NEWS IN BRIEF – EUROPE

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(Source: defense-aerospace.com/Reuters)

15 Mar 19. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson today announced a rise in the baseline profit rate for single source defence contracts to 7.63 per cent. The new rate for 2019/20, recommended by the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO), sees a rise after several years of cuts to the baseline profit rate. However, it remains low by historic and international standards.

ADS Chief Executive Paul Everitt said: “Today’s announcement sets out a welcome rise in the baseline profit rate for 2019/20, bringing an end to sustained declines in the rate in recent years. Despite today’s announcement, there is continuing concern the baseline profit rate does not reflect the commercial, technological and delivery risks associated with some of the UK’s most significant defence procurement programmes. The low rate impacts on the willingness of companies to invest in UK defence skills, capabilities and innovation. The UK defence industry is delivering world class capability and support to our armed forces. It is working hard to provides value for money for the taxpayer and contribute to our nation’s prosperity. The defence industry supports high value, long-term jobs in all parts of the UK, helping to sustain local communities, promoting apprenticeships and creating career opportunities.”

The baseline profit rate is calculated as a three-year average of underlying rates announced annually. It has fallen from 10.70 per cent in 2014/15 to a low of 6.81 per cent in 2018/19, and rises to 7.63 per cent in 2019/20. The UK defence industry plays a vital role in protecting our national security, and employs 140,000 people in a high value sector worth more than £22bn to the economy.

14 Mar 19. Seven NATO countries hit spending target. Seven of the 29 NATO countries hit the alliance’s defence spending target in 2018, figures showed on 14 March 2019, an improvement over the year but probably not enough to satisfy Donald Trump. The US president has repeatedly railed against European alliance members for not spending enough on their own defence, accusing them of freeloading on US military might. NATO’s 2018 annual report showed sharp rises in defence spending, notably in the Baltic states and the Netherlands but economic giant Germany still lags. Apart from the US, six members hit the target of spending 2% of GDP on defence in 2018: Britain, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Though NATO countries have only promised to try to hit 2% by 2024, the failure of many to even get close to that has infuriated Trump, who has reportedly threatened to pull out of the alliance if the European allies does not boost spending immediately.

Germany, Europe’s economic powerhouse, has come in for particular criticism and once again it fell well short of the target. While German defence spending went up from $45bn to $50bn, the country’s growing economy meant the figure relative to its GDP stayed flat at 1.23%.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Berlin’s moves to increase its budget but insisted it must redouble its efforts. ‘Germany has after years of cutting defence spending started to increase, and actually added a significant amount of money to the defence budgets,’ Stoltenberg told reporters. ‘But I expect more. I expect further increases and Germany has made it clear they plan to further increase defence spending.’

Trump outbursts

Trump’s regular outbursts about European defence expenditure have caused some to question the future of the alliance, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. After the end of the Cold War military budgets in Europe steadily dwindled, but Russia’s annexation of Crimea and growing assertiveness have made defence a priority once more.

Stoltenberg insisted in January that pressure from Trump had led to allies spending more. The former Norwegian prime minister regularly points out that overall NATO defence spending is rising and that, by the end of 2020, allies will have added $100bn since Trump took office in 2016. ‘We face a paradox: At a time when some are questioning the strength of the transatlantic bond, we are actually doing more and in more places than ever before,’ he said on 14 March.

US military spending dwarfs that of the rest of the alliance. In 2018 Washington spent nearly $700bn on defence, compared with just $280bn for all the European NATO allies combined.

Last month a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) showed that NATO’s 27 European countries fell short of the 2% target by $102bn in 2018. The IISS said European NATO members would ‘collectively have had to increase their spending by 38%’ to hit the 2% target in 2018.

NATO officials expected seven European member states to hit the target in 2018 but Romania fell just short on 1.92% because its economy grew faster than expected. Stoltenberg confirmed on Thursday that he would accept an invitation to address a joint meeting of the US Congress in early April as part of NATO’s 70th birthday celebrations. NATO officials say it will be the first time an alliance secretary general has addressed both houses of Congress. (Source: Shephard)

