31 oct. 2016 EU Defence Agency
This tutorial briefly introduces the opportunities of the EU COSME Programme for defence-related SMEs and clusters.
Laurent Mari (à droite) et Christophe Ferreira de Toulon, grand vainqueur de l’épreuve, posent avec le trophée trident d’or. - photo Thomas Trophime
21/05/2015 Joseph Dauce -- armée de Terre
Le 7 mai dernier s’est déroulé au sein de l’Institut Paul Bocuse à Ecully (69) la finale du concours cuisine interarmées « Trident d’or ». Un événement haut en saveur organisé par le Service du commissariat des armées (SCA) en partenariat avec l’Economat des armées (EdA).
Qui est le meilleur cuisinier des armées ? Après une phase de sélection en octobre dernier et la finale du concours « Trident d’or » ce 7 mai, la question a été tranchée. Le titre revient à l’équipe du Gsbdd de Toulon pour cette première édition. Mais, au-delà du podium, la gloire ne revenant qu’à un seul, ce concours a surtout été l’occasion de mettre en évidence les qualités des spécialistes de la restauration militaire.
Le concours, dans ses modalités, intégrait les spécificités de la cuisine des armées : une limitation budgétaire de 8 € en finale correspondant à un repas de prestige type « réception d’autorités » ou encore des aliments limités à ceux référencés par l’EdA. C’est que « la qualité se démontre avant tout au travers de la capacité de transformation du produit. Dépasser les contraintes, voilà le vrai défi », explique le commissaire en chef de 1ère classe Catherine Bournizien, directrice du centre d’expertise pour la restauration et l’hébergement interarmées et organisatrice de l’événement.
Défi relevé ! Au vu des plats proposés, ce n’est pas seulement de qualité dont ont fait preuve les concurrents mais aussi de talent. Ceux qui servent au quotidien les personnels du monde de la Défense n’ont rien à envier aux plus grands. A l’institut Paul Bocuse, ils ont fait école à leurs côtés.
Résultats de la finale (par ordre chronologique) : Gsbdd de Toulon (1er), de Bordeaux-Mérignac (2ème), de Strasbourg (3ème), de Brest, de Belfort, d’Evreux, de Montlhéry et de Mourmelon.
Brussels - 16 December, 2014 European Defence Agency
The European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) will hold a special joint academic session tomorrow at EDA premises to mark the Agency’s 10-year anniversary.
The event itself will be divided into two main sessions. The first one will focus on the geopolitical and economic context of European defence cooperation and will gather policy experts from NATO, the European External Action Service as well as academics. A second panel will be decdicated to European capabilities and will bring together EDA Chief Executive Claude-France Arnould with OCCAR Director Tim Rowntree.
A unique book
At the end of this event, Claude-France Arnould will officially roll-out the special book published by the Agency to commemorate its 10th birthday. It offers an exclusive insight into EDA’s history, puts forward the Agency’s achievements and gathers a wide selection of independent views from key government, industry and academic experts. An online version of this publication is available here.
To follow the conference in real-time, tune in on Twitter tomorrow at 5.30PM (Brussels time) using the hashtag #10yearsEDA.
Paris - 27 October, 2014 European Defence Agency
Developed under the auspices of the European Defence Agency since 2006, the Maritime Surveillance (Marsur) project has now reached an operational level of maturity. A demonstration will be conducted during the Euronaval defence exhibition taking place 27-31 October in Le Bourget, north of Paris.
One of the longest-running projects undertaken by the European Defence Agency (EDA), Marsur is a technical solution that allows dialog between European maritime information systems. Containing 17 Member States plus Norway, the project aims to improve the common “recognised maritime picture” by facilitating exchange of operational maritime information and services such as ship positions, tracks, identification data, chat or images.
The Marsur network
The interface is installed in each participating Navy’s operational headquarters. A key characteristic of the Marsur network is that there is no central EU component that collects and distributes information. Each Member State is responsible for correlating its own data with the data received from other countries and for boosting the services within the community.
Reflecting on this important milestone, Claude-France Arnould, EDA Chief Executive, said: “Marsur is a great example of efficient Pooling & Sharing of existing capabilities. The project has now reached the point where it is ready to be used by European navies”.
Marsur is designed to become the potential “military layer” of the wider Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) project led by the European Commission. Marsur could work in conjunction with other “systems of systems” to ensure efficient interaction with other European maritime security stakeholders and also in support of CSDP missions.
