EDA News

More than 1,000 personnel from 21 countries and organisations as well as non-European observers participated in the multinational Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) exercise Bison Counter 2016 (BC16). The exercise was hosted by the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Göta Engineers Regiment from 15 to 27 August 2016. It was the first time the EDA’s Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL) was successfully integrated into a multinational exercise. A Visitors Day with the participation of high-level guests from participating countries and organisations was organised on 26 August. 

The main aim of the exercise was to evaluate the full C-IED concept from the first responders’ perspective until delivery of C-IED related intelligence production, so as to tackle all C-IED work strands. A large number of different C-IED enablers ranging from Military Search, Military Working Dogs, Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Improvised Explosive Devices Disposal (IEDD), EOD divers, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear and explosives (CBRNe) experts, Military Engineers and Weapon Intelligence Teams (WIT) from land, maritime and air domains took part in the exercise. 

One of the key elements of the exercise was to practice the hand over process of responsibilities and duties in C-IED operations such as route clearance to EOD operators to WIT teams and the transfer of collected samples to the JDEAL. The exercise scenario foresaw training such processes in high threat environments and between multinational units. 

The inclusion of the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL) marks the first time the laboratory deployed in its full operational mode. It was successfully integrated in the exercise chain of command. The laboratory was manned by around 30 JDEAL permanent staff, non-permanent staff, observers and trainees leading to the processing and exploitation of more than 50 cases which ranged from car bomb exploitation to cell phones and electronic media data recovery. 

The results of the exercise will now be thoroughly analysed however initial feedback from participants was very positive, highlighting especially the benefits obtained on a tactical and operational level. 

The first Bison Counter exercise took place in The Netherlands in 2013. Building on this experience, the EDA’s C-IED Project Team decided to institutionalise Bison Counter as a bi-annual C-IED dedicated activity under the umbrella of the EDA. The next exercise is scheduled for 2018. 

Copyright picture: Jimmy Croona/Swedish Armed Forces

More information:

• Bison Counter 2016 information on the website of the Swedish Armed Forces
• C-IED project page
• JDEAL project page

Following approval by the EU Member States in July, 14 military projects on SESAR deployment will receive a total of € 53.5 million in EU funding under the 2015’s call for proposals of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) published by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA-call). This represents around 10% of total funds awarded to the related SESAR clusters. In its role of military coordinator for SESAR deployment, the European Defence Agency (EDA) had supported Member States to identify and prepare bids for this call.

In preparation of the INEA-call, around 100 projects were identified in close cooperation with Member States, NATO and Eurocontrol. Early 2016 over 20 key military projects were submitted to INEA through the EDA ranging from ground systems, to air platforms and also specific studies. This is the first time, the military benefits of financial instruments previously not at reach.

The next stage for the funded stakeholders, including the military, will be the formalisation of this award decision, turning it into the Specific Grant Agreements required under the SESAR Framework Partnership Agreement in order to have the projects coordinated by the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) and to receive the awarded funding through SDM.

Building on the lessons learned from the 2015 call and the priorities identified in the Deployment Programme 2016, EDA is already working with Member States and other stakeholders, to encourage and facilitate increased participation in the 2016 CEF Transport INEA Call on the basis of high quality military projects. Early identification of relevant candidate projects is essential in this perspective.

 

More information: 

• Single European Sky project page

The EDA’s Defence Policy Database which has been launched earlier this year was recently updated. The database currently contains 130 official documents from International Organisations and Member States providing a comprehensive overview of governmental documents on a wide spectrum of issues related to security and defence.

The database was created to share information on Member States’ defence policies. It mainly contains national defence and security strategies, strategic defence reviews, white papers, strategic concepts, R&T and industrial policies, military planning guidelines as well as defence procurement regulations. The latest update also encompasses the EU Global Strategy which was issued in June this year. 

The database features a repository of all documents and the analytical functionalities of the software allow users to search for specific information. For instance, content can be filtered along several indicators including strategic objectives and long term vision, threat perception, geographical areas of interest, and level of ambition.

The next major update is envisaged for October 2016. Governmental users can request access using their My.EDA account or sending a registration email to dpol(a)eda.europa.eu. 

More information:

• Defence Policy Database project page

 

How do key European defence companies approach and deal with the challenge of strategic innovation? European Defence Matters, the EDA's official magazine, spoke to Marwan Lahoud who is Executive Vice President International, Strategy and Public Affairs of Airbus Group.

The article below appeared in the 10th edition of European Defence Matters, the EDA’s official magazine, which you can read by clicking here.

Mr Lahoud, which lessons could you share with your peers regarding the specific features of strategic innovation in the area of defence?

European Defence Matters, Magazine issue 10

A genuine and sustained dialogue between the armed forces, defence procurement agencies and our engineers is essential to defence innovation. Our armed forces need to respond to new threats as they arise. Good defence innovation that is built around a genuine dialogue is more able to deliver the best and technologically superior equipment, much more cost effectively.
In defence, strategic innovation does not derive from incremental improvements but from a game-changer, a disruptor or a breakthrough. As Aesop’s fable “The Lion and the Mosquito” shows, a strong defence posture constantly requires adaption to new threats. Even the mighty lion can be beaten by the tiny mosquito if it can be lured into the spider’s web. That’s where strategic innovation comes into play. If an adversary takes a decisive advantage on a niche technology that can inflict severe damage to its opponent - it could be game over.
Robotisation, big data and artificial intelligence are now widely recognised as defence disruptors. At Airbus Group, we are dedicating substantial resources to the area of “autonomy”, including Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS). Autonomous systems can better protect soldiers’ lives, ease decision-making on the ground and reduce the overall cost of operations. Our latest example is the Zephyr, a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS). The Zephyr runs exclusively on solar power and is thus able to fly autonomously for month, offering new solutions in military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Beyond the demand from the armed forces, what are in your view the main drivers or blocking factors for strategic innovation?

