31.01.2013 par P. CHAPLEAU Lignes de Défense

Promis, juré! Les coupes budgétaires, c'est fini! Le Premier ministre britannique et son équipe ont déjà tranché dans le vif et rogné 8% sur le budget du MoD (ministry of defence). 700 millions d'économie sont annoncés entre 2013 et 2015! Et le 18 juin prochain, le détail des quelque 5 300 autres postes supprimés sera rendu public. Objectif: une armée de terre à 82 000 hommes en 2017 (sounds familiar to me).

Suite de l’article

30/1/2013 EU source: Council - Ref: CL13-007EN

Summary: 30 January 2013, Brussels - The Council will meet from 9.30 onwards on 31 January, chaired by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.

The Council will first debate developments in the southern neighbourhood, focusing on the Arab Spring, Syria and Egypt. Ministers will also discuss foreign policy priorities of the new US administration. 

Ministers will then be briefed on the situation in Mali and on EU action to follow-up the extraordinary session of the Foreign Affairs Council on Mali on 17 January. 

In addition, the Council will take stock of the situation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. During the working lunch, ministers will exchange views with the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. 

After lunch, the Council will debate EU policies towards the Arctic region. 

A press conference will be held at the end of the meeting (+/- 15.45). 

* * * 

Press conferences and public events by video streaming: http://video.consilium.europa.eu/ 

Video coverage in broadcast quality (MPEG4): www.eucouncil.tv 

Photographic library on www.consilium.europa.eu/photo for photos in high resolution. 

Southern neighbourhood

- Arab Spring 

In view of a debate at the European Council on 7/8 February, the Council will examine the state of play and take stock of the EU response to the Arab Spring. 

The EU has actively supported the transition process in several Arab countries, offering money, markets and mobility. 

Negotiating mandates for deep and comprehensive free trade agreements with Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan were adopted in December 2011. Negotiations with Morocco could start early this year. 

Dialogues on migration, mobility and security have been launched with Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan. Once mobility partnerships have been concluded, negotiating mandates for visa facilitation and readmission agreement would follow. 

For the period 2011 to 2013, the EU has committed an additional €660 million in grants to support the democratic transition in the southern neighbourhood, in addition to the €3.5 billion already programmed. Moreover, additional support was given through the European Investment Bank and by extending the mandate of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to include Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan. 

- Syria

The Council will discuss the latest developments in Syria, including efforts by Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi to bring an end to the violence and support to the Syrian opposition. 

On 10 December, the Council accepted the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as "legitimate representatives of the Syrian people" (see Council conclusions). The European Council of 13/14 December tasked the Foreign Affairs Council to "work on all options to support and help the opposition and to enable greater support for the protection of civilians". (see European Council conclusions, para 28) In response, the Council is due to debate present and future delivery of EU aid to the Syrian population as well as assistance beyond humanitarian aid. 

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 650.000 Syrian refugees have arrived in the neighbouring countries Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey as well as in Egypt and North Africa. At the same time, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates the number of internally displaced persons in Syria at 2 million. The death toll has surpassed 60.000, says the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. 

The EU is the largest humanitarian donor for the Syrian crisis. So far, the EU and its member states have given over € 358 million in humanitarian assistance to Syrians inside and outside of Syria. The funds mostly went to food assistance, shelters and emergency healthcare. 

The Council has gradually reinforced EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime. For more details, see factsheet European Union and Syria. 

- Egypt

The Council will discuss the latest developments in Egypt, following the referendum on a draft constitution in December. 

On 25 December, the High Representative took note of the approval of the constitution during the referendum and of the low voter turn out. She reiterated calls for dialogue among all parties in Egypt in order to make further progress toward deep and sustainable democracy (see statement). 

United States of America

The Council will exchange views on the foreign policy priorities during President Obama's second term, including prospects for the Middle East peace process. 

Efforts to outline the scope of a comprehensive EU-US agreement on trade and investment are currently ongoing in the framework of the EU-US high-level working group on growth and jobs (see interim report). If this option is confirmed, negotiations may be launched in 2013. 

On 10 December 2012, the Council stated "the European Union firmly believes that now is the time to take bold and concrete steps towards peace. The parties must engage in direct and substantial negotiations without pre-conditions in order to achieve a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ending all claims." It also underlined "the urgency of renewed, structured and substantial peace efforts in 2013 and, towards this end, it is ready to work with the US and other international partners, including within the Quartet." See Council conclusions. 

Mali

The Council will be briefed on the situation in Mali and on the state of play concerning the deployment of the EU training mission in Mali (EUTM Mali). It is expected to adopt conclusions. 

The EU has mobilised political and diplomatic action in response to the crisis including: a training mission for the Malian Armed Forces, funding for the African-Led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA), humanitarian aid as well as dedicated support for countering terrorism. 

The EU has welcomed the adoption of a roadmap by the Malian government, designed to restore constitutional order through an election process, and has encouraged inclusive dialogue with representatives of the people of the north of Mali, including non-terrorist groups which recognise the unity, integrity and territorial sovereignty of Mali. 