During Euronaval, an event will be held on 28 October at 1430 (Paris time) to mark the beginning of Marsur’s operational phase and the symbolic handover of the system. The Marsur demonstration will be available throughout the show at the CSC booth (B46).
Background
The Marsur project was formally launched in September 2006 by 15 Member States. It was first tested in June 2011 when six countries successfully conducted an initial networking demonstration in Brussels. Seventeen Member States (as well as Norway) are now involved in the Marsur initiative: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Greece, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
10/10/2014 Sources : État-major des Armées
Le 9 octobre 2014, à Paris, le général d’armée Pierre de Villiers, chef d’état-major des armées (CEMA), le commissaire général de 1ère classe Etienne Vuillermet et Monsieur Olivier Marembaud, respectivement directeur de l’Economat des armées (EDA) et président de son conseil d’administration, ont signé le contrat d’objectifs et de performance de l’EDA pour 2014-2017.
L’Economat des armées est un établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial (EPIC) placé sous la tutelle de l’état-major des armées (EMA), au sein du ministère de la Défense. Il assure le soutien logistique et la fourniture de services, de denrées et de marchandises aux formations militaires en France et à l’étranger ainsi qu’aux partenaires autorisées par le ministre de la Défense. Ainsi, l’EDA est aujourd’hui engagé au service des armées, sur le territoire national et dans différents théâtre d’opération : Afghanistan hier, Côte d’Ivoire, République centrafricaine et bande sahélo-saharienne aujourd’hui. Avec ce nouveau contrat, le CEMA a donc renouvelé sa confiance à l’établissement, soulignant qu’il jouait un rôle essentiel au profit des forces françaises engagées en opérations.
Sur les théâtres d’opérations extérieures, les principales missions confiées à l’EDA visent à assurer les approvisionnements quotidiens du soldat en eau et en vivres, ainsi que le soutien courant des forces. A la demande de l’EMA, l’EDA peut également approvisionner les forces en matériels et maintenance infrastructure et soutenir les organisations internationales avec lesquelles elles agissent. C’est notamment le cas en BSS où l’EDA soutient la force Barkhane mais également la mission européenne de formation des forces armées au Mali (EUTM).
Brussels, 3 September 2014 - European Defence Agency
Since its reorganization in January 2014, the European Defence Agency is structured into three operational directorates, one of which is focused on early identification of military requirements at European level and through-life aspect of capabilities.
The EDA has recently posted a vacancy to recruit the new director of this Cooperation Planning and Support directorate. Candidates must apply before 30 September.
To be based in Brussels, the Cooperation Planning & Support director will be responsible for the coherence among the various work strands and programmes assigned to his directorate, managing a large portfolio of cooperative efforts and projects. A strong knowledge of and experience in defence, capability development, European armaments cooperation and EU programmes and policies is required.
More information
28 oct. 2013 European Defence Agency
The short video demonstration guides you through the main features of the EDA Procurement Gateway and its two main options: the business opportunities section on past and current calls for tender.
In the information section you have access to a wide range of facts, figures, supporting documents and business opportunities.
Access to the Procurement Gateway
Vassilis Tsiamis, Project Officer, EDA
Brussels - 27 May, 2014 European Defence Agency
The EDA has successfully supported Member States in accessing European Structural Funds (ESF) for dual-use research and development technologies.
In February 2014 “Project Turtle” – a proposal from a consortium of Portuguese small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), research institutes and universities to research ascent and descent energy-efficient technologies for robotic underwater vehicles – became the first of seven dual-use research initiatives supported by the EDA to access European Structural Funds (ESF).
ESF are financial instruments that provide for “the implementation of EU Cohesion Policy to reinforce economic and social cohesion within the EU”. The potential benefits for Europe’s defence industry is considerable from accessing this source of finance are considerable .The new programming period, 2014-2020, contains more than €379 billion in European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), one of the ESF funds under which research and innovation activities can be supported. According to Vassilis Tsiamis, who manages the ESF project within EDA nobody had, until recently, seriously considered the application of this type of funding for dual-use research and technology (R&T). “The real issue was to challenge the perception of eligibility,” he said. “It wasn’t just a question of ‘can do’ – but much more a question of can we do it, and what, precisely, is it that we can do?”