A corporate mind-set favourable to innovation is critical. To grasp strategic innovation, companies need swift decision-making, less-risk adverse behaviour, failure acceptance, and fast spiral development cycles. This is the recipe for strategic innovation. Many defence companies used to be like big ocean liners: slow to move ahead and slow to change trajectory. This is changing. Those who have not taken this seriously are bound to fail.
On top of that, to be innovative, companies need to talk to the right guys outside the company. At Airbus Group we place a high priority on a continuous dialogue with SMEs, universities and research centers, partners and start-ups. We are maintaining an ecosystem that fosters and grows our innovation capabilities. This has led us to support centres like the Ludwig Bölkow Campus, right from the start. This Campus is an international hub for ground breaking innovations, new ways of thinking, and practical training in the aerospace industry. Located near Munich, which has one of the richest traditions of technology development in Germany, the campus is a place where science, education, and industry come together and take innovative ideas off the drawing board and turn them into real products.
Defence innovation is also clearly shaped by regulation. Intellectual property rights (IPR) are a driver, and European defence companies are more likely to engage in innovation if they feel that they can retain IPR for future market advantage. I am convinced that European support to defence industries should take this point into consideration. The limited Research and Technology (R&T) budgets for defence clearly diminish the European potential of innovation in defence which is one of the reasons why Airbus Group seeks a close interaction between innovation in defence and in the commercial area. Our business model is based on the duality of civil and defence which allows us to pursue innovation to the largest extent possible. Government investment in defence and research does however remain extremely important in driving innovation. Considerable pressures of course remain on public expenditure, which is why we applaud efforts by EU Member States to substantially improve their defence budgets. As a minimum it is absolutely crucial that member states meet their commitment to the NATO Defence Investment Pledge (2% GDP on defence with 20% on research and innovation).

Should European defence companies find new ways to promote innovation? How do you evaluate the business model and success of digital companies or actors such as SpaceX in this respect?

Let’s face it, Silicon Valley has been the source of major strategic innovations in the US for decades. Thanks to a strong initial push by the US Department of Defense (DOD), 15% of US patents are now produced in the valley but more importantly, major GAFAs-like companies were born there.
SpaceX and Google have undoubtedly marked an evolution in the aerospace industry. With OneWeb, Google and Airbus Group (as industrial partners for the design and manufacturing of a new fleet of microsatellites) are entering the “NewSpace”. OneWeb is about providing cheap internet access worldwide, thanks to an initial production of 900 satellites, each weighing less than 150 kilogrammes, for launch into low Earth orbit beginning in 2018. This industrial partnership clearly unites two of the world’s best players and I am sure this kind of joint effort will be replicated in other areas. SpaceX is also a case in point. This company has made great progress in the development of launchers and has capitalized on all possible drivers of innovation. But we cannot be naïve about this new approach. Beyond all the merits of SpaceX we cannot ignore the massive public support it has received from billions of dollars injected by NASA.

Which measures should be taken to halt the reduction in R&D spending? Are cooperative programmes one of the vital solutions?

In tough economic times, cutting R&D spending is an easy solution. Yet, countries like France, and Germany have not fallen into this trap. This is a shrewd decision, which we both recognise and welcome. Hi-tech corporations recognise the importance of sustained research investment and even in difficult times, boards will do everything they can to protect this investment, not to do so can cut companies out of future markets for years to come. It is the same in defence, cutting research investment can allow adversaries the window they need to develop threat capabilities that we will not be able to match.
Yet, European Member States’ cumulative R&D efforts are still way too low. With around 170 million Euros invested in defence R&T across Europe, representing 8% of total R&T expenditure of the Member States, European collaborative defence R&T barely exists. More worrying is that over the last ten years, European defence investment in R&D has declined by 30%. To the contrary, the US spent an average of €9 billion per year on defence R&T (i.e. four times European Member States spending combined) and an average of€ 54.6 billion per year on R&D during the period 2006-2011. Thanks to its ‘Defense Innovation Strategy’ (DII), more commonly referred as the ‘Third Offset Strategy’ (3OS) this effort will even keep increasing. For the fiscal year 2017, the US Defense Secretary has announced that €67 billion will be requested in defence R&D appropriations.
The Russian defence R&D budget has also doubled between 2012 and 2015 while think tanks estimate that the Chinese defence research budget will surpass the US by 2022.
Against this background, the establishment of the EU’s preparatory Action on defence research and its subsequent larger programme post 2021 is more than a laudable effort. It is the right move even if we regret that it may take some time to happen. I expect this action to be translated into concrete collaborative, innovative programs, meeting the current and future needs of our armed forces. As an example, VTOL RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems) could be a potential solution for a wide range of future military applications, including surveillance missions in the maritime environment, operation from naval platforms, or land operations. I am sure that the EDA is fully aware of the importance of the preparatory action and will play a crucial role in making this endeavour a success.