13 Mar 19. British army solider charged with murder over Bloody Sunday. Indictment likely to spark claims of betrayal from UK military veterans. One former British army soldier has been charged with murder by prosecutors in Northern Ireland over the killing of two people during Bloody Sunday, in a highly contentious move which is likely to spark claims of betrayal from UK military veterans and the Ministry of Defence. In an announcement on Thursday morning the public prosecution service of Northern Ireland said there was sufficient evidence to charge soldier F for the alleged murder of James Wray and William McKinney and for the alleged attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell. The PPS concluded that in the cases of 16 other members of the Parachute Regiment and two members of the official IRA there was insufficient evidence to bring charges. Thirteen people were shot dead in Londonderry in 1972 when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civilians. A 14th person died five months later from his injuries sustained during the shootings. It became one of the darkest episodes in Northern Ireland’s history and the thirty year sectarian struggle between republicans and loyalists known as the Troubles. (Source: FT.com)

13 Mar 19. Turkey targets defense and aerospace exports to counter growing national deficit. The Turkish government is pressuring its defense and aerospace industries to boost exports as part of an aggressive strategy aimed at addressing the country’s account deficit and plunging national currency. In an annual ambassadors conference in August, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Turkey’s diplomatic missions in more than 150 countries to work harder to win contracts for Turkish manufacturers. The president told Turkish ambassadors to fully utilize diplomacy in marketing homegrown equipment. He has also since repeatedly ordered procurement and industry officials to find new markets to target.

“Exports are increasingly important for the sustainability of the [local] industry,” said Murat Ceran, head of the International Cooperation Department at the Presidency of Defence Industries, the government’s procurement agency. “Globally speaking, there are three main tiers of exporters: The United States and Russia together account for nearly 60 percent of all exports. The second group consist of exporters like China, France, Germany and the U.K. Turkey, along with Italy, Spain South Korea and Israel, make the third group,” Ceran explained.

In recent years, Turkey’s defense and aerospace industries reported an average export increase of 8 to 10 percent annually. Only in the past six years, Ceran said, have defense and aerospace exports risen by 61 percent, while Turkey’s overall exports rose by 10.5 percent.

“We are working to boost exports in a total of 130 countries. We are monitoring over 500 programs in 70 countries,” he said.

Turkey’s defense and aerospace exports have risen from an annual $1.388 bn in 2013 to $2.035 bn in 2018, according to the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly. In comparison, total sales (both foreign and domestic) grew from $5.076 bn in 2013 to $6.693 bn in 2017 (sales growth for 2018 was unavailable via the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly by press time).

Meanwhile, Turkey’s total defense spending rose from $14.34bn in 2009 to $19.58bn in 2017, according to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the country’s legislative body. In the same period, however, the share of defense spending to overall government spending largely remained stable, with a slight drop from 6.6 percent in 2009 to 6.4 percent in 2017.

“We are seeking new [export] deals in the Asia-Pacific region,” Ceran said. Presently Turkey’s top market is the United States, with annual sales of $726m reported in 2018.

Other top markets are Germany with $226m; Oman with $153m; Qatar with $83m; and the Netherlands with $75m. India, Azerbaijan, the U.K., Poland and France are also included in the top 10 export markets.

In a breakthrough deal in 2018, Turkish Aerospace Industries won a $1.5bn deal to sell a batch of 30 T129 helicopter gunships to Pakistan. TAI produces the 5-ton T129 under license from the Italian-British AgustaWestland. The Philippine government said it may also order a batch of T129s.

Also last year, private Turkish company Baykar signed a deal to sell six drone systems to Ukraine, a first for the Turkish industry.

Only in the past couple of years Turkish companies won $800m worth of contracts in Qatar to sell armored vehicles, drones, training ships and coast guard boats.

Some Balkan countries also showed interest in commissioning Turkish shipyards for naval upgrade programs, in addition to others eyeing Turkish-made corvettes and frigates. And Pakistan and Malaysia have been identified as potential customers for Turkish-made naval systems.

Procurement officials in Turkey have pointed to electronic and electromechanical systems, management systems, information management software, cybersecurity solutions, and flight simulators as potential export items.

“The local industry is becoming more and more competitive,” according to Özgür Ekşi, a senior analyst with C4Defence. “Most prospective products are armored vehicles, drones, boats and ships, trainer aircraft as well as the emerging new-generation tank (the Altay) and the T129,” he said.

But analysts warn that licensing problems may overshadow Turkey’s export efforts.

“Critical parts, like engines, in many Turkish systems are Western-made, and countries like the United States and Germany may be reluctant to issue export licenses for these parts,” an Ankara-based defense analyst said.