Increasingly dual nature of technology
The starting point has been recognition of the increasingly dual nature of technology and the significant potential that exists for synergies between civil and defence research. Energy, telecommunications, information technology, automotive and materials technologies, space, aeronautics and the chemicals industry provide examples of the potential benefits accruing to a wide variety of defence and civil applications. So why not use the facility afforded by ESF to recognise some of these benefits, the EDA asked?
A new EU innovation policy concept called the Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) has been developed to promote the more effective use of public investment in research at a regional EU level. Regional - and in a few cases national - authorities have been asked to identify the unique characteristics, assets and capabilities of their respective regions to focus policy support and investment channelled through ESF.
Supporting the regions
Including Croatia, there are some 273 identified EU regions, with almost 500 managing authorities directing the use of ESF. When the EDA put out a call for proposals for the use of ESF in development of dual-use technologies in 2013, it received 72 proposals from 12 Member States. Of these, the Agency decided to support seven as initial pilot cases. From Bulgaria came a proposal for the improvement of urban security and defence applications through use of advanced sensor systems, while from Poland an intruder-detection and collision avoidance system for aircraft has been proposed. A French consortium has offered a Europe-wide icing testing platform for aeronautics, while an industry proposal in the United Kingdom has put forward a project in Epitaxial Microwave technology – a critical capability for improving radar performance in both civil and military applications. From Spain came a proposal for the development of an underwater signature monitoring and analysis centre, while from Germany an adaptation of short wave infrared (SWIR) technology for high resolution hyper-spectral and imaging applications has been suggested. The seventh proposal, from Portugal, became the first of these pilot cases to reach a sufficiently mature level to win. It is important to recognise the fact these proposals have come from project holders in the various nations, and are not official ‘national’ project proposals.
Ensuring we have the expertise
“The first priority has been to acquire the expertise within the Agency and share it with the managers in the Ministries of Defence and then to arrange for in-depth knowledge transfer and capacity building with industry,” said Tsiamis. Four seminars have already been held – in Bulgaria, Ireland, Poland and Portugal – aimed at increasing awareness of the opportunity and the methodology of successfully applying for supportive funding. Engaging the community – both governmental and industrial – and building capacity within that community to be able to benefit from this innovative approach to stemming the decreasing investment in defence-related R&T has been a key priority for Tsiamis and his colleagues throughout the process.
Benefits for SMEs
“It’s important to recognise we are not creating process and we are not looking for more structural funds. What we are doing is helping defence actors to address these projects and to develop the application folders, ensuring the responsible authorities (in each region or nation) recognise the benefits SMEs can bring to the process and ensuring that the projects selected to move forward reflect the larger priorities of the EU,” said Tsiamis.
“The way forward is for more pilot projects and more seminars, offering pragmatic advice and support, not simply explaining theoretical policies. We are now training EDA project officers – approximately 15 of them – and are looking at possibilities in key EDA prioritised areas such as space, the cyber domain, maritime security, energy efficiency and remote piloted aerial systems (RPAS) - as examples of what we can do from a positive and concrete results perspective,” said Tsiamis.
“Industry follows the money, and we are convinced there are enough significant opportunities for industry to recognise that engaging in this programme will have tangible and measurable results on its R&T activities,” said Tsiamis. He said that one of the new actions the Agency will be following during 2014 is to assess the degree to which European Territorial Cooperation on dual-use technology projects can be part of cross-border programmes financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to create an even larger pot of financial resources on which to draw.
EDA’s programme commitment to exploiting these opportunities currently has a three year timescale. “Looked at from all directions, we are in a win/win situation here – we’re supporting SMEs, we’re supporting regional research and technology development while simultaneously stimulating dual-use research, we’re supporting EU policy and most importantly, we’re conforming with the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) key priorities, as adopted by December 2013 EU Council conclusions ,” said Tsiamis. The Agency’s role in this can be seen as one of being a facilitator, encouraging SMEs in particular to come forward with innovative proposals and providing assistance and support in the process of applying for funding that will see those proposals come to fruition. “The message is simple,” said Tsiamis. “We’re here to help – we can reduce hesitations – come talk to us!”
More Information
Brussels - 25 April, 2014 European Defence Agency
The fifth issue of European Defence Matters, the magazine of the European Defence Agency (EDA), is now available.
Coming four months after the European Council in December - where Heads of States and Government discussed defence and security topics - the magazine gives readers an insight into EDA’s work in implementing the summit’s conclusions. Peter Round, the EDA Director Capability, Armament & Technology, gives a detailed interview on the four key capability initiatives that the European Council tasked the EDA with. Another feature article focuses on EDA’s work in helping Member States to access European Structural Funds (ESF) for dual-use research.