About Mr Lahoud

Marwan Lahoud, born on 6 March 1966, is Executive Vice President International, Strategy and Public Affairs of Airbus Group, Executive Committee member since June 2007 and President of Airbus Group France. Prior to joining back EADS, Marwan Lahoud had run MBDA as Chief Executive Officer since January 2003. Mr Lahoud began his career at the French Defence procurement agency DGA in 1989. In 1995, Lahoud he was appointed Special Advisor to the French Ministry of Defence. In May 1998, he joined Aerospatiale as Vice President Development where he was responsible for negotiating agreements with Groupe Lagardère for the Aerospatiale-Matra Hautes Technologies merger. In June 1999, Mr Lahoud was appointed Senior Vice President Strategy and Planning for Aerospatiale Matra, where he also served as Senior Vice President Military Affairs. In 2000, Lahoud was appointed Senior VP Mergers & Acquisitions of EADS. During his tenure, he oversaw the creation of Airbus, MBDA, Astrium and EADS.

Common Security and Defence (CSDP) missions and operations are teamwork by nature, involving troops from different contributing Member States, all of them bringing with them and using their own specific equipment and outfit. Although the bulk of the materiel used in such multinational operations is traditionally of military nature and therefore well-known to all of the participating troops, serious issues can arise from civilian, commercially available off-the-shelve electronic products and utensils which are increasingly used by the Armed Forces to complement their purely military toolbox.

 

Such a patchwork of military, dual-use and civilian equipment used by troops from different Member States in a joint operation can entail considerable risks – from hampering the mission’s effectiveness to putting at risk soldiers’ lives.

Against this background, one crucial question arises: How to make sure that different troops coming from different Armed Forces using different types of technical equipment can nevertheless work together efficiently and safely?
Ensuring proper testing and evaluation of critical equipment - be it military or civilian - is part of the answer.

 

Electromagnetic Effects (EME)

That’s why the European Defence Agency (EDA) has taken the initiative to promote more systematic technical testing of CSDP equipment by Member States’ Test Centres and to set up an EU-wide Test and Evaluation Network, the Defence Test and Evaluation Base (DTEB).

One of the areas where Testing & Evaluation (T&E) is particularly crucial is that of Electromagnetic Effects (EME). Indeed, it is not unusual that commercially acquired electronic devices used by Armed Forces generate adverse interferences with its own military equipment or with that used by partner troops in joint missions.

Measures against such harmful and potentially dangerous electromagnetic effects can be seen in our daily experiences. For example, civil cell phones interfere with avionic devices; this is why sending functions of cell phones have to be switched off during flights. The damaging effects of electromagnetic interference pose unacceptable risks especially in military technologies; it is therefore necessary to control such interference and reduce the risks to acceptable levels by testing, evaluating and characterizing the threats. It is also important to set appropriate and updated design standards for emission and susceptibility levels and to test the compliance with those standards.

 

EME Networking in Europe

In order to mitigate the risks of fatal interference, several European nations have developed a network of military test centres, specialised in Electromagnetic Effects, which joined the EDA’s Defence Test and Evaluation Base (DTEB) to examine, amongst others, the hazardous impact of civil equipment on military operations and vice versa. This EU Network of military EME Test Centres (ENTER) conducts joint tests, exchanges results and works on harmonized standards towards enhanced interoperability of multinational forces.

Second round of tests to be launched in September

After having carried out a first, more general inter-laboratory comparison test (so-called ‘Round Robin Testing’), the ENTER group has now decided to launch a follow-up test in autumn 2016 which will entirely focus on current and future Electromagnetic Effects (EME) concerns. The preparatory meeting for this test round will take place end of September at the EDA in Brussels.

National test centres from six EDA member States (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain – the lead nation) will participate in this joint test event.

The objective is to evaluate a series of test methods and procedures in order to verify their accuracy and comparability. This is of great importance to national test centres because if it can be concluded that different methods and procedures applied by Member States’ testers are of identical quality and that they lead to the same results, then it will possible for national test centres to mutually recognize their test results - which means substantial savings of time and resources.

At this stage, ENTER is made up of the national test centres of the six afore-mentioned EDA members but the objective is to continuously expand the group.

“Important to share experiences and qualification methods”

Major Dr Ir Thierry Gilles, is an expert on electromagnetic effects working in the Belgium Laboratory of Electro-Magnetic Applications (LEMA) which is located in the Brussels-based Royal Military Academy. LEMA is a member of ENTER. “Even with a rather small test equipment, our laboratory can contribute to EME qualifications and tests because we are complementary to other EU test facilities in the EME Network. Our strength is for example the close relationship with research topics. This means that future developments can be taken into account for capability investments. This is a valuable contribution to the Network of EME T&E Centres”, Mr Gilles states.

“For example, deminers use firing devices which can be very sensitive to electromagnetic disturbances. Wireless devices are a cause for concern, in particular radio transmitters used in proximity of such life-critical devices. The risk of malfunction, such as a non-detection of a buried mine, or the premature explosion of the detonators must be evaluated”, he stressed. The importance of sharing test results and qualification methods among European Armed Forces is obvious. “It is very important for us to share those kind of experiences and qualification methods with other EU experts in the EME Network to optimise our qualification methods in an interoperable way”, says Mr Gilles.

