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05 Apr 19. QinetiQ secures £1.3bn LTPA amendment enabling military capability for the future. QinetiQ has signed a ground-breaking agreement with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to modernise 16 of the country’s critical defence facilities, firmly positioning the UK as a world-leader in the generation and assurance of military capability. This amendment to the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA), a 25-year contract under which QinetiQ provides experimentation, test, evaluation and training support to the MOD, secures £1.3bn of revenue until 31 March 2028.
As global threats and adversaries become more sophisticated, UK armed forces require modern, advanced environments to create new military capabilities, test their effectiveness and train defence personnel to use them safely and successfully. This amendment creates highly efficient new ways of working, saving £85m of taxpayers’ money, and enables QinetiQ and the MOD to invest £190m in modernising the infrastructure, equipment, and working practices across all 16 MOD-owned sites.
This contract amendment transforms QinetiQ’s ability to enable the delivery of the MOD’s future programmes, such as the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier, Dreadnought submarine and future combat aircraft. It will also drive international growth by attracting additional overseas customers. The investment projects include:
- noise and electromagnetic signature measurement to enhance the “stealth” performance of ships, submarines and aircraft, enabling them to better evade detection;
- ground-based evaluation of electronic warfare, communication and advanced weapon systems, to enable operational advantage; and
- a new digital test and evaluation ‘backbone’ to accelerate the processing of critical data and associated information, to enable simultaneous testing across multiple locations, essential for supporting new, complex defence capabilities.
The capital investment will be funded by QinetiQ and subsequently recovered from the MOD over the life of the contract using the same mechanism as the amendment signed in December 2016, ensuring appropriate rates of return for QinetiQ in line with its capital allocation policy. The level and phasing of this investment is consistent with the guidance given by QinetiQ at its Interim Results in November 2018.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said, “Ensuring our cutting-edge equipment is tried and tested before it is sent to the frontline is crucial to our military’s capability. This £1.3bn investment will not only guarantee our Armed Forces’ have the reliable, state-of-the-art weaponry they need, but will also support jobs across the nation.”
Steve Wadey, QinetiQ Chief Executive, said, “Today’s agreement enhances our contribution to the safety and operational effectiveness of UK armed forces in an era when threats to our security remain acute and are changing rapidly. In line with our strategy, we are introducing innovative ways of working and making selective investments to reinforce the UK’s position as a world-leader in the generation and assurance of military capability. This will enable us to support the MOD’s future programmes and win more work from both UK and international customers.”
Chief Executive Officer at DE&S, the MOD’s procurement agency, Sir Simon Bollom said: “This latest contract amendment under the LTPA demonstrates how we are continuing to support our key defence programmes by investing in essential test and evaluation services. This is another example of how DE&S is working collaboratively with industry and the Front Line Commands to ensure our Armed Forces have the best value equipment and training to meet the operational demand.”
This announcement contains inside information and the person responsible for making this announcement is Jon Messent, Company Secretary.
04 Apr 19. Commission buckles down to dispense EDF money, mostly to big defence players. By the end of 2019, the European Commission aims to approve grants worth approximately EUR243m (USD273m) to successful proposals by industry for developing defence capabilities as part of its European Defence Fund (EDF). Another EUR255m in co-financing grants will be handed out in 2020.
“The EDF is a defence development programme and not a defence policy one, which is an important difference to bear in mind,” Alain Alexis, the Commission’s head of unit for the EDF, said in remarks to the European Parliament’s defence and security sub-committee on 2 April. “We’re talking about industrial goals here.”
Referring to the EDF’s new 2019-20 work programme, which the Commission quietly released on 19 March, Alexis described its 21 planned call topics are “wholly consistent” with the European Defence Agency’s Capabilities Development Plan. (Source: IHS Jane’s)
05 Apr 19. The RAF looks to the ‘Next Generation Air Force’ at the DSEI Aerospace Capability Conference. With DSEI marking 20 years since its first show this year, the UK defence industry can look at not just how the sector has developed in this time, but also what to expect from the next 20 years. So, it is fitting that the RAF has announced the theme of its first DSEI Aerospace Capability Conference as, ‘Delivering the Next Generation Air Force’. As the RAF fleet evolves there is a constant need to understand the future of air systems, including the role of Air Power, in information-led, increasingly competitive and complex operational environments. With fifth generation aircraft now entering its fleet, the RAF is looking at how to deliver the Next Generation Air Force. The Aerospace Capability Conference will consider if the generational approach is still appropriate, or whether there is space for a new, ‘continuous evolution’ approach, whereby innovation can be seeded within a Next Generation Air Force, driven by technology-forward thinking and empowered individuals.
The RAF is undergoing a world-leading transformation programme to modernise and mobilise its combat air, ISR and air mobility fleets, as it looks to maintain its edge in contested and degraded environments. It must also deliver nascent ballistic missile defence, cyber and space capabilities, and ensure integrated operations at all levels that deliver relevant information to commanders in real time.
Attendees at the Aerospace Capability Conference can see International, high-level speakers share their thoughts on the future battlespace and the challenges of a multi-domain environment. Critically, the conference will reinforce the need for close collaboration between the RAF and its industrial partners to maintain its advantage in the next generation.