The issue also includes key interviews with General Mikhail Kostarakos Hellenic Chief of Defence, General Patrick de Rousiers Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC), General Pascal Valentin EATC Commander, and Major Jakub Block Eurocorps Public Affairs Officer.
There are updates on EDA’s work on effective command and control for multi-national missions. The magazine also includes a detailed account of the EDA’s annual conference, which was held on March 27 in Brussels. The conference has become the key rendez-vous for European Defence, bringing together 500 high-level figures from militaries, government and industry.
Lastly, the magazine also includes articles from Ioanna Zyga and Pauline Delleur, the winners of an essay writing competition on European Defence run by EDA and the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP).
More information
Brussels - 28 March, 2014 European Defence Agency
Claude-France Arnould, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, emphasised in her opening speech at the Agency's annual conference "European Defence Matters" that for Europe to be a "security provider" adequate capacities are needed.
Priority must therefore be given to security and defence, to proper capabilities and to increased efficiency through cooperation and synergies with existing EU instruments.
The full speech is available here.
More information:
News "European Defence Matters: Free Debate on the Role of EDA" (28 Mar 2014)
News "European Defence Matters: Speech by Dimitris Avramopoulos" (28 Mar 2014)
News "European Defence Matters: Keynote Speech by Catherine Ashton" (27 Mar 2014)
News "European Defence Matters: Speech by Pieter de Crem" (27 Mar 2014)
News "European Defence Matters: Securing the Future Through Research and Innovation" (27 Mar 2014)
News "European Defence Matters: How to Move Defence Cooperation Further and Faster" (27 Mar 2014)
News "European Defence Matters: Turning Political will into Practical Implementation" (27 Mar 2014)
News "Debating European Cooperation on Defence Capabilities" (27 Mar 2014)
News "EDA Annual Conference Update: Roundtables on Capabilities & Defence Industry" (11 Mar 2014)
News "EDA Annual Conference: European Defence Matters" (3 Feb 2014)
Pictures of the Annual Conference are available on Flickr
EDA Annual Conference webpage
25.03.2014 European Defence Agency
The draft agenda of the EDA Annual Conference "European Defence Matters" is available here (2014-03-18 EDA Conference 2014 DRAFT AGENDA). (Brussels, 18/03/2014)
More than 550 attendees are expected to attend
Brussels - 04 February, 2014 European Defence Agency
Multinational training exercises increase interoperability among participating Member States; they are an efficient way to prepare armed forces for CSDP operations. This year, the European Defence Agency is organising in close cooperation with the respective host nations, contributing Member States and Air Transport Organisations four training exercises in the areas of Air-to-Air Refuelling, transport aircraft and helicopters.
First European Air Refuelling Training
While the fighter community has trained to operate together for years, the same cannot be said for Air-to-Air Refuelling. From 31 March to 11 April 2014, EDA together with the European Air Transport Command and the Netherlands are organising the first multinational Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) training opportunity in support of the Dutch Frisian Flag exercise. To this date, the Netherlands (KDC-10), Germany (A310) and Italy (KC-767) have confirmed to send their tankers to the flying event which will be an excellent opportunity to train dedicated AAR scenarios embedded in a highly recognised fighter exercise. The Air-to-Air Refuelling planning cell will be split between Eindhoven and Leeuwarden air base to foster overall air refuelling planning and tanker operations.
Third European Air Transport Training
Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway will participate in the third edition of EDA’s European Air Transport Training flying event with ten transport aircraft of four different types; Greece will support the training with fighters and AWACS. Taking place from 16 to 27 June 2014 at the International Airport in Plovdiv in Bulgaria, the training offers participants a unique opportunity to plan and execute missions within a multinational framework and achieve flexible training objectives. The crews will be trained in a variety of airlift disciplines. The aim is to increase interoperability, to consolidate existing qualifications or to regain them in a short period of time and with dedicated assets.
European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course
The new European Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Course (EAATTC) aims at achieving a higher level of interoperability between airlift crews from different nations; at increasing harmonisation of advanced tactical training that will lead to higher effectiveness and survivability in operations; at sharing knowledge and providing cost efficient airlift training in Europe. Based on an agreed syllabus Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway will participate in the first course with eight aircraft of five different types. The flying event will be hosted by Spain at Zaragoza airbase from 22 September to 03 October 2014. This permanent training event is developed in close cooperation with the European Air Transport Command and EDA Member States; it is similar in set-up to the advanced airlift tactics training course that has been offered in the US since 1987.