Thomas Honke, the EDA’s Project Officer for Qualification Test and Evaluation, adds: “The example of electromagnetic effects is only one aspect in the large field of EU Test and Evaluation domains. Those kind of T&E collaborations in the defence sector will help to save lives, especially if shared test methods discover weaknesses of military equipment in a pan-European context. Based on exchanging this information in qualification, test and evaluation expertise networks, EU Member States can develop adequate countermeasures. This is the spirit of our EU Test and Evaluation Networking”.

 

More information:

• European Network on Electro Magnetic Effects Test & Evaluation capabilities Rationalization (ENTER) - EDA project page
• Defence Test and Evaluation Base (DTEB) portal
• EDSTAR portal

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence has today notified Parliament of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Luxembourg to proceed with the acquisition of a pooled fleet of Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (A330 MRTT) aircraft, and the signing of a contract paving the way for the delivery of two aircraft with options for up to six more when, as expected, other nations join the grouping.

The contract also covers two years of initial support. Details can be seen at this news statement issued by the Dutch Ministry of Defence.

We (EDA, OCCAR, NSPA, Airbus Defence and Space) strongly welcome this agreement to acquire aircraft for operation by NATO following a process facilitated by the EDA.

Final arrangements will be made in the coming weeks between Europe’s organization for the management of cooperative armament programmes – OCCAR – acting on behalf of the NATO Support & Procurement Agency (NSPA) and the nations, and Airbus Defence and Space for the completion of the financial process resulting in a formal order for the aircraft.

Discussions are underway at various stages with Belgium, Germany, Norway and Poland with a view to those nations also participating in the programme, known as the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) initiative.

Video and imagery of the A330 MRTT can be downloaded here. 

 

Media contacts: 

• European Defence Agency
  Eric Platteau +32 47 69 85 557 eric.platteau@eda.europa.eu
• Airbus Defence and Space
  Kieran Daly +34 689 669 661 kieran.daly.external@airbus.com
  Maggie Bergsma +34 637 513 486 maggie.bergsma@airbus.com
• OCCAR
  Falko Fanslau +49 22 85 50 21 16 falko.fanslau@occar.int
• NATO Support and Procurement Agency
  Karen Tissot Van Patot +352 30 63 65 57 karen.tissotvanpatot@nspa.nato.int

Representatives from 20 EU Member States gathered last week (20/21 July) in Bratislava for a two-day Cyber Security Cooperation Conference co-organized by the current Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Defence Agency (EDA).

The event was centred around three panels in which participants discussed different aspects of cooperation on cyber defence, starting with the political aspects of cooperation, moving onto public-private sector cooperation, and finishing with the challenges for military-to-military cooperation.

In his speech at the conference, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed the importance of European cooperation in the cyber defence field. The EDA, he said, is involved in this domain since more than four years when it established a platform for Member States to speak with each other about their requirements in cyber defence and cooperation. “And we can proudly say that within that relatively short time, we have significantly influenced the development of the cyber defence domain in Europe”. “Despite the sensitivities surrounding cyber defence, there is enormous scope for cooperation”, Mr Domecq continued, stressing that the EDA was ready to move forward its role in fostering cooperation on cyber security and defence in all dimensions, even beyond the traditional understanding of military to military cooperation. “Admittedly, we are in many cases in ‘uncharted waters’ but that should not prevent us from starting to navigate those waters. Cyber and Hybrid Threats require comprehensive responses”, he said.

Cyber threats are among the main risks and perils of the last decade, stated Ivan Máčovský, State Secretary at the Slovak Ministry of Defence. Therefore, the priorities of the Slovak EU Presidency are also geared towards consolidating the EU's unity and coherence in this field, he stressed. “It was acknowledged over the course of this conference that cooperation among the EU Member States in this field is of crucial importance, be it at the political or civil-military level. It is equally needed between the public and private sectors,” Mr Máčovský said at the conclusion of the event.

 

More information:

• Cyber Defence - EDA project page
• Communication and Information Systems - EDA project page

 

The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Union Satellite Centre (SATCEN) today formalized their close and fruitful cooperation, already in place since 2004, with an exchange of letters between Jorge Domecq (EDA Chief Executive) and Pascal Legai (SATCEN Director) at the EDA premises in Brussels.

Both organisations perform complementary roles and activities in the space-based earth observation domain and more generally in the space and security sector. Whereas the EDA’s work is focused on the harmonisation of requirements and the promotion of appropriate schemes for future capability development, SATCEN’s activity supports the decision making and actions of the EU by providing products and services resulting from the exploitation of space assets in particular in the CSDP field.

Since 2004, EDA and SATCEN have collaborated on projects as important as GISMO (Geospatial Information to Support Decision Making in Operations) and GISMO 2, SULTAN (Persistent Surveillance Long Term Analysis) and REACT.

With today’s exchange of letters, the EDA and SATCEN establish a more structured cooperation meaning that they will even more focus on activities of mutual interest, such as studies, workshops, projects and programmes. The new enhanced relationship will also see the nomination of Points of Contact on both sides to facilitate communication and cooperation.

Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, hailed the exchange of letters as an important step and said he was “confident that, through our cooperation, EDA and SATCEN can bring a significant added value to their respective Member States by reducing administrative burden, facilitating common action where possible, supporting better planning, as well as contributing to the best use of our respective resources”.

Specific cooperation areas and joint roadmap

EDA and SATCEN have also identified specific cooperation areas such as imagery exploitation, geospatial analysis and applications, future space-based earth observation systems, cyber defence, Big Data exploitation in the space and security domain, space situational awareness or maritime surveillance. The two Agencies will also develop a joint roadmap for cooperation detailing the activities of common interest as included in the respective work programmes (3-year Planning Framework for EDA and annual Working Programme for SATCEN). The roadmap will be updated annually.

 

Background

The European Union Satellite Centre, which is based in Torrejón de Ardoz (Spain), was established by the Joint Action 2001/555/CFS on the establishment of a European Union Satellite Centre repealed by Council Decision 2014/401/CFSP of 26 June 2014. The Centre supports the decision making and actions of the Union in the field of the CFSP and in particular the CSDP, including European Union crisis management missions and operations, by providing products and services resulting from the exploitation of relevant space assets and collateral data, including satellite and aerial imagery, and related services.

 

More information:

• GISMO2 (factsheet)
• Persistent SUrveillance Long Term ANalysis (SULTAN) - project page
• EDA CE Jorge DOMECQ visits the SatCen (press release October 2015)

Defence equipment and platforms are most often deployed in hostile environments where their underlying materials are affected by diverse factors such as humidity, pressure, temperature and radiation. The consequences are fatigue, corrosion, plastic deformation, erosion and other effects which harm the equipment and increase vulnerability in operations. On 15 June 2016, 31 experts from various European Ministries of Defence, Armed Forces, European institutions, industry and academia participated in an EDA seminar to address the effects hostile environments have on materials.

High-level experts on materials and defence technologies gathered to discuss the effects of hostile environments on materials as well as possible solutions to mitigate these effects. In order to understand the importance of these issues, background information was provided on operational problems caused by material degradation and on current research work in this area carried out at EU level. The discussion focused on identifying the main effects suffered by materials used in military systems and platforms, the preventive technologies which could address them and the actions needed to reach the right Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) for the operational use of these technologies. Participants also addressed the challenges and the way ahead in view of raising awareness and sharing data.

The main outcome of the seminar was the identification of promising solutions such as coatings, structural health monitoring, smart materials, additive manufacturing and nanotechnology fabrication methods. However, industry requires understanding of operational military needs, calling for a larger participation of end-users in knowledge-building activities. Also, the specification of environmental properties of materials was viewed as necessary for guiding the production and design of future materials. More cooperation between defence structures, industry and academia, coupled with appropriate financial resources were considered key elements for the advancement of research work in this area.

The seminar was co-organized by the EDA’s CapTech on Materials & Structures, the Ministry of Defence Portugal, the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) and the University of Beira Interior (UBI).

 

More information:

• For further information, please contact: CapTech.Materials@eda.europa.eu
• EDA brochure: European Defence Agency Role in Research & Technology - Towards Enhanced European Future Military Capabilities
• EDA Defence Research & Technology conference report available now (news published on 19 May 2016)

 

Since the creation of the European Defence Agency in 2004, support to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and to EU operations has been one of EDA's core missions. Several activities are now ongoing to develop the support of CSDP military and civilian operations or missions as well as EU Battlegroups at the request of Member States.

Typically, CSDP operations and missions are deployed on short notice to manage crisis in remote areas. In some cases, shortfalls on assets and equipment arising from the force generation have led to outsourcing some key services. This has been the case for Role 1and Role 2 services for several CSDP missions and operations.

In order to inform decisions of various stakeholders, EDA is conducting the present market survey to better understand the range of commercially available solutions, which could fulfil possible future requirements for Role 1 and/or 2 services and associated risks or limitations.

It has to be highlighted that the objective of this survey is to identify service providers of ‘turnkey’ solutions and not manufacturers of assets or supply providers.

Operators are kindly invited to participate in the survey by submitting their answer by 30 September 2016.

 

More information

• Market survey for Role1 and Role2 services
• EDA Operations Support project page.

Elements of the Joint Deployable Exploitation and Analysis Laboratory (JDEAL), which was developed by 13 participating countries under the auspices of the European Defence Agency (EDA), have been deployed away from its headquarters in Soesterberg (The Netherlands) for the first time.

The Laboratory’s light deployable capabilities were used during Exercise Interdict from 6 to 14 June 2016 at the National Training Centre of “San Gregorio” (Zaragoza), Spain.

12 experts from Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada deployed to Zaragoza with the Laboratory. During the exercise many technical functionalities were tested including forensic analysis, triage of improvised explosive devices, command & control, and media, documentary and cell exploitation. In one instance, during a live exercise (LIVEX), JDEAL processed materiel artifacts and traces extracted from 20 different simulated IED events.

The JDEAL’s Spanish Deputy Commander, Major Victor Mariño, stressed the challenge represented by the first deployment of both multinational personnel and laboratory equipment and concluded that the facility had passed its first test.

Since 2014 the JDEAL programme has been developed within the framework of the EDA with The Netherlands as Lead Nation. JDEAL has 13 contributing Member States: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden as well as Norway. The Laboratory will be deployed for a second time this upcoming autumn in Exercise Bison Counter in Sweden.

