Q&As: EDA and ESA synergies explained by EDA’s Chief Executive

Brussels - 9 November 2011 EDA News

The fourth annual Conference on European Union space policy, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry, the European Parliament, the European Council, the Committee of Regions, the European Space Agency and Eurospace, will gather policy-makers, business leaders, scientists and representatives of civil society on 8-9 November, in Brussels.

Ms. Claude-France Arnould, EAD’s Chief Executive, speaks at the third plenary session, dedicated to “Space: a tool for crisis prevention and management”. Ms. Arnould speaks together with Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Mr. Pierre Vimont, Secretary-General, European External Action Service (EEAS) and Mr. Gabriele Albertini, Chairman of Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament, among others.

This Conference on Space Policy is a good opportunity to hear EDA’s Chief Executive’s thoughts on this subject. Ms. Arnould explains EDA’s work on Space and the successful relation between the European Defence Agency and the European Space Agency.

Space-based services for security and defence have become a top priority with the European Space Policy of 2007. Why has space become so important for the European defence sector?

Space and defence have been interconnected well before 2007 with certain European nations conducting national programmes in support of security and defence and some multilateral cooperation taking place, as for example in the case of the Earth Observation Programme Helios.

What is new since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in particular is that space has become a shared competence between the EU and its Member States and that according to article 189 of the Treaty the EU shall draw up a European Space Policy promoting the implementation of the other Union policies. The latter naturally include also the Common Security and Defence Policy. This provides us with an opportunity to further reinforce the link between space and security including Defence.

Space-based assets are of direct relevance for the provision of critical information to decision-makers at strategic, tactical and operational level and for secure communications as well as positioning and timing. Most recently the importance of timely and precise Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance has been underlined in the context of the Libyan crisis, during which the European Union Satellite Center provided important imagery products.

What are shared interests in space activity of ESA and EDA?

EDA and ESA are fundamentally complementary in their role and this is the strength of our relationship. As regards EDA, we are a not a space agency and do not have the vocation to conduct large space R&D programmes. However, we can identify and federate the capability requirements of European defence actors, explore to what extent space could respond to those and facilitate the emergence of innovative concepts and collaborative projects through targeted feasibility studies or demonstrator projects. ESA on its side brings to the table extensive technical expertise regarding space technology and the conduct of large R&D programmes.

In view of further developing this relationship and with the agreement of our respective Member States, I was able to sign together with ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain an Administrative Arrangement between our two Agencies in June of this year. The aim is to explore the added value of space assets for the development of European capabilities in the field of Common Security and Defence Policy. We will thereby focus on aspects such as the identification of capability gaps, the coordination of research, technology and demonstrator activities, including the access to respective study results, as well as further synergies in the area of industrial competitiveness and European non-dependence issues.

What are the main areas of collaboration between EDA and ESA in support of current European defence capability shortfalls?

In concrete terms we have been developing our cooperation on a wide range of space-related applications. We are currently conducting coordinated studies in the area of Earth Observation as well as on Satellite Communication. With regard to satcom we are currently analyzing how future governmental satcom requirements could be met on the basis of increased pooling and sharing, including by developing relevant dual-use technologies in cooperation with civilian stakeholders. We also cooperate in the area of UAS Air Traffic Insertion, with a joint demonstration mission regarding UAS Command and Control over satellite being scheduled for 2012.

As regards the security of critical space infrastructures, EDA and ESA worked closely together, defining respectively the military and the civilian requirements of a future European Space Situational Awareness System. EDA is an observer to the ESA SSA Programme Board and together with our partners from the Commission and EEAS we will continue to support efforts in gradually building-up this SSA capability.

Also, in a capability-driven approach, we are cooperating on a project making use of the ESA Concurrent Design Facility, a powerful engineering tool which provides support in assessing the respective added-value of space and non-space asserts within larger ISR architectures.

A last point of interest is our cooperation in the area of critical space technologies for European non-dependence, a topic which has received growing attention in recent times. It is all about identifying and developing those technology components for which Europe cannot afford, for strategic reasons, to be dependent on non-European suppliers.

How will this partnership influence the European defence sector and which impact on major EDA strategies such as the Capability Development Plan (CDP), the European Defence Research & Technology Strategy (EDRT) and others?

In times of heavy budget constraint, the defence sector needs to explore any opportunity for increased pooling and sharing. The credibility of European nations for future security and defence operations is at stake. While we have to start with some quick wins in the short term, we also have to look at longer-term perspectives. The generation of more cost-effective capabilities in the future starts with looking as of today into concrete synergies in research, technology and demonstration. It is in this context that we look with great interest to our relationship with ESA as regards the space domain.

Cooperation between two intergovernmental organisations requires a high degree of coordination and consultation. It also is demanding for our Member States who have to coordinate across the Ministries of defence and the Ministries in charge of space. But the opportunities are manifold. We have to start with small but concrete steps and build up gradually. Space has been included in the Capability Development Plan earlier this year and our R&T as well as Industry and Market Directorate are looking increasingly into the non-dependence issue and into coordination in the area of research and technology. This trend will certainly grow over the next years.

The next Multiannual Financial Framework on the EU side, upcoming decision points on the ESA side, as well as our efforts on pooling and sharing in support of defence capabilities more generally, provide a unique opportunities for our Member States. The space domain is certainly challenging because touching directly on some sovereignty issues, but it can also show the way in building step by step a fully coordinated approach between the EU, ESA and respective member states.