Defence`s Feeds

On 26 January, Dirk Dubois, Head of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), Michael Swann, Chair of the ESDC Steering Committee and Antonio Missiroli, Head of the ESDC’s Academic Board will meet with the SEDE committee to discuss the contribution of the college to the EU's CSDP activities. The college's training activities prepare both policymakers and mission staff for the activities involved in the full life-cycle of CSDP missions and aim to create a European security culture.
Further information
Draft agenda and meeting documents
Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP

Rini Goos, EDA’s Deputy Chief Executive, today addressed Austrian security and defence stakeholders at a seminar in Vienna on EU funding opportunities for defence research (R&T) projects. The event was jointly organised by the EDA, the Austrian Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) with the support of the Austrian Defence & Security Industry (ASW).

Around 80 representatives from the Austrian MoD, the Federal Economic Chamber, the security and defence industry, business associations, defence-related research and technology organisations as well as universities participated in the seminar which included awareness raising and in-depth know-how building sessions.

The seminar showed in concrete terms how to access funding and other instruments available within three European Union funding programmes, i.e. COSME (EU Programme for COmpetitiveness of SMEs), the Structural Funds and the Preparatory Action for Defence Research (PADR).

In his opening speech, Rini Goos said: "We take further legitimation and momentum from a ‘window of opportunities’ opened by the 2016 EU Global Strategy of the High Representative of the Union Ms Mogherini (who is also Vice-President of the European Commission and Head of the EDA), and strengthened by the European Defence Action Plan [EDAP] released by the European Commission. The Global Strategy clearly stated that Union funds - to support defence research and technologies and multinational cooperation - are essential prerequisites for European security and defence efforts, underpinned by a strong European defence industry”.

This seminar was the first delivered by EDA since the EDAP proposed that Structural Funds may fund the defence sector. It was also the first EDA’s seminar in a Member State addressing the forthcoming funding opportunities under the Preparatory Action for Defence Research.

The EDA, the European Commission, the Ministry of Defence and Sports, the Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and the Austrian Conference on Spatial Planning (ÖROK - as national authority in charge of Structural Funds deployment in Austria) delivered effective presentations about EU funding available for the defence sector currently and in the future.

Under the COSME section of the seminar, a particular focus was put on the Enterprise Europe Network’s local free services. Additionally, more than 40 Austrian project managers have been trained to apply for the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF, the main among the European Investment and Structural Funds) during a dedicated practical coaching session simulating the application process.

The seminar raised interest across all attending stakeholders who were able to establish promising contacts in view of an effective follow-up aimed at accessing EU funding opportunities.

Taking into account the increasing opportunities arising from the recent statement in the European Defence Action Plan (EDAP) that Structural Funds may be used to fund the defence sector, different stakeholders have been very keen to exchange views with Mr Goos and EDA’s experts on how to take advantage of EDA’s related work in close cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of Defence and Sport.

 

More information:

• Access to EU funding (EDA project page)
• Dual-use research (EDA project page)
• Successful seminar on EU funding opportunities in Spain (EDA news)
• 3 out of 3: another EDA supported dual-use R&T project is awarded ESIF funding (EDA News)
• Polish dual-use R&T project co-funded by ESIF (EDA news)
• New funding opportunity for dual-use research

The Bluefin SandShark micro-autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is the latest addition to the Bluefin family of AUVs developed by Bluefin Robotics, a part of General Dynamics Mission Systems.

UK Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has refused to discuss or provide details of the alleged Trident II D5 ballistic missile test launch failure.

The US Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) is planning to install advanced arresting gear (AAG) systems aboard the second Gerald R Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS John F Kennedy (CVN 79).

The US Navy has confirmed that its future Freedom-class littoral combat ship, USS Sioux City (LCS 11), will be commissioned in the city of Annapolis, Maryland.

Indonesian Pindad SSx Automatic Rifle

Downing Street has been accused of covering up a Trident missile malfunction weeks before a crucial Commons vote on the future of the submarine-based missile system.

A Trident II D5 missile test ended in failure after it was launched from the British submarine HMS Vengeance off the coast of Florida in June 2016. The weapon is 13 metres long, weighs 60 tonnes and can carry nuclear warheads with up to eight times the destructive capacity of the bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the second world war. Trident missile can hit a target 4,000 nautical miles away and be accurate to within a few metres.

The problem is that when HMS Vengeance, one of the UK’s four nuclear submarines, test-fired the missile off the coast of Florida, the missile was not out by a few metres but several thousand miles. It had been targeted at the southern Atlantic off the coast of west Africa. Instead, it was heading in the opposite direction, over the US.

The four previous UK tests – in 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2012 – were successful, it was the only firing test of a British nuclear missile in four years and raises serious questions about the reliability and safety of the weapons system. But the error was hushed up. The cause of the failure remains top secret, but quotes a senior naval source saying the missile, which was unarmed for the test, suffered an in-flight malfunction after launch. According to defence sources, the missile did not veer off in the wrong direction because it was faulty but because the information relayed to it was faulty. This explanation is not reassuring.

It was reportedly intended to be fired 5,600 miles to a sea target off the west coast of Africa but may have veered off towards America instead. There was a major panic at the highest level of government and the military after the first test of our nuclear deterrent in four years ended in disastrous failure. In July, MPs voted by 472 to 117 to back the renewal of Britain's Trident nuclear deterrence. The overwhelming vote supported the Government's plans to spend up to £40 billion on four new Successor-class submarines.

Some analysts say the fact that UK tests are infrequent is not important because the US tests much more frequently and both share the underlying technology. There are over 150 tests over almost 30 years, with a sub-3% failure rate, and well under 1% since British submarines began carrying the missiles.

Source
http://www.independent.co.uk/
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/
https://www.theguardian.com

Tag: HMS VengeanceTridentnucléaire