 

More information:

• JDEAL project page
• JDEAL: ready for deployment (webnews, February 2016)

At 1500 on 30 June 2016, the final wave of aircraft from the European Air Transport Training (EATT) in Beja in Portugal took off as a ten aircraft package, to deliver tactical cargo and paratroopers as part of a simulated Composite Air Operation (COMAO).  For the last two weeks, twenty crews from Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom have trained, shared their experience, learned from each other and finally brought all of the different academic and practical training modules together into this complex COMAO mission, encompassing five different airlift platforms and supported by F-16s from the host nation.  

Colonel Jim Kolm, the Deputy Director of EATT2016, commented on the flying event, “I am delighted with the conduct of the training and the excellent support we have received from the staff here in Beja.  The annual EATT offers a unique and very realistic opportunity to train in both a multinational and a joint environment and we work hard to ensure it is beneficial to all of the contributing elements such as the paratroopers, ground engineers, Combined Air Terminal Operations (CATO) team, and aeromedical team as well as the aircrews themselves.”

EATT2016 has been a great success with almost 200 hours flown, around 90% of the training objectives completed and offering a unique opportunity to plan and execute missions in a truly multinational framework. The EATT finds its origin in a wider multinational framework: the 20-nation, European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) programme, which sponsors several other airlift activities and underlines the critical importance of Pooling and Sharing capabilities as a means to improve cooperation in European defence.
 

More information:

• News "Air transport community trains in Portugal" (30.06.2016)
• EATT16 factsheet
• European Air Transport Fleet project page
• Exercises & training project page

Three European C27J nations (Bulgaria, Italy and Romania) participate in the first edition of the Balkan Spartan exercise with the aim to increase interoperability among European C27J Spartan operators. The exercise, taking place from 29 June to 8 July in Sofia, Bulgaria marks the beginning of yet another deliverable from the European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) partnership signed in 2011 by twenty Member States.

Designed by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and hosted by the Bulgarian Air Force, this first-of-its-kind flying event is aiming at promoting aircraft user type approaches to harmonise tactics, techniques and procedures as well as to develop more cost-effective solutions to operate and sustain the C27J. The objective of Balkan Spartan is to provide air crews with both academic and flight training as well as to have ground crews developing harmonised procedures to eventually allowing them to perform cross maintenance on each other’s aircraft.  

This flying event was developed in the framework of the C27J cooperation concept launched in 2015 by EDA. This concept is looking at developing a far reaching level of interoperability amongst European C27J operators through a variety of projects in the areas of operations & training, logistics, airworthiness, common procurement and SESAR. In 2016 a similar working group has been created for the European C295 operators.

The main advantages of EDA’s user groups – that are working in full transparency and cooperate with all other existing user groups led by other organisations, industry and/or service providers – is to group medium and small national fleets to take advantage of economies of scale, to exchange best practices and to be more cost-efficient in operating and sustaining the aircraft.

 

Background information

The European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) partnership, launched in 2011 and now gathering 20 Member States (AT, BE, BG, CZ, DE, EL, ES, FI, FR, IT, LT, LU, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SE, NO and HU), aims at increasing the airlift provision in the EU, developing concrete solutions to increase the efficiency of existing and future fleets and to optimise the use of air transport organisations and structures. Other activities undertaken as part of EATF include the European Air Transport Training (EATT) and European Advanced Tactics Training Course (EAATC) events as well as the European Air Transport Symposium.

 

Balkan Spartan: List of participating air forces and aircraft

• Bulgaria: 1 x C27J
• Italy: 1 x C27J
• Romania: 1 x C27J
• Slovakia: Personnel included in the multinational command & control
• Observer nations: Greece, Lithuania, Australia

 

More information

• European Air Transport Fleet project page

 

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has received so far 21 submissions in response to the “Call for Proposals for the Pilot Project on defence research” closed on 23 June.* The objective of the call is to award grant agreements for the value of almost €1.4 million for two technological development projects in the area of defence and one research and development project linked to certification for military and civil uses. Received proposals came from across Europe (twelve countries) and cover all of the aforementioned activities.

“The good number of proposals received shows the interest in the Pilot Project by SMEs, industry and R&T organisations. The Pilot Project – as a predecessor to the larger Preparatory Action for defence-related research – is an important test bed for funding of defence research through the EU budget. The European Defence Agency is looking forward to advancing the projects and to opening this new chapter in the way defence research is funded in Europe”, comments Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency.

The Pilot Project has been entrusted to EDA by the European Commission through a Delegation Agreement which was signed on 16 November 2015. As a result, EDA is responsible for the execution and management of the projects. The call for proposals, the submission of proposals, the evaluation and the awarding of the grant agreement is organised and coordinated by EDA. 

The evaluation of the proposals will be conducted over the summer period with the objective to conclude the grant agreements before year end.

 

Background

Research in defence related technologies is critical for the development of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and the strength and strategic autonomy of the EU Member States armed forces. The European Commission, in agreement with the European Council, will launch a Preparatory Action on defence research, which will start in 2017 and last for three years. Its aim is to test and prepare the ground for a possible defence research programme in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. The Pilot Project has been introduced in the EU budget (2015 and 2016) adopted by the European Council and the European Parliament, on the basis of an initiative of the latter.