EUTM Mali is intended to help restore the military capacity of the Malian Armed Forces in order to allow, under civilian authority, the restoration of the country's territorial integrity. It will provide basic military training as well as train and advise the Malian forces on command and control, logistics, human resources as well as on international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians and human rights. The mission will not be involved in combat operations. The Council is expected to launch the mission by mid-February. 

The EU has committed €50 million from the African Peace Facility to support the deployment of AFISMA. It has also established a "clearing house" mechanism to coordinate other military support of member states and other international partners to AFISMA, including the transportation of equipment, personnel and ammunition. 

EU development aid has been suspended since the coup d'état of 22 March 2012 (with the exception of humanitarian aid and direct support to the population and to a democratic transition), but will be gradually resumed as a consequence of the adoption of the roadmap for the transition. Relevant decisions are being prepared so that funds can be disbursed as soon as possible. 

The political crisis in Mali comes in addition to the already serious Sahel food crisis in 2012, which affected nearly 18 million people in the region. So far in 2013, the European Commission has allocated € 20 million as humanitarian aid for Mali. In 2012, the EU and its member states contributed € 111 million to humanitarian operations in that country. 

For more details, see factsheet European Union and the Sahel and factsheet EUTM Mali.

Somalia

The Council will take stock of the situation in Somalia and the situation in the Horn of Africa. 

Now that Somalia has completed the political transition and a new parliament and government are in place, the Council will discuss how to adapt EU support to this changed situation. Political progress has been matched with the expansion of territory under the control of the African Union mission in Somalia and the Somali national security forces. 

The Council will adopt conclusions on Somalia. It is expected to commit the EU to supporting the new government's vision and priorities and to sustaining the EU collective efforts to support Somalia's transformation. A counter-terrorism action plan for the Horn of Africa and Yemen is to be endorsed, too. 

The EU is engaged in Somalia through a comprehensive and large investment, including in the policy, security and development fields. Three Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions actively promote security and stability in Somalia: The EU training mission provides training to Somali troops; EUNAVFOR Atalanta fights and deters piracy off the coast of Somalia and EUCAP Nestor assists Somalia and other countries in the region in enhancing their maritime security and governance, including judicial capacities. 

The EU has allocated €412 million to development projects in Somalia for the period 2008 to 2013, mainly to support good governance, education and economic development. This is complemented by EU-funded projects on maritime security, water resources management and de-mining in the liberated areas (€102 million). Since 2011, the EU has also allocated €126 million in humanitarian aid to Somalia to support the victims of drought, flooding, famine, conflict and displacement. 

The EU strategic framework for the Horn of Africa, adopted in November 2011, covers the countries of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development - Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. It addresses the link between insecurity, poverty and governance. Its objectives are to achieve peace, security, development and accountable government by focusing on five areas: building democratic state structures; supporting peace and security; mitigating the effects of insecurity; reducing poverty and supporting economic growth; and strengthening regional cooperation, by making effective and coherent use of all available EU instruments. Alexander Rondos is the EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa to contribute to the implementation of the framework.

The Arctic

The Council will be invited to support proposed steps towards an EU policy in the Arctic and to reaffirm its support for an EU application to become an observer to the Arctic Council. 

The related joint communication of June 2012 will serve as basis for discussion. It proposes several new actions to develop the EU's policy towards the Arctic, the objective being to promote sustainable and peaceful development in the region while protecting the Arctic environment. Areas for action include research concerning the environmental challenges, the sustainable use of resources and environmental expertise and an intensified dialogue with Arctic states and the EU's strategic partners. 

The Arctic Council is the main international forum that is directly concerned with the Arctic's sustainable development and environmental protection. All eight Arctic states are members of the Arctic Council, as are organisations representing six indigenous peoples in the Arctic. 

The Arctic region covers the area around the North Pole, including the Arctic Ocean and territories of the eight states: Canada, Denmark (including Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden and USA. There are approximately 4 million inhabitants of the Arctic, 10% of whom are indigenous people. 

EU interests in the Arctic revolve around topics like environment, energy, transport and fisheries. 

The EU is a major destination of resources and goods from the Arctic where as the region is thought to hold 13% of undiscovered oil and 30% of undiscovered gas reserves at a global level. The Arctic is rapidly warming up. 

The EU provides a significant amount of funding to the local population through various initiatives. Between 2007 and 2013, it amounted to €1.98 billion, together with the EU member states cofinancing. For more information, see joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative on developing EU policy towards the Arctic and factsheet. 

Other items 

The Council is set to adopt several items without discussion, including: 

- EU support to border management in Libya 

The Council will be invited to agree on the draft crisis management concept for a Common Foreign and Security Policy mission to support border management in Libya. 

- Regional integration in the Maghreb

The Council is due to adopt conclusions in response to the joint communication on EU support to closer cooperation and regional integration in the Maghreb, see doc 5118/13. The Council is expected to welcome that communication, which proposes EU support to deeper cooperation between Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, bearing in mind that the impetus for integration will depend solely on partner countries. The EU could support initiatives in several areas: democratic reforms, global threats such as terrorism and trafficking, inclusive economic development, infrastructure, environment and climate change as well as migration and mobility. 

- EU support for sustainable change in transition societies

The Council will adopt conclusions stressing the need for a more comprehensive, coherent and targeted approach to transition processes in the EU's neighbourhood and beyond. 