Hot Blade 2014
Between 16 and 30 July, the Ovar Air Base in northern Portugal will host the third sequel of the successful series of Hot Blade exercises, powered by the Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP). Currently, some 30 helicopters, four fast jets, three transport aircraft and one Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platform have been committed by Austria, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and United Kingdom. Additional to Portuguese ground forces, 450 ground troops from the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom are scheduled to participate as well allowing for a more integrated mission planning and execution. So far, roughly 50% of participant to one of the previous helicopter exercises organised in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium have later been deployed to operations.
More information:
Brussels - 17 December, 2013 by Claude-France Arnould, Chief Executive, European Defence Agency
In order to be a credible security provider and to protect its interests, the EU requires the full suite of tools: diplomatic, economic, development, and of course military. But as recent operations have demonstrated, Europeans are still faced with critical gaps in military capabilities. There is, moreover, fragmentation of demand and supply. Investment in the technologies that will be needed to field the systems of tomorrow is in decline. And because of the rising costs of major defence systems, coupled with the on-going squeeze on defence budgets, no single Member State is able alone to have the full inventory of capabilities. The choice is simple: cooperate to acquire and maintain capabilities, or risk losing them altogether.
The issues are political. What defence needs is a political boost. That’s why the discussion by EU Heads of States and Government at the European Council this December is so important. For it is they, and they alone, who can arbitrate in favour of defence.
Cooperation in defence is not new and the European Defence Agency has been created to facilitate it more systematically. We launched many new joint projects in some vital capability areas such as air-to-air refuelling, counter improvised explosive devices, satellite communications or medical field hospitals. None of these could have been realised by one Member State alone; and all of them are absolutely vital for operations.
Welcome though these projects are, a more systematic approach to cooperation or Pooling & Sharing is necessary, so that cooperation becomes second-nature; so that we avoid the mistakes of the past when, for example, over twenty variants of the same helicopter were produced; so that we extend cooperation beyond the acquisition phase into the whole life of the system; so that we improve interoperability; so that we get as much effect from our hard-pressed Euros.
Three outcomes from the European Council in December would be really significant. First, a commitment to major projects: air-to-air refuelling, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS, or drones), satellite communications, and cyber defence. Not only are these capabilities a military necessity, our American partners have clearly expressed that they will not go on providing most of the key enabling capabilities. Europeans must be able to act by themselves.
Second, investment in innovation and technology, including dual-use. Europe needs to stay independent when it comes to critical technologies. Europeans have already missed the first generation of RPAS. EDA has made concrete proposals for the next generation of European medium altitude, long endurance RPAS. We have also made suggestions on governmental satellite communications and cyber defence. All have significant civil and military applications. It is important to harness synergies, maximise dual-use technologies, generate economies of scale and extend the comprehensive approach into the area of capabilities development.
And third, support to industry, in particular Small and Medium Enterprises, so many of which are at the cutting edge of technological innovation. Defence is vital. But it is not just about the immediate ability to project force based on a healthy defence and security industry which is an essential component of the industrial fabric of Europe that generates growth, innovation and jobs.
It is probably unrealistic to expect defence budgets to increase in the near future. But we need EU Heads of State and Government to take defence to the next level. We have to move away from expensive fragmentation to cost-effective cooperation.
More information:
News "Background Information EU Council" (16 December 2013)
News "Defence Ministers Commit to Capability Programmes" (19 Nov 2013)
Factsheet on Air-to-Air Refuelling
Factsheet on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems
Factsheet on Governmental Satellite Communciations
Factsheet on Cyber Defence
Factsheet on Support to Industry
Video European External Action Service "CSDP in Action"
European Council dedicated Summit webpage
Dimitris Avramopoulos, Minister of National Defence and Claude-France Arnould, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency
Athens - 11 December, 2013 European Defence Agency
In view of the Hellenic Presidency of the EU Council starting on 1 January 2014, Claude-France Arnould, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, visited Athens on 5 and 6 December.
During her stay, Madame Arnould discussed the priorities of the Hellenic Presidency related to security and defence topics with the Minister of National Defence Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Evangelos Venizelos, the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff General Mikhail Kostarakos and officials from the two Ministries. Madame Arnould also had the opportunity to meet and discuss with representatives of the Hellenic defence industry.
