptive ISAR Images" by Giulio Meucci, Francesco Mancuso, and Alessandro Cantelli-Forti explores the vulnerabilities of ship radar systems to cyber-attacks. Specifically, it examines how Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) can be used to create fake Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) images that closely resemble real targets. 

This technique can manipulate radar data, causing navigational problems such as collisions or delays by presenting false images of ships or objects. The study highlights the significant risks posed by such cyber threats, especially by Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), which are sophisticated, long-term attacks often backed by state actors. 

The research underscores the need for robust cybersecurity measures in maritime operations to counter these potential threats.
 
Towards Small Object Detection in Space: Photonic Integrated Quantum Illumination
In "Towards Small Object Detection in Space: Photonic Integrated Quantum Illumination," Isabel Carnoto Amat and her colleagues present a novel approach for detecting faint space debris and small satellites using quantum illumination. 

The proposed system leverages a Photonic Integrated whispering gallery mode resonator utilising thin film lithium niobate technology. This resonator serves as an entanglement source and frequency upconversion stage, designed for space applications due to its reduced size, weight, and power consumption. 

The paper discusses the potential of quantum technologies to enhance detection capabilities by improving sensitivity and reducing noise levels. Although the technology is not yet mature for immediate deployment, the authors emphasize its promising future in providing comprehensive coverage and increased reliability for space debris detection.
 
About HEDI 
The EDA Research, Technology, and Innovation Papers Award is done under the ‘’umbrella’’ of HEDI (Hub for EU Defence Innovation), which is the new platform for innovation, led by EDA, that was established in March 2022 as an action derived from "Strategic Compass for EU Defence and Security’’.

HEDI has the objective of fostering innovative technological solutions following a systemic approach towards cutting-edge military capabilities. Furthermore, HEDI serves as a platform to stimulate and facilitate cooperation on defence innovation while ensuring synergies with related European Commission activities, notably the EU defence innovation scheme, coherence of output with NATO innovation and other EU Defence Innovation organizations.