* This note has been drawn up under the responsibility of the press office

Jan. 30, 2013 By ANDREW CHUTER – Defense News

Last year, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond put the 159 billion pound price tag on equipment spending up until 2022 and has since made political capital at the expense of the Labour opposition with his claim to have balanced the budget with an affordable procurement plan.

Claims by the British Ministry of Defence that it now has an affordable 10-year equipment plan have been challenged by a report from the government spending watchdog that says that the department is still underestimating the impact cost overruns could have on the procurement and support program.

“The evidence strongly indicated that the department’s approach to risk is still over-optimistic. ... The costs are not sufficiently robust to support the affordability assertion,” said the National Audit Office in its “Equipment Plan 2012 to 2022” report set to be released Jan. 31 in London.

Publication of the investigation by the NAO coincides with the release by the MoD of outline procurement and support spending plans for the next decade which show that investment in Britain’s nuclear deterrent and attack submarine fleets during the period dwarfs other areas of spending.

The 10-year, 159 billion pound equipment spending plan includes 4.8 billion pounds put into a centrally held contingency fund, and 8 billion pounds of unallocated cash to be used for new equipment outside of the current core program which comprises the bulk of the budget.

The new contingency fund is in additional to the 8.4 billion pounds of risk-related cash already held by individual programs.

The NAO said 4.8 billion pounds was “potentially insufficient to cope with cost growth due to the combined effects of over-optimism and risk materialization above that included in the project costs.”

In 2011, the MoD’s own Cost Assurance and Analysis Service, an expert cost-assurance function estimated that the procurement cost of the armed forces’ top 40 projects was understated by 12.5 billion pounds.

That’s a figure the MoD declines to accept.

Margaret Hodge, the chairwomen of the powerful Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, hit out at the MoD’s failure to grasp the problem of risk.

“I am dismayed that the MoD is still taking an over-optimistic view to putting a price on risk and uncertainty. The Ministry’s own internal review warned that this plan understates costs by as much as 12.5 billion pounds. If this is the case, it will eat up the entire 8 billion pound unallocated budget viewed by the Chief of the Defence Staff as necessary to deliver the full intent behind the future shape of the armed forces as set out in Future Force 2020,” said Hodge in a statement.

The report said the MoD might have to use some of the 8 billion pounds of unallocated equipment funds to keep existing core programs on track if cost growth exhausts contingency funds.

That could have an impact on capabilities and programs, warns the report.

The report points up two omissions in its investigations which will likely also impact the issue of affordability.

The NAO hasn’t included equipment support programs in it analysis — although it will in future reports. Support accounts for about half the 10-year spending.

The analysis also doesn’t include costs for the return and ongoing support of possibly billions of pounds of equipment purchased with money from Treasury reserves under urgent operational requirements for Afghanistan.

The report also said the MoD faced further capability shortfalls and would be unable to fully implement plans to restructure the armed forces in a program known as Future Force 2020, if the government fails to stick to a current commitment to fund 1 percent annually in real growth to the equipment plan for the years between 2015 and 2020.

Reports are already emerging of MoD concerns that 750 million pounds of defense cuts ordered by the Treasury late last year in a new round of government belt tightening will affect the baseline from which the 1 percent hike will be calculated.

The Daily Telegraph reported Jan. 30 that that the MoD and Treasury were in a clinch over the impact reducing the baseline would have on capabilities and programs.

The NAO’s affordability report published figures showing just how sensitive equipment-plan funding is to changes in underlying budget numbers.

The 159 billion pound equipment plan is based on a 3.7 percent uplift in real terms from 2015, but if that spending increase is reduced to 2.7 percent the equipment budget falls by 4.4 billion pounds.

If the equipment budget increase is reduced to just 1.7 percent over the period to 2022, the money available falls by 8.6 billion pounds.

The NAO report comes just weeks after the watchdog organization published its annual study into the progress of 16 major MoD projects which found that cost growth and program delays remain at unsatisfactory levels.

The latest report wasn’t all bad news for the MoD, though.

The NAO acknowledged the department had made considerable progress in repairing the damage caused by years of poor budget management.

The MoD had taken “significant positive steps designed to deal with the accumulated affordability gap and lay the foundations for stability going forward…and had taken difficult decisions to address what was estimated to be a 74 billion pound gap between it’s forecast funding and cost,” said the report.

Hodge said the equipment plan was a “welcome step towards trying to close between the Ministry’s defense ambitions and forecast funding but it must now deliver.”

Analysts and industry executives said the report illustrated the MoD had made large strides towards putting management of its equipment plan finances in order but it also demonstrated there was much left to do to keep budgets on track.

It’s the first time the watchdog has scrutinized the affordability of the 10-year equipment plan in what will become an annual investigation.

The move follows an announcement by the Conservative-led coalition Government last year that it had balanced the books on procurement and support spending after having cut nearly 74 billion pounds from the defense budget after coming into office in 2010.

That black hole in the overall defense budget was due to a 38 billion pound unfunded commitment to equipment programs left by the previous Labour Government. The remainder was from reductions imposed as part of the current Administration’s austerity cuts.