For instance, the T129 is powered by two LHTEC T800-4A turbo-shaft engines. Each engine can produce 1,014 kilowatts of power. The T800-4A is an export version of the CTS800 engine. LHTEC, the engine’s makee, is a joint venture between the American company Honeywell and the British firm Rolls-Royce. If the U.S. refused to issue export licenses for that engine, it could mean the end of the Turkish-Pakistani T129 deal.

Similarly, BMC, a Turkish company that won a multibn-dollar contract for the mass production of the Altay, is seeking foreign suppliers for an engine and transmission for the Turkish tank, on the condition that export licenses would belong to the Turkish producer. (Source: Defense News)

13 Mar 19. Italy to Pay F-35 Arrears As Government Begins Program Review. The Italian government stopped payments to the F-35 program in early 2018, leading Lockheed to stop its deliveries and withhold at least two aircraft, which are currently sitting at the Italian Final Assembly and Check Out facility in Cameri, Italy. In addition, Lockheed has also suspended all dealings with Italy, and has asked the F-35 Joint Program Office to do the same. The revelations come as the Italian government, which took office on June 1, continues to review its defense programs, with a special emphasis on the F-35, from which one of its coalition parties, the Five Stars Movement, promised to withdraw, while the other seems content to continue at a slower procurement rate.

They also coincide with the completion of an extended review of Italy’s participation in the F-35 program. That report, over six months in the making, has now been handed in to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who after considering its contents is expected to renegotiate Italy’s participation with President Trump during his forthcoming visit to Washington. The suspended payments and deliveries were not made public by the Italian government or Lockheed, and only came to light after March 12 testimony by Gen. Alberto Rosso, the Italian Air Force chief of staff, to a joint session of the Lower House and Senate defense committees.

“Outstanding invoices issued in 2018 and not yet paid by Italy amount to 389m euros,” he said, adding that “to date, 28 aircraft have been authorized at a political level; we have received eleven and a half, and now we are waiting” to see what happens,” Rosso said.

He also expressed “major concerns about uncertainty about the program” and the “hypothesis of a quantitative reduction” in the number of aircraft that Italy will ultimately buy.

Undelivered aircraft

One of the two undelivered aircraft is an F-35B/STOVL registered “BL-2” (MM7452, BuAer 169599) and built as part of Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 10; it made its first flight on Oct. 15, 2018 at Cameri and should have flown to Beaufort MCAS, in South Carolina.

The second is the F-35A/CTOL registered “AL-11” (MM7361/32-11, s/n 17-5287), the only Italian aircraft in Lot 11. It made its first flight on Oct 16, 2018 also at Cameri, and should have been flown to Amendola air base, in southern Italy.

“We will pay these 389m…. and then we will stop to proceed with the re-discussion of the program,” Lettera 43 reported March 12 quoting unidentified government sources, as “some doubts remain about the program, and therefore it will be reviewed, as has already been announced on several occasions.”

According to La Stampa, the money – it says €370m – has been sitting in an Italian government account with the Washington branch of the Intesa Sanpaolo bank for about a year because the Italian Ministry of Defence never ordered it to be paid to Lockheed.

“We will immediately pay what is owed. In a few days, [Defense] Minister Elisabetta Trenta will sign the decree authorizing the payment,” La Stampa reported March 12 quoting an unidentified defense ministry official.

Other sources say the payment was blocked by the Five Stars party to which Trenta belongs, pending a review of Italy’s participation in the F-35 program, which La Stampa reports has now been handed over to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conti, who will decide how to proceed.

Nothing is yet known about the contents and conclusions of the review, but the government’s will to review Italy’s participation in the program remains unchanged. It will have to be discussed at presidential level Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte and Donald Trump.

Capabilities that touch on science fiction

“We have qualified 25 pilots and just under 250 maintenance specialists. It has been inserted into the air defense network, the pilots are enthusiastic about it, it has capabilities that touch on science fiction and overcome our imagination, it is a system that makes the whole Air Force grow,” Rosso told Parliament, and “the aircraft is perfectly integrated with the systems of NATO countries.”