The EDA published the Call for proposals for the Pilot Project in March 2016. The deadline to respond was on 23 June 2016 and the three activities covered are relating to Unmanned Heterogeneous Swarm of Sensor Platforms, Inside Building Awareness and Navigation for Urban Warfare and Standardisation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Detect and Avoid (DAA).”

* More submissions might be received in the coming days by post.

 

More information:

• News "EC and EDA sign agreement on defence related research" (18 Nov 2015)

More than 70 representatives from Member States, industry and EU institutions gathered on 28 June for the workshop “Opportunities for Dual-Use Technologies – Components” organised by the European Defence Agency, the European Commission, the ECSEL JU.

The aim of the event was to find areas of cooperation and to pave the way for possibilities for dual-use research in the future.

Khalil Rouhana, Director in the European Commission, opened the workshop by presenting snapshots of the Commission’s ambitions in the electronic field. Through dual-use research, we can make sure we have technology autonomy in Europe and industrial autonomy for the future. Denis Roger, EDA Director, underlined that the workshop will strive to have a better understanding of activities which can be jointly explored, believing that “better exploitation of dual-use synergies can bring a win-win situation for all stakeholders”. He addressed the issue of the fading borderline between civil and defence and stressed that “more cooperative investment and clear prioritisation in resource allocation is a must for defence”. Bert de Colvenaer, Executive Director ECSEL-JU, presented the joint undertaking’s role in investing in knowledge and innovation through its PPP-model.

The projects presented during the workshop showed success stories of electronic components research from each of the three institutions. The main technological areas addressed were thermal management and robustness, RF components, III-V technologies and advanced digital components. Key takeaways from the discussions in the three sessions of the workshop were: the importance of developing value chains, ensuring supply, quality, appropriate business approaches, volume considerations, EU funding and support towards industry. In the panel “dual-use, dual-benefits”, representatives from the UK MoD, STM, DG GROW and ESA outlined the dual-use spin-off benefits, spin-in technologies, unique European assets and the role of innovative SMEs.

The most important conclusion of the event was that exploiting synergies are highly necessary. Panagiotis Kikiras, Head of Innovative Research at the EDA, highlighted the perfect timing of this discussion in the context of the upcoming EU Global Strategy and European Defence Action Plan. Recognising the effort of the EC, EDA, and ECSEL communities as well as the need to further raise awareness on the subject, Willy Van Puymbroeck, EC, concluded that: “We need to seed in order to harvest but we have to dare to harvest the work that is being done.”

Joint efforts by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) to support dual-use small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) led to a first concrete result this week (27 June) when a Dutch SME named IC3D Media, which had been put forward by EEN, was allowed to participate in the EDA’s expert cell (CapTech) dedicated to ‘System of systems, Battlelab and Modelling & Simulation’.

It was the first time that a dual-use SME recommended to the EDA by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) was offered this opportunity. The CapTech meeting allowed the company in question, which develops gaming techniques for training of police agents and soldiers, to showcase its innovative products and know-how, as well as to discuss potential collaborations, synergies and future contract opportunities with the EDA’s participating Member States and their stakeholders. As a next step, IC3D Media could also participate to the EDA’s Modelling & Simulation platform which offers a virtual meeting room for SMEs active in this particular domain.

The fact that this Dutch SME, with the support of the Enterprise Europe Network, was given the possibility to access the EDA CapTech demonstrates that the cooperation between the EDA and the EEN works effectively and that it can yield practical results; it also shows the way to follow by other SMEs.

EEN is a network coordinated by the European Commission’s DG GROWTH (and co-supported by the EU COSME programme) providing SMEs with a wide range of free-of-charge services delivered by several hundreds of local points of contact in native language.

In a recent ‘Assessment of defence-related SME access to the COSME Programme’, the EDA explored several opportunities for the defence sector within the EU Programme COSME (Competitiveness of SMEs) 2014-2020. As a result of this study, defence-related SMEs and clusters can access the newly created EDA’s ‘COSME web-platform’.

 

More information:

• EDA’s support to access EU funding for the defence sector
• EDA’s support to defence-related SMEs
• EDA’s COSME web-Platform
• EDA’s CapTechs

 

On 21 June, EDA top management and experts met for the first time with the newly selected SME Senior Advisers, Mr Francisco González Mené and Mr Dušan Švarc. The advisers’ role is to counsel the Agency regarding future activities and identify new potential ideas and concrete initiatives in support of the defence-related SMEs.

Following a call for expression of interest for two SME Senior Advisers, 10 Member States proposed 15 candidates with impressive professional track record. Mr Francisco González Mené and Mr Dušan Švarc have been selected. Their mandate, based on EDA rules for external experts, will include the assessment of ongoing EDA initiatives and the provision of strategic advice and support on policies and actions regarding defence-related SMEs.

 

More information:

• CV of Mr Francisco González Mené
• CV of Mr Dušan Švarc

The European Defence Agency has recently published a web platform with information on opportunities of the EU COSME Programme for dual-use or defence-related SMEs.

COSME is the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs, running from 2014 to 2020, with a budget of € 2.3billion. COSME aims at supporting SMEs in the following areas: facilitating access to finance; supporting internationalisation and access to markets; creating an environment favourable to competitiveness; and encouraging an entrepreneurial culture.