Last year, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond put the 159 billion pound price tag on equipment spending up until 2022 and has since made political capital at the expense of the Labour opposition with his claim to have balanced the budget with an affordable procurement plan.

Figures in the MoD’s equipment plan published Jan 31 show that as of May 2012, the forecast for equipment and support spending could rise to 18.8 billion pounds by 2021 from 13.2 billion pounds this year.

The MoD said that on current plans it forecasts that by the end of the decade the equipment and support spending as a portion of the total budget will have risen from 40 percent today to 45 percent.

Over the next ten years, the MoD plans to spend 60 billion pounds on new equipment — most of which is already committed — some 68 billion pounds on the support of existing equipment and 18 billion pounds on new equipment entering service during the period.

Across the sectors of the armed forces the MoD said it will over the 10 years spend:

• 18.5 billion pound on fast jets, unmanned aerial vehicles and military flight training.

• 13.9 billion on air support — including transport, air-to-air refueling and large ISTAR platforms.

• 12.1 billion pounds on helicopters — including Chinooks, delivery of Wildcat Lynx to the Royal Navy and the British Army, capability sustainment for the Apache attack helicopter, and optimizing the Merlin Mk3 for amphibious duties with the Royal Marines.

• 4.4 billion pounds on ISTAR — including CBRN detection programs and special forces equipment.

• 12.3 billion pounds on land equipment — including scout and utility vehicles and upgrades to the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle.

• Surface ships — including the two aircraft carriers and Type 26 frigates— gets 17.4 billion pound

• Attack submarines and the nuclear deterrent replacement program will receive around 35.8 billion pounds

• Weapons like the Sea Captor missile and the Future Air-to-Surface Guided Weapon (Heavy) will get around 11.4 billion pounds.

January 30, 2013: Strategy Page

The Swedish government has agreed to let the Air Force increase its order for the new JAS 39E Gripen jet fighter from 40 to 60. This is largely because Switzerland has ordered 22 of them. This has caused some distress in Sweden as the Swiss will be getting a lower price than the Swedish Air Force. Given the shrinking defense budgets these days this sort of sales technique was necessary to get enough orders to make it possible to go ahead with the JAS 39. It was only a year ago that the Swedish Air Force got the go-ahead to build prototypes of the JAS 39E. This happened mainly because Switzerland had agreed to buy it. But the Swiss deal could still come apart and that would likely kill the 39E, for the moment anyway. If that does not happen the first 39E will enter service in 2018 and all 82 current orders would be delivered by 2027. This might change if more export orders are obtained, something the Swedes are hustling to accomplish.

Formerly known as the Gripen NG (Next Generation) fighters, the JAS 39E is heavier (17 tons) that the existing 30C, has better electronics, a heavier payload (over four tons), and has a two seater version better able to handle ground attack and electronic warfare duties. The Swedish Air Force already has 134 JAS 39Cs in service and the prospect of more defense budget cuts made the purchase of 60 Gripen NGs (at a total cost of nearly $5 billion) seemingly impossible. But the JAS 39E excited several export customers and that made all the difference.

Sweden is describing the 39E as a "new aircraft" compared to the earlier JAS 39 models. There's some truth to that, as the 39E is a little longer and heavier but still looks like a Gripen. The 39E is full of more expensive, and capable, electronics, but that's not obvious by just looking at the new model. The first 39E is expected to fly this year and enter service in 2018.

The Gripen has already undergone one major enhancement to the JAS 39C model. Improvements included inflight refueling, better electronics, and improved ground attack capability. The C model was also compliant with NATO standards for warplanes. This was necessary for export sales. There was also a two seat D model for training.

The 14 ton JAS-39C is roughly comparable to the latest versions of the F-16. The Gripen is small but can carry up to 3.6 tons of weapons. With the increasing use of smart bombs this is adequate. Often regarded as an also-ran in the current crop of "modern jet fighters", the Swedish Gripen is proving to be more competition than the major players (the F-16, F-18, F-35, Eurofighter, Rafale, MiG-29, and Su-27) expected. Put simply, Gripen does a lot of little (but important) things right and costs about half as much (at about $35 million each) as its major competitors. More importantly, Gripen also costs about half as much, per flight hour, to operate. In effect, Gripen provides the ruggedness and low cost of Russian aircraft with the high quality and reliability of Western aircraft. For many nations this is an appealing combination. The Gripen is easy to use (both for pilots and ground crews) and capable of doing all jet fighter jobs (air defense, ground support, and reconnaissance) well enough.

The JAS 39 entered active service in 1997, and has had an uphill battle getting export sales. Sweden does not have the diplomatic clout of its major competitors, so they have to push quality and service. Swedish warplanes and products in general have an excellent reputation in both categories. Nevertheless, the Gripen is still expected to lose out on a lot of sales simply because politics took precedence over performance.

30 January 2013 10:29 defenceweb (Reuters)

Britain increased its offer of aid to France and African governments to help them counter Islamist militants in Africa but limited the scope of its support for fear of being dragged into an Afghanistan-style quagmire.

Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told parliament that up to 240 soldiers could take part in missions to train African troops, and that at least 90 more are already taking part in logistical operations to support French troops fighting in Mali.