The Air Force’s enthusiasm is not shared by its political masters, and the Five Stars party is a well-known critic of its cost and underperformance. “

Soon after taking office, Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta said during her first TV interview on July 6 that “We will not buy any other F35s; we are considering whether to maintain or cut existing contracts…..We have always been critical of the program, nobody has hidden it,” she wrote in a post on her Facebook account, and “for this reason we will not buy any new fighters and, in light of the contracts already signed by the previous executive, we are carrying out a careful evaluation that takes exclusively into account the national interest.” (Source: Defense-Aerospace.com)

11 Mar 19. European defense fund takes a 10 percent cut in new budget. The European Deterrence Initiative, a Pentagon fund to support the defense of allies in Europe, is dropping by roughly 10 percent in the Trump administration’s fiscal 2020 budget request.

The EDI’s budget request came in at $5.9bn, down $600m from the $6.5bn figure enacted in Congress. The cut was first reported Saturday by Defense News. That money will go to “increased U.S. military presence in Europe, additional exercises and training with allies and partners, enhanced prepositioning of U.S. equipment in Europe, improved infrastructure for greater readiness, and building allied and partner capacity,” per a budget summary. The majority of that funding will go to the Army, although the Air Force is investing in military construction for Iceland ($57m) and Poland ($232m).

An amount of $250m of the EDI is tabbed specifically for assistance to Ukraine, which includes replacement of “any weapons or defensive articles provided” from the U.S. Asked if the cut means that the U.S. no longer sees a major threat from Russia in the region, Elaine McCusker, acting comptroller, said “absolutely not.” Instead, she put the cut in context as a result of work done in the previous years.

“What you saw last year as pretty significant investment in EDI. and part of that was to posture ourselves and our equipment in that theater. We are now moving into our exercises and the other things that we do in that account, with the [military construction] and positioning done. and we’re also looking at increased burden sharing.”

Later, McCusker added that ’I think when you look at the EDI in general, it really has five lines of effort, and only one of those lines of effort is really decreasing in the FY20 budegt, and that’s the infrastructure, because we’ve really done a lot of that work to this point.”

Reached for comment, one European defense official responded: “It was more or less to be expected at this stage. It’s not a game changer.”

“Of course, it’s not a positive signal either, but at this stage I’m thinking the Congress will raise it from that, perhaps even higher than last year,” the official added. “It’s still early days.”

The EDI had grown dramatically in the first two years of the Trump administration, and has remained popular with Congress, where Republicans have routinely sided with NATO.

Last week, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who serves as head of U.S. European Command and as the NATO supreme allied commander for Europe, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that it will take more armored units as well as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers, carrier strike groups and amphibious strike groups to stay ahead of Russia’s growing and modernizing forces.

European defense is set to remain a political football domestically going forward, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., inviting NATO head Jens Stoltenberg to speak in front of a joint session of Congress this April to celebrate the alliance’s 70th anniversary. (Source: Defense News)

11 Mar 19. New Readiness Report – Comprehensive and Detailed. Inspector General Eberhard Zorn presented his annual report on the operational readiness of the Bundeswehr’s main weapon systems to the Bundestag’s Defense Committee on Monday. It complements the reports of the past four years with newly launched main weapon systems, the five main cyber and information space systems, and eight systems under the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force are of special importance.

The database has changed enormously. The 2018 Annual Report is not only more extensive, but also more revealing. On this basis, the report was re-evaluated so that it can only be viewed in the secret protection agency of the Bundestag. “Overall, it allows such concrete conclusions about the capabilities of the Bundeswehr that a knowledge by unauthorized persons would damage the security interests of the Federal Republic of Germany,” Zorn clarifies in his letter to the chairman of the committee.

Readiness strengthens despite enormous additional workload

The material readiness of the approximately 10,000 weapons systems of the Bundeswehr averaged 70 percent last year – with the exception of those weapon systems that are currently being maintained or modernized. “Thus, the Bundeswehr is, despite the considerable additional burden, currently in a position to fulfill its mission in the field, in unrelated commitments and in the basic operation,” sums up Zorn. And this despite the fact that the past year, which included NATO’s exercise Trident Juncture, has been very demanding in preparation for the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in 2019 and eleven mandated missions abroad. The downward trend in the material operational readiness of the main weapon systems was stopped, in parts even reversed.

As a prime example of this development, the Inspector General cited the wheeled GTK armored troop transport vehicle Boxer. In addition, “the A400M is also showing a positive trend, with the simultaneous arrival of ten other aircraft and its certification as a tanker.” The A400M can now take over transports in the operational areas; This is partly due to the simplification of procedures and the increase in maintenance capacity.