The Hellenic Presidency is critical for the implementation of December’s 2013 EU Council decisions related to the defence sector. Claude-France Arnould confirmed EDA’s ongoing support to Greece.
25/10/13 7sur7.be (Belga)
Le conseil d'administration de l'Agence européenne de Défense (AED) a décidé à l'unanimité de prolonger d'un an le mandat de sa directrice, la Française Claude-France Arnould, a-t-on appris vendredi auprès de l'agence.
Cette extension de mandat, jusqu'au 15 janvier 2015, avait été recommandée par la haute représentante pour la politique étrangère et de défense de l'Union européenne, Catherine Ashton.
L'AED a été créée en 2004 pour favoriser la coopération en matière de défense entre les pays de l'UE (les 27 moins le Danemark) et dispose d'un budget annuels d'environ trente millions d'euros. Si Mme Arnould en est la directrice exécutive, la véritable "patronne" est Mme Ashton.
Mme Arnould était en fonction depuis janvier 2011, pour un mandat initial de trois ans. Elle avait succédé au premier directeur de l'AED, le Britannique Nick Witney.
Brussels | Oct 16, 2013 EU Defence Agency
Securing the supplies for defence capabilities has become a challenging task for all actors – from defence administrations to industry. Future defence capabilities rely on emerging key enabling and cutting edge technologies, which today often are of “dual-use”. The requirement of non-limited access and availability makes some of these technologies “defence-critical”, associating the need for joint and coordinated action at national, but also European level.
The 2013 EDA Research & Technology (R&T) Conference (05-06 December) aims to look at critical defence technologies from various perspectives. It will give the opportunity to survey Europe’s defence technology and industrial base and identify vulnerabilities that could negatively impact Europe´s production of defence systems. Some specific research areas will be highlighted. The conference will also provide opportunity for dissemination and exploitation of results from two Joint Investment Programmes (JIP). Furthermore it will discuss innovative ways of funding dual-use research and of connecting academia, SMEs and industry for R&T collaboration.
The morning of Day 1 will provide views on the topic of Critical Defence Technologies and EDA´s role together with the Member States, European Commission, ESA, ENIAC and Defence Industry. In the afternoon, two parallel sessions will inform about the results from the JIPs “Force Protection (FP)” and “Innovative Concepts/ Emerging Technologies (ICET)”, and invite for ideas on the exploitation. A poster session will give opportunity to discuss results in depth. The day will conclude with a conference dinner.
Day 2 will start with a panel session on research for dual-use technologies, European Structural Funds and the Smart Specialization Strategy. After lunch, selected academics, SMEs and industries will present novel research in three important areas for defence.
Organisation
The conference is organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and is hosted by the Ministry of National Defence of Greece.
Attendance-Registration
This conference is mainly oriented towards governmental, institutional, industrial and research decision makers and experts in R&T activities and for applied research and development oriented industries and research organisations as well as their associations. Attendance is limited to 170 persons. For registrations please fill in the registration form here. Please note that registration will be valid upon receipt of confirmation.
Main Dates
Dates of the Event: 05-06 December 2013
Registration Starts: 07 October 2013
Registration Ends: 21 November 2013
Location
The conference will be held in Hellenic Armed Forces Officers Club Rigillis 1, 10675 Athens, Greece
Conference secretariat:
EDA R&T Directorate
Rue des Drapiers, 17-23
1050 Brussels, BELGIUM
Phone: + 32 2 504 2881 or + 32 2 504 2882
taina.denis@eda.europa.eu
More information
Draft programme (EDA RT Conference Programme_v_15Oct2013)
Event page Research & Technology Conference 2013: Critical Defence Technologies – Exploring Innovation Together
Brussels | Oct 15, 2013 European Defence Agency
Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Head of the European Defence Agency, published her final report in preparation of the European Council in December where Heads of State and Government will discuss security and defence topics.
The report follows the three clusters defined by President van Rompuy in December last year to guide the Council discussion: strengthening CSDP, enhancing defence capabilities, strengthening Europe’s defence industry. Mainly the second and third cluster include suggestions and proposals in EDA’s area of responsibility of which key points are highlighted here below.