"The UK has a clear interest in the stability of Mali and ensuring that its territory does not become an ungoverned space available to al Qaeda and its associates," Hammond said, Reuters reports.

"We are very clear about the risks of mission creep and we have defined very carefully the support we are willing and able to provide," he added.

British troops will not have a combat role, he stressed.

In a further sign of Britain's concern over developments in northern Africa, Prime Minister David Cameron will travel to Algeria on Wednesday, his office said.

An Islamist militant attack on Algeria's In Amenas natural gas complex earlier this month left at least 38 hostages dead, including up to six Britons.

Cameron, who has spoken of a "generational struggle" against Islamist extremists in the region, will meet Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, a British government source said.

After the gas complex assault, Cameron said Britain needed to "thicken" its contacts with Algeria to help the North African state in its "long running battle against terror".

Britain will withdraw some 9,000 troops from a long and costly mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, and the public - squeezed by spending cuts to fix a big budget deficit - has little appetite for another expensive military adventure.

In contrast to previous major military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Britain now says it is better to have limited Western military interventions, and that local forces - with Western backing - should take the lead in ensuring security.

Hammond played down the prospect of long-term Western involvement in Mali, saying that France had assured him of a "short intervention" to stabilize the situation on the ground, and that African and Malian troops would then take over.

Up to 40 of the troops Britain has offered are for a European Union training mission in Mali, and up to 200 are for a regional African Union-led training mission involving anglophone West African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

British logistical and equipment aid to Mali has so far included the use of two C-17 transport planes and a Sentinel surveillance plane based at Dakar in neighboring Senegal.

In response to a French request on Sunday for more help, Britain said it would also offer a ferry to transport French troops and equipment, and allow France and its allies to use U.S. bases in Britain to refuel aircraft.

Britain has also offered to set up a "Combined Joint Logistics Headquarters" in Mali, but France believes such a facility is not needed for now, Cameron's spokesman said.

30/01/2013, Michel Cabirol – LaTribune.fr

La Norvège souhaite renouveler sa flotte de sous-marins. les groupes allemand TKMS, français DCNS et espagnol Navantia devraient être les favoris de cette future compétition, qui aura des conséquences sur une éventuelle consolidation industrielle.

Ce sera l'une des compétitions clé pour l'industrie navale dans le domaine des sous-marins. Elle pourrait effectivement donner un avantage dans le cadre d'une éventuelle future consolidation des chantiers navals en Europe... attendue depruis une dizaine d'années. Une bagarre qui aura pour cadre les eaux glacées de la Norvège, qui a lancé à la fin de l'année dernière une demande d'information (RFI) pour le renouvellement de sa flotte de sous-marins allemands construits par le groupe TKMS au début des années 80. Objectif, acquérir à terme entre quatre et six sous-marins pour remplacer ceux de la classe ULA. En attendant le lancement d'un appel d'offre international vraisemblablement en 2014, trois groupes favoris se détachent : l'allemand TKMS, avec son partenaire suédois Kockums, le français DCNS et l'espagnol Navantia. TKMS devrait proposer l'U214, voire l'A26 de sa filiale suédoise. DCNS devrait concourrir avec le Scorpène tandis que Navantia proposera le S80 avec son système de combat de l'américain Lockheed martin.

TKMS, DCNS et Navantia ont des références en Norvège

"Les trois groupes ont de références en Norvège mais TKMS joue pratiquement à domicile avec sa flotte de sous-marins en service dans la Marine royale norvégienne", explique un bon connaisseur des affaires de la défense. TKMS a une longueur d'avance puisque non seulement il a vendu les sous-marins de la classe ULA mais il les entretient. D'où une certaine proximité avec l'état-major de la marine norvégienne. Mais DCNS et Navantia ont leurs cartes à jouer. Le groupe naval tricolore a pleinement réussi son premier test avec la marine norvégienne. Il a livré en novembre dernier à la Marine royale norvégienne le cinquième patrouilleur rapide P965-Gnist. Le programme Skjold est piloté par le consortium du même nom (Skjold), regroupant DCNS qui intervient en qualité de co-fournisseur et d'autorité de conception du système de combat, et deux contractants locaux, le chantier naval UMOE Mandal et la société Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. Le groupe tricolore aspire à passer à la vitesse supérieure. Pour sa part, Navantia a mené à bien le programme des cinq frégates norvégiennes du type F310, notifié en 2000.

Le système d'armes, juge de paix

L'une des clés de cette future compétition sera le système d'armes. Si DCNS dispose d'un bon missile anti-navire l'Exocet SM39, il pourrait proposer le Scalp naval à condition d'effectuer de (couteux ?) travaux d'intégration sur le Scorpène. TKMS et Navantia proposeront le missile anti-navire américain Harpoon. Mais Oslo pourrait demander d'intégrer dans les offres le missile anti-navire local Naval Strike Missile (NSM) d'une portée de 200 km en vue de favoriser son industriel Kongsberg, qui a développé ce missile en partenariat avec EADS. "L'intégration du missile sera l'un des fils d'Ariane de cette compétition", estime-t-on.

29 January 2013 Ministry of Defence

The UK is to support the EU military training mission to Mali by providing up to 40 British personnel either in a headquarters or training team role.