Challenges remain

The Bundeswehr is on the right track, but has not yet arrived at its destination. The operational readiness of the U212A submarine is not satisfactory, as at least three submarines should have been available for missions towards the end of 2018. Even with the Tornado fighter jet and the CH-53 transport helicopter, the German Armed Forces “only maintained the low level of the previous year” in terms of operational readiness. The reason: long repair times. Many spare parts have to be laboriously produced, and old machines turn out to be more common than new ones. “Against this background, the successor projects for the CH-53 and Tornado gain in importance,” said Zorn in his letter to the Defense Committee.

Trend reversals take effect – further reforms planned

All in all, the trend reversals of material and finance are slowly but increasingly taking effect, and additional reforms are planned for this year. The resources of the German Armed Forces are bundled in foreign missions and the commitments that are identical in terms of deployment, and the weapon systems used there would have an above-average operational readiness. Now, it is important to “gradually transfer this high level of operational readiness to the entire Bundeswehr,” said the Inspector General in his assessment of the past year.

In the future, the Inspector General will provide the Bundestag with a current report every six months on the condition of the Bundeswehr’s main weapon systems. The report will be presented together with the armaments report in the future. (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) (Source: defense-aerospace.com/German Ministry of Defence)

11 Mar 19. Donald Trump Wants Allies to Pay Much More for Hosted US Troops. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said he was “astounded” when he first heard rumors a few weeks ago that the Trump administration may start billing countries which host United States military installations and forces. “I thought ‘you’ve got to be kidding; this just can’t possibly be a serious policy consideration,'” the former commanding general of US Army Europe told DW.

The European Council on Foreign Relations published a report last month suggesting Trump may be preparing some “bills” for NATO allies, but the fact that these stories have now risen to the level of news articles — including specifics such as that the charges would cover the full cost of US deployments plus 50 percent more — has Hodges very concerned.

No bills handed out yet at NATO

A NATO official told DW the matter has not come up at the alliance level. Noting any such arrangements are bilateral, the official would only say further that “[g]enerally speaking, the US presence in Europe is beneficial both to Europe and the US.”

Hodges said he’s still hoping the “plan” is just a leak blown out of proportion, but he added: “Unfortunately, based on everything I’ve seen over the last couple of years, I think there is some substance to the consideration.” Hodges has been living in Germany since his 2017 retirement from the Army and holds the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Just last week, South Korea agreed to increase the amount it pays Washington for the deployment of US troops there from about $830 m to $924m (€738m to €822m) under intense pressure from the US president and fears he would withdraw some of the 28,500 troops there without the spending boost.

Move would hobble US flexibility

But Hodges notes the situation is very different in Europe, despite Trump’s apparent belief that US troops are primarily stationed on the continent for its own territorial defense. There is a collective defense role, Hodges explained. “But they’re also forward deployed, which gives the US access and capabilities that you could not do from Fort Bragg or Fort Hood or from a Navy or Air Force base back in the States,” he said. “It helps us do what we need to do in Africa and the Middle East as well as in Europe. ”

He noted this approach could boost efforts to kick out US troops in some locations. “We run the risk of losing this kind of access,” he said. “I’m an Army guy, but Ramstein Air Force Base is extremely important. Incirlik Air Base in Turkey extremely important. The seaports in Spain and Italy and Greece are extremely important for the United States.”

A graphic showing numbers of US troops stationed overseas

Thomas Hitschler, a member of the German parliament’s defense committee from the center-left Social Democratic Party, agrees. “Ramstein is one of the most important American outposts in Europe,” he told DW. “It would not be a smart idea for Trump to give it up. Because that would have to be the final conclusion: If we were not willing to pay for it, then he would have to pull out the troops and facilities and the Americans cannot really do without it.”

Germany on the front line in this fight

Germany would be squarely in the crosshairs of such a policy as the host of the largest US military presence in Europe as well as an ally spending significantly less than the NATO target of 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense, a constant irritant to Trump. Hodges has long urged Berlin to boost not just its budget, but its preparedness and contributions to NATO’s military mobility.

“I can understand why millions of Americans and others are frustrated that Germany doesn’t do more,” he said, “but even if Germany does not spend one euro on defense, that doesn’t change the fact that the United States needs the access that we have in Europe to be able to secure ourselves as well as our other allies.”

Pentagon prepared to pay?