Systematic and long-term European defence cooperation
Cooperation in the area of military capability is essential. The report asks for a strong impulse at European Council level, both to embed Pooling & Sharing in Member States’ defence planning and decision-making processes, and to deliver key capabilities through major projects. Key elements are more transparency between Member States, sharing of future plans for key capabilities and of lessons learned, rationalisation of demand as well as a push for harmonised requirements. Through the Code of Conduct on Pooling & Sharing EDA is ready to act as a framework of coordination and transparency to enhance and facilitate synergies and identify best practises. Systematic and long-term defence cooperation with agreed priorities and milestones could be supported by a strategic level Defence Roadmap. This roadmap could also lead the way to closer synergies with OCCAR, the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation. The report makes a case for incentives for defence cooperation which could include innovative financing arrangements as well as protecting cooperative projects and initiatives from budget cuts.
Commitment to major projects
Taking into account severe gaps in some capability areas, the report points out the need for Member States to commit to major projects in air-to-air refuelling, satellite communication, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and cyber defence. As regards air-to-air refuelling, EDA is already working on short, mid and long-term solutions to increase tanker/receivers interoperability and maximise the use of existing assets, the establishment of a multinational multirole tankers fleet, foreseen for 2020, is under way. Pioneer Projects have been promoted by EDA to develop capabilities that have both military and civil applications They are designed to harness synergies in the military and civil domains; maximise dual-use technologies; and generate economies of scale. Defence ministers have already endorsed proposals to prepare projects in the areas of remotely piloted aircraft systems and cyber defence. RPAS are very likely to constitute a key capability for the future with applications in the civil and the military domains. EDA is ready to prepare a programme for the next generation of Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) RPAS. Such a programme needs to include regulatory aspects regarding insertion into normal airspace as well as technology development possibly through joint investment programme between the European Commission, EDA, Member States and the industry. In terms of governmental SATCOM, the report mentions the objective of a future dual civil-military capability by 2025 via a user-driven approach based on a detailed roadmap. As regards cyber defence, the objective is to establish a comprehensive European approach. EDA activities, based on the recently adopted cyber strategy, focus on realistic deliverables within its remit and expertise: training, exercises, protection of headquarters, and Cyber Defence Research Agenda (focusing on dual use technologies).
Strengthening Europe’s defence industry
In the chapter on measures to strengthen Europe’s defence industry a strong, healthy and globally competitive European Defence and Technological Industrial Base is acknowledged as a prerequisite for developing and sustaining defence capabilities and securing the strategic autonomy of Europe. Its importance for the wider economy is mentioned as well. This industrial base has to be safeguarded through substantive and strengthened cooperation at European level, including through major new cooperative programmes. While big industry plays a leading role in the defence sector, the defence supply chain and notably SMEs play a very important part and should be supported. EDA together with its Member States is also working on concrete measures to increase both short- and long-term Security of Supply, whether related to supply chains, European non-dependencies, raw materials, or investments in key industrial and technological capabilities. Some tangible measures EDA is already working on in cooperation with the European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency to improve competitiveness and to reduce development and production costs include standardisation, military airworthiness and certification.
European commitment to R&T
National defence research and development expenditure decreased substantially in the last years with possible negative impact on the long-term competitiveness of the European industry. Strong investment is needed if Europe is to retain its R&T expertise. Building on the list of critical defence technologies elaborated in the EDA framework, the technologies that need to be developed at the European level for defence, space, and the civil sector should be identified on a systematic basis to underpin long-term planning for European R&T. It will also ensure that Europe is addressing the challenge of technology non-dependence on a strategic level. The report therefore suggests that Member States should be encouraged to commit to multi-annual investment in defence R&T through cooperation. Synergies between civil and defence research for dual-use technologies should be exploited. EDA closely works with the European Commission and European Space Agency on dual use research; important areas of cooperation are key enabling technologies, critical space technologies, CBRN, cyber defence and RPAS.
More information
The annual conference of the European Defence Agency - EDA is a landmark occasion for the European Union defense community. The 2013 event, held on 21 March in Brussels, brought together 450 key decision-makers from the EU area and beyond, including Member States, European institutions, research bodies, think-tanks, industry and the media.
Keynote speakers included:
The European Commission was represented by Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General of the Directorate General Enterprise and Industry.
Brussels | Mar 22, 2013 European Defence Agency
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, detailed in his special address during the EDA Annual Conference 2013 his ideas on a pragmatic way forward for defence in Europe.
The speech, which was delivered in front of around 500 attendees and 17 high-level speakers, covered Mr Van Rompuy’s perception of defence cooperation today and in future, the importance of the European Council discussions on defence in December as well as achievements of the European Defence Agency.
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