29 Jan 2013By James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor - telegraph.co.uk

The SAS and other special forces units are under threat from a new round of Coalition defence cuts, military chiefs have warned.

The Telegraph understands that senior commanders fear that the quality of Britain’s world-class special forces could be undermined if defence spending is cut again in 2015. The potential threat has been discussed in Whitehall as the Ministry of Defence tries to fight off Treasury demands for more budget cuts.

The worries have emerged as David Cameron increased Britain’s military commitment to the fight against al-Qaeda in north Africa, deploying more than 300 troops. The Prime Minister will visit Algeria today for talks about security cooperation.

The deployment in Africa raised concern among MPs and experts that Britain could be sucked into a lasting new conflict just as the war in Afghanistan winds down. Ministers admitted there was a risk of “mission creep” but insisted that British forces would not be drawn into combat in the conflict in Mali.

The recent hostage crisis in southern Algeria, in which six Britons were among more than 80 killed, led Mr Cameron to warn that Britain faced decades of conflict with Islamic extremists in north Africa.

Even as the demands on the Armed Forces grow, George Osborne, the Chancellor, is drawing up spending plans for 2015-16 that commanders fear will squeeze the defence budget again.

In last year’s Autumn Statement, Mr Osborne announced plans to cut an extra £700 million from the defence budget by April 2015, on top of deep cuts announced in 2010.

Those cuts could be carried over into the next spending round, reducing the “baseline” from which the defence budget will be calculated in the second half of this decade.

Whitehall sources say defence chiefs fear that rolling over the latest cuts into the years after 2015 could force them to tear up the 10-year plan for the Armed Forces set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2010. Sources said reopening the review would raise the prospect of reductions in military capabilities, including special forces and the amphibious warfare operations of the Royal Marines.

The precise numbers of special forces troops are a secret, but expansions in recent years are believed to have brought their numbers to about 2,000.

Personnel from the Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Regiment are currently deployed on operations around the world, in countries including Afghanistan and Mali. They also play a major role in domestic counter-terrorism operations.

Special forces units recruit from all three Armed Forces, but mostly from the Army. The Coalition’s current defence cuts are reducing Army manpower from 102,000 to about 80,000.

In 2011, the head of the infantry warned that the SAS was struggling to recruit enough high-quality entrants because troops did not have time to train properly for its gruelling selection process.

In a letter leaked The Telegraph, Brigadier Richard Dennis said that action was needed to improve the “depth and quality” of potential special forces recruits.

Now, a well-placed defence source suggested that further cuts in the Armed Forces would make it harder for Britain to generate and maintain top-quality special forces on their current scale.

“Generating significant elite forces is difficult enough at the best of times, and if we get hit again, it is only going to get harder for us,” said the source. “That is something that the Treasury might bear in mind.”

Another source confirmed that additional cuts after 2015 could shrink the Armed Forces even further. “We can absorb the latest cuts without looking at personnel, but if they are carried over into the baseline [for the next spending round], then we are looking at much bigger cuts and those questions would be opened up again,” said the source.

The warnings will add to the pressure on Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne over the future defence budget.

Gen Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, warned last month that the Autumn Statement would have “further implications” for defence after the current four-year spending round.

Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, is also said to have questioned Mr Osborne over the justification for more defence cuts.

The strategic review cut the budget by 8 per cent over four years, to £33.5  billion in 2014-15, but Mr Cameron promised “year-on-year real-terms growth in the defence budget in the years beyond 2015”.

The MoD has based its spending plans on an assumption that the promise will be honoured. The department said yesterday that ministers would fight “vigorously” for funding in order to deliver the special forces capability set out in the defence review.

“The UK will continue to have formidable fighting forces, backed by the fourth biggest defence budget in the world,” said a spokesman. “The SDSR made clear that we will maintain the capability of our special forces and we have invested more in them to increase their effectiveness.

“The budget for 2015-16 will be determined in the current spending review and we will vigorously make the case for funding to support the delivery of Future Force 2020.”

Mr Cameron’s visit to Algeria will be the first by a Prime Minister since its independence 51 years ago. On Thursday, he will attend an international development conference in Liberia.

30/01/2013 Mer et Marine

Le premier hélicoptère NH90 intégralement assemblé en Espagne a réalisé en janvier son premier vol sur le site d’Albacete, où il a été réalisé, a annoncé NH Industries. Désigné GSPA03, cet appareil de type TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) sera livré à la Force aéromobile de l’armée espagnole (FAMET) courant 2013. Pour mémoire, deux prototypes du NH90 espagnols, réalisés sur le site français de Marignane, servent actuellement aux essais en vol et à la campagne de certification de cette machine. Le NH90 espagnol se distingue notamment par le choix de Madrid d’opter pour une motorisation comprenant deux turbines CT7 8F5 de General Electric, ainsi qu’un système de communication adapté aux standards espagnols et un système de guerre électronique conçu par le groupe Indra.

En tout, l’Espagne doit acquérir 45 NH90 dans la version TTH. Le nouvel hélicoptère, qui a fait l’objet d’une commande en 2006, va non seulement équiper les forces terrestres, mais également la marine. Au sein de l'Armada, il doit en effet remplacer les  Sea King et AB212 actuellement en service. La livraison de 20 machines est prévue à cet effet.