The programmes provides SMEs with access to:

• finance, i.e. long-term loans (backed by EU guarantees) and risk-capital/equity investments;
• a wide range of free-of-charge services.

Among other things, EDA’s COSME platform provides dual-use and defence-related SMEs with a dynamic and user-friendly mapping to identify their closest COSME’s financial intermediary (e.g., banks, equity fund) and their local free-service point of contact, in native language (from the Enterprise Europe Network - EEN).

COSME also provides grants for cross-border cluster partnerships. EDA’s platform highlights defence-related clusters, potentially eligible to access COSME grants, to partner with in order to apply for above funding opportunity.

 

More information:

• The EDA COSME platform is available at www.eda.europa.eu/cosme.

More than 100 military and civil representatives from Member States, European institutions, international organisations as well as industry are gathering this week (21/22 June) in Brussels for a Deploy Capabilities Symposium organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA) under the auspices of the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

The aim of the event is to raise awareness about this fundamental capability and to discuss ways towards a better coordinated EU deploy strategy and improved European capabilities in this domain.

Deployment capabilities are crucial for any mission/operation because they have to enable the effective, timely, safe and integrated transportation of military troops and assets. Because of its multi-dimensional nature (land, sea, air), deploy is characterized by extremely high operational costs, long lasting administrative procedures and vulnerability of transport assets. These elements pose enormous challenges to Member States in their efforts to provide contributions for CSDP operations; the need for coordinated movement and transportation plans and optimization of transportation resources is thus of paramount importance.  Recent CSDP operations have demonstrated that the lack of an adequate level of deploy capabilities may seriously endanger not only the setting up but also the execution of the operation, including the re-deployment phases.

Jorge Domecq, the EDA’s Chief Executive, opened the symposium on Tuesday by recalling that deployability is a priority action in the Agency’s Capability Development Plan (CDP) and that several projects designed to enhance Member States’ capabilities are underway, including the European Air Transport Fleet programme as well as other projects related, for instance, to the setting up of EU multimodal transport hubs and multinational modular medical units or the sharing of spare parts.

Nevertheless, more needs to be done to further foster Europe’s deployment capabilities, Mr Domecq underlined. “They must be recognised and supported by an appropriate level of resource planning and strong political backing”, he said.  Mr Domecq called on Member States to show “commitment to working together, to identifying new opportunities for pooling and sharing and to bringing added value in terms of operational effectiveness, cost reduction and long term availability of assets”.
  

Consultation forum and EU deployment strategy

The EDA Chief Executive also urged EU decision-makers to consider the idea of establishing a regular consultation forum to discuss and shape a pragmatic and sustainable EU strategy on deploy capabilities for CSDP. “Such a high-level consultation forum, as well as a consolidated strategy for deploy capabilities, are still missing”, Mr Domecq regretted.

Deployment cooperation with NATO has progressed in the last few months, he said, adding: “I remain determined to develop this collaboration further, with the aim of exploring possible synergies and complementarity in order to avoid unnecessary duplication whilst optimizing the best use of scarce resources. A stronger Europe makes for a stronger and more credible NATO. This also applies equally to deployability”.
 

Deployment capabilities are “essential” for implementing EU Global Strategy

In his welcome address, Major General Eric Schevenhoven of The Netherlands said that deployment, i.e. the ability to get military capabilities to where they are needed, was an “essential element” for the implementation of the upcoming EU Global Strategy. “As we speak, the new EU Global Strategy is nearing completion. After that, the follow-on discussion will start on how to implement the strategy. We have to think about scenarios, about which capabilities are needed and about how to overcome the shortfalls together. Deployment capabilities play an important part in this discussion. They are needed to make the EU Global Strategy viable”, he stated.
 

More information:

• Logistic Precision Air Delivery (EDA project page)

• Operations Support (EDA project page)

• Sharing of Spare Parts (EDA project page)

• European Air Transport Fleet (EDA project page)

• EU Multimodal Transport Hubs (EDA project page)

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has just published the national defence data of the 27 EDA Member States for the years 2014-2015 (est.) - for the total defence expenditure and derived indicators, and for the years 2013-2014 – for all other indicators.

All data are provided by the Ministries of Defence of the EDA Member States, based on the list of indicators approved by the Agency’s Ministerial Steering Board in 2007. All financial indicators refer to actual expenditure, except 2015 total defence expenditure which is provisional:

• Total Defence Expenditure: illustrates how defence budgets relate to GDP, overall government spending, and population.
• Defence Personnel: shows the ratio between military and civilian personnel, as well as the difference between defence expenditure and investment per military.
• Defence Expenditure Breakdown: provides data on the major defence expenditure categories - personnel; investment, including research and development (R&D)/ research and technology (R&T); operation and maintenance (O&M) and others – to show what defence budgets are spent on.
• Collaborative Expenditure: for defence equipment procurement and R&T, demonstrates to what extent the EDA Member States are investing together.
• Deployability: shows the ratio between the military deployed in crisis management operations and the remaining military personnel, and provides data on sustainable and deployable (land) forces, as well as on the costs of deployed operations.

 

More information:

• Download the data here: EDA National Defence Data 2013-2014 (2015 est)
• Defence data 2014 booklet
• Defence data portal