Hodges also thinks there’s some naive accounting going on and that the Trump administration may be the one stuck with the bill in the end. “I could imagine a European government saying, ‘Okay, you want us to pay? Let me count up the costs of having American soldiers or sailors in my country.'” He cited cyber protection, police patrols, highway access and environmental damage as just some of the areas where Europe could charge Americans for services they’re not even aware are being provided by host countries.

However, Hodges said his conversations with members of the US Congress leave him optimistic: “This wonderful system of checks and balances will continue to be effective and prevent us from making what I think would be a really serious mistake.”

Hitschler cited another reason for skepticism that such an ultimatum will ever be issued by Washington. He noted that the US has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in building the largest American military hospital outside the US, in Weilerbach, near Ramstein. It’s due to replace current facilities in Landstuhl in 2022. Why would the US invest so much, Hitschler asked, and then say to the Germans: “If you don’t pay, we’ll leave?”  (Source: defense-aerospace.com/ Deutsche Welle German Radio)

11 Feb 19. France to support Future OPCW ChemTech Centre. The French Government has revealed its decision to support the Future Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Centre for Chemistry and Technology (OPCW ChemTech Centre). More than €1.2m has been contributed by France towards the OPCW Trust Fund. Funding will support the upgrade of the existing OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store to ChemTech Centre.

OPCW director-general Fernando Arias and France’s Permanent Representative to the OPCW Ambassador Philippe Lalliot exchanged letters to show the French Government’s support.

Arias said: “I want to express my deep gratitude to the Government of France for its generous support. This contribution brings us one step closer to realising this important project.

“The new centre will strengthen the OPCW’s scientific and technological ability to comprehensively address the threat of chemical weapons and support capacity building in our member states.”

The upgrade project is currently in progress and aims to fortify OPCW’s abilities to tackle new and emerging chemical weapons threats. In addition, it supports capacity development in its member states.

OPCW’s Laboratory and Equipment Store is currently unable to meet demands due to ageing infrastructure, space limitations and additional workload.

The new ChemTech Centre will comply with the conditions set up by OPCW state parties for enhanced verification equipment, improved detection capabilities and response measures, and capacity development activities.

It will keep OPCW updated on developments in science, technology and chemical warfare threats.

A comprehensive project plan for the construction of the centre is being developed by the OPCW Technical Secretariat.

To date, 13 states parties have contributed or pledged financial aid and raised a considerable amount to fund the project.

Ambassador Philippe Lalliot said: “This new centre, including a very modern and secure laboratory, will enhance the system of prevention, identification and response of the OPCW and its member states.

“It will provide the member states with an instrument to enhance international cooperation, including with a training platform to strengthen capacity-building for the member states. It will contribute to strengthening our collective security.” (Source: army-technology.com)

07 Feb 19. EDA renews Cooperation Arrangement with the Athena Mechanism. EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq and Hans-Werner Grenzhäuser, the Athena Administrator, have signed an arrangement renewing the framework for future cooperation between EDA and Athena. The Cooperation Arrangement signed on 1 February 2019 aims at replacing the previous arrangement which was signed on 27 February 2015 and was valid for a limited period. It offers the option for any CSDP Operation/Mission Commander to call upon EDA to provide technical and overall administrative support for their most complex procurement procedures. The full text of the arrangement is available here.

Under the previous arrangement, the Agency has supported the EU Training Mission in Mali for the procurement in Europe of a medical incinerator between May 2015 and February 2016. EDA also supported operation EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a cost-benefit analysis of camp management in the Sarajevo Camp Butmir from July to October 2015.

In addition, the Agency supports CSDP military operations and missions with other projects as well as contracted support pre-mission solutions. On the project side this has so far included cyber awareness seminars, maritime surveillance, personnel management as well as management of geospatial information. Contracted support reaches from satellite communications to wider logistics support.

This has already been the case for CSDP military operations in the Central African Republic (EUFOR RCA and later EUTM RCA), the Mediterranean Sea (EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia), Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR Althea), Mali (EUTM Mali), Somalia (EUTM Somalia and EUNAVFOR Atalanta).

Most recently, EDA also started supporting the newly established Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) with contracted communication services, and it is supporting CSDP civilian missions as well.

The Athena Mechanism

Athena is the mechanism established to administer the financing of the common costs of European Union operations having military or defence implications governed by Council Decision 2015/528/CFSP. The Council Decision allows for arrangements to be negotiated with Union bodies to facilitate procurement and/or financial aspects of mutual support in operations in the most cost-effective manner. (Source: EDA)

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