Pour mémoire, le programme NH90 est porté par le consortium NH Industries, regroupant Eurocopter, AugustaWestland et Fokker.

Jan. 29, 2013 - By PIERRE TRAN  - Defense News

PARIS — Eurocopter does not expect a big cut in orders for its Tiger attack helicopter for the French Army Air Corps as the government prepares its multiyear military budget, Chief Executive Lutz Bertling said Jan. 24.

Although cuts to the Tiger order had not been forecast, with overall budget cuts in the offing, any equipment that has not been delivered is a potential target for cancellation.

“There are zero discussions on the Tiger contract,” Bertling said at a news conference.

“We don’t expect a significant negative impact,” he said, adding that a cut of, say, two units would not count as “significant.”

French defense planners are preparing the 2014-2019 multiyear military budget law. In 1999, France and Germany signed a production contract for 160 Tigers, with each country taking 80 units.

The first four units of a batch of 40 Tigers in the hélicoptère appui destruction (HAD) — or support and attack helicopter — version will be delivered later this year, following its certification Jan. 14 by the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office, said a Defense Ministry spokesman, Col. Thierry Burkhard.

The new Tiger model is armed with the Hellfire 2 air-to-surface missile and a more powerful engine.

The Defense Ministry showed a video of a Tiger firing a Hellfire against a ship at sea. It was not clear the missile hit the naval target.

The French Army has sent three Tigers to back up troops in Mali, said Burkhard, declining to add what the total number deployed will be. The French Army deployed five Tigers to Afghanistan.

Eurocopter expects to deliver the four new Tiger HAD helicopters in the second half of the year, with qualification due in June, said Executive Vice President Dominique Maudet.

The French Army Air Corps has received the first batch of 40 Tigers in the hélicoptère appui protection (HAP) light support version, armed with a 30mm cannon, 68mm rockets and Mistral air-to-air missiles.

Of the 40 HAP Tigers delivered to the French Army, 30 are in the full specification standard one version, and 10 in the basic step one model.

When the Tiger production contract was signed, the total French and German requirements were 215 and 212 units, respectively.

Development and production on the Tiger program was budgeted at 7.3 billion euros ($9.8 billion), shared equally between France and Germany, according to a 2008 business plan report of the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’armement (OCCAR) procurement agency.

NH90 Orders

Talks are going on with the French government for an order of additional NH90 transport helicopters, Bertling said.

An order for 34 more NH90s in the Army tactical transport helicopter version is due at the end of March. France has ordered 61 NH90s, comprising 34 NH90 transports for the Army and 27 in the NATO frigate helicopter version for the Navy.

The NH90 is built by NHIndustries, a consortium owned 62.5 percent by Eurocopter, 32 percent by Italy’s AgustaWestland and 5.5 percent by Fokker, of the Netherlands.

Bertling said there are “very constructive talks” with German authorities in a reassignment of orders on the Tiger and NH90, intended to maintain the overall value of the contracts.

Customers are renegotiating contracts because of Europe’s financial crisis. Spain is cutting seven NH90s from a 45-strong order and is negotiating for spares and services while paying the full contract value.

Greece is stretching out deliveries for 20 NH90s it ordered, taking four to six units instead of a previous eight. Athens has received four.

Portugal wants to cancel an order for 10 NH90s, but some 30 percent to 40 percent of the contract value has been incurred. Eurocopter executives hope Lisbon officials will change their minds when they see the cost of cancellation, with no helicopters to show for it.

The Tiger is being pitched to Brazil, Malaysia and Qatar, each looking to buy 10 to 20, while Mexico needs six new combat copters.

The Armed Aerial Scout 72X+ helicopter completed “hot and high” flight trials for the U.S. Army last year, showing the best performance in the trials, Bertling said.

Eurocopter made 2012 sales of 6.3 billion euros, up 15 percent from a year ago, and booked new orders of 5.4 billion euros, up from 4.7 billion euros, for a net 469 units. It aims to double sales within eight years instead of 10, Bertling said.

Jan. 29, 2013 - By ALBRECHT MÜLLER – Defense News

BONN — Disappointment over the results of recent military transformation efforts have left German soldiers insecure about their future and dissatisfied with leadership, according to an annual report by Helmut Königshaus, parliamentary commissioner for the Armed Forces.

“Expectations that the Bundeswehr would become more powerful and efficient as a result of the transformation were not confirmed in the reporting year, on the contrary,” said Königshaus, who presented his paper Jan. 29 in Berlin. “The daily duty and mission load, especially in the Army, the Navy and the Medical Corps, has limits,” he said, and these limits have been partly exceeded.

Leadership failings also were cited, and he pointed to petitions from soldiers complaining about double standards related to disciplinary issues depending on the military rank.

The report acknowledged some improvements in equipment, especially for troops on mission. In Afghanistan in 2012, for instance, the report said, no German soldier was killed.

But other equipment-related areas faced heavy criticism.

“There are still substantial gaps with the equipment, in particular with the heavy equipment, despite all improvements which have to be acknowledged.”

Night vision capability, air mobility and means to dispose of IEDs also are lacking, the report said.

Königshaus summed it up in a critical judgment about the strategy of the Bundeswehr leadership:

“The overall impression is that the employer plans with a structure and equipment that he cannot afford under the given conditions.”

During his press conference, he criticized those who supported cutting the defense budget more than other budgets as part of an overall effort to reduce spending.

One major reason given for personnel dissatisfaction is the closing of bases and insecurity about their future.

“If after three years of reform neither the next post is certain nor adequate career opportunities are in prospect ... one does not need to be surprised about the bad mood,” said Col. Ulrich Kirsch, head of the soldiers lobby group, German Bundeswehr Association.

The rates for separation and divorce among Bundeswehr personnel far exceeds the national average, Königshaus said. About 70 percent of the German soldiers are weekend commuters, he said, a number that has increased with the closing of bases in the wake of the current Bundeswehr restructuring. In addition, there is the pressure of weeks-long assignments and months-long foreign missions.

“The Bundeswehr still does not address this aspect with the necessary attention,” said Königshaus, regarding the need to plan for more near-home stationing. He also criticized shortcomings in parental leave and child care. These challenges between family and job are seen as one of the reasons for a personnel shortage in certain areas.

The high frequency of deployments also was criticized. The goal of a four-month tour on mission with at least 20 months at home has met with limited success.

The commissioner applauded the improvement of the treatment of the wounded, but also complained that the treatment of traumatized soldiers remained a weak spot of the Bundeswehr. There are still not enough psychologists and psychotherapists to treat the increasing number of traumatized soldiers, he said. In 2012, this reached a new peak with 1,143 persons needing treatment.

During his press conference, Königshaus said the Bundeswehr still does not fully understand that with the end of conscription, it must present itself as an attractive employer.

29 January 2013 naval-technology.com

Babcock has started installation of a new alternative electrical power conversion system, the main static converters (MSC), onboard the UK Royal Navy's fourth and final Vanguard-class submarine, HMS Vengeance.

Following the UK MoD In-Service Submarines (ISM) team's decision in late November 2012, the new system is being fitted on HMS Vengeance under the long overhaul period and refuel (LOP(R)) programme.

The MSC has been designed to considerably reduce through-life maintenance requirements and provide a fixed, solid state power electronics alternative to avoid the need for rotating machinery.

Based on the system designed for the new Astute-class submarines, MSC suites will be fitted on all four Vanguard-class boats to replace motor generators (MG), which are an essential part of the onboard electrical power system.

Installation of the MSC suites on the submarine is scheduled to be complete by autumn 2013, after then it will be prepared for commissioning over the next 12 months.

In addition to providing increased platform availability, the MSC suites will provide ease-of-maintenance, high availability, minimal moving parts, and reduced whole life ownership costs for the navy.

The MSC programme team comprises the UK MoD, Babcock and the MSC original equipment manufacturer and equipment design authority Ultra Electronics PMES.

Designed to carry 16 missile tubes and Trident II D5 nuclear missiles, the Vanguard-class submarines are equipped with two SSE Mark 10 launchers for deployment of Type 2066 and 2071 decoys.

Powered by Rolls-Royce PWR2 nuclear reactor and GEC turbines, the Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering-built boats are 149.9m-long and can accommodate a crew of 135.

Jan 29, 2013 ASDNews Source : Rheinmetall AG

    700 Fire Control Units Worth EUR 55 Million

Germany’s Bundeswehr has assigned Rheinmetall an important role in modernizing many of its vehicles with new electro-optical sensor technology.

The Düsseldorf-based Group has received a follow-up order to supply some 700 high-performance sensors for an identical number of weapon stations destined for a variety of vehicles. In total, the order is worth around €55 million. Over the next four years, Rheinmetall will be equipping the Bundeswehr with 418 LAZ 200 and 275 LAZ 400L sensors.

Rheinmetall will thus be supplying particularly high-value components under a Bundeswehr procurement programme that will significantly enhance the self-defence capabilities of numerous different vehicles. It will also assure a substantially improved night fighting capability.

The sensor units form the central element of the electronic fire control unit in the weapon station, enabling highly effective target recognition, tracking and engagement. In combination with remotely operated weapon stations, they let vehicle crews respond to threats without having to leave the safety of the armoured fighting compartment, potentially exposing themselves to hostile fire. Older weapon systems can only be operated with the hatch open in unprotected mode.

Mounted on vehicles such as the Fox, Boxer, Yak and Dingo, LAZ equipment sets (LAZ stands for “Lafetten-adaptierbares Zielsystem”, or “gun mount-adaptable aiming system”) have already proven highly effective in deployed operations of the Bundeswehr.

The compact LAZ 200/400L systems comprise a sensor unit consisting of a thermal imaging device, a high-resolution CCD camera and – in the case of the 400L – a laser rangefinder. Unlike the LAZ200, the LAZ 400L model features a cooled thermal imaging device with an even better night vision capability. The package also includes operator interface and display devices, which form an integral part of the overall weapon station system.

This new order attests the excellence of the devices produced at Rheinmetall’s Ismaning plant, while also assuring adequate capacity utilization and the plant’s continued economic viability for years to come.