‘Our 100th anniversary epitomised the enduring role of the RAF in protecting the UK’s skies, projecting its influence and power on a global scale, and promoting national prosperity,’ Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, said. ‘To succeed on operations, now and in the future, we must have people, processes and practices in place that allow it to respond rapidly and decisively to changing threats.
‘The operational environment is likely to become increasingly complex, contested and degraded, so the RAF must plan and deliver air and space effects, synchronized and integrated with cyber and information activities, in support of Defence outputs. To meet this challenge, we must become a Next Generation Air Force: it is a journey and not a destination. DSEI is an excellent opportunity to explore this journey alongside our international and industry partners and to ensure that we embrace innovative and disruptive ideas along the way.’
The Conference sub-themes will explore topics including: Space – Coalition Warfighting; Air C2/ISR – Information at the Speed of Relevance; Combat Air – Maximise our Effects; and, A2AD – Dominance in a Contested and Degraded Operational Environment. These discussions will continue throughout DSEI in dedicated seminars on the exhibition floor.
The RAF’s debut Aerospace Capability Conference will be reflected by its presence on the DSEI exhibition floor. Featuring in the Aerospace Zone, the RAF will demonstrate its fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft with Team Tempest industry partners. The DSEI Aerospace Capability Conference takes place on Monday 09 September at ExCeL London.
04 Apr 19. Statement on the occasion of NATO’s 70th Anniversary – Issued by the NATO Foreign Ministers.
- Seventy years ago, NATO’s founding treaty was signed in Washington D.C. Today, our Alliance is the strongest in history, guaranteeing the freedom of our almost one billion citizens, the security of our territory, and the protection of our values, including democracy, individual liberty, human rights, and the rule of law. We reaffirm the enduring transatlantic bond between Europe and North America, our adherence to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and our bedrock commitment enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty that an attack against one Ally shall be considered an attack against us all. We are determined to improve the balance of sharing the costs and responsibilities of our indivisible security. We remain committed to all three aspects of our 2014 Wales Defence Investment Pledge, including the spending guidelines for 2024, planned capabilities, and contributions to missions and operations. We have made considerable progress but we can, must, and will do more.
- NATO is a defensive alliance, which has constantly adapted to meet new threats to our security and keep our people safe. Alliance unity and purpose helped bring an end to the Cold War, and stability to the Balkans. Accession of new NATO members brought security to millions more Europeans. In response to the 9/11 attacks, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in solidarity with and support of the United States. We pay tribute to all who have been part of NATO’s seventy years of success. We honour those who have sacrificed their lives to keep us safe.
- Today, we face an unpredictable and challenging security situation, including a more aggressive Russia and a persistent threat of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The rules-based international order is under challenge. Instability beyond our borders is contributing to irregular migration. We face cyber and hybrid threats. Rapid and profound technological change requires new approaches.
- As an Alliance, we will face these challenges together. Since 2014, we have been strengthening our collective defence and capabilities, our deterrence and defence posture, and our resilience. We are standing firm and working together as Allies and with international partners to fight terrorism. We have built strong partnerships in our neighbourhood and beyond, with the United Nations, the European Union, and other organisations, to address the threats and challenges we face. We are committed to NATO’s Open Door policy because it strengthens the Alliance and contributes to Euro-Atlantic security. And we are committed to taking whatever measures we must to protect our territory and people. Our continuing adaptation will allow us to face any threat, at any time, from any direction. With the strength of our values, our people, and our unity and solidarity, we will make the Alliance ever stronger.
03 Apr 19. Pence Tears into Germany, Turkey on NATO Anniversary. Tensions soared Wednesday between the United States and two of its NATO partners, Germany and Turkey, as the alliance opened a 70th birthday celebration aimed at showing a united front against a resurgent Russia. Hours before foreign ministers from the 29-member Western alliance opened talks in Washington, Vice President Mike Pence delivered a stinging rebuke both to Germany over its level of defense spending and to Turkey for buying a major arms system from Russia.
“Germany must do more. And we cannot ensure the defense of the West if our allies grow dependent on Russia,” Pence told a think-tank forum on the NATO anniversary. “It is simply unacceptable for Europe’s largest economy to continue to ignore the threat of Russian aggression and neglect its own self-defense and our common defense,” he said.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced annoyance that few allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are meeting a goal set by the alliance in 2014 for each member to devote two percent of GDP to defense. Germany last month announced that defense spending would slip to 1.25 percent in 2023. Hungry for energy, Germany has also defied the United States and several Eastern European states by forging ahead with Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline with Russia that will double the capacity of the existing link.
“If Germany persists in building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as President Trump said, it could turn Germany’s economy into literally a captive of Russia,” Pence said.
Pence, however, promised that the United States “is now and will always be Europe’s greatest ally” — a tonal shift from Trump, who has loudly wondered whether it is worth defending smaller NATO members such as Montenegro. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, speaking at Columbia University in New York before heading to Washington, denied Germany was dependent on Russia.
“Germany is very involved with different NATO missions and we will fulfill our commitments. Germany can be relied upon,” he said.
‘Turkey must choose’
Western powers have also increasingly clashed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted government, which has cracked down on dissent at home and threatened to strike US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria. On Monday, the United States said it was suspending Turkey’s participation in the F-35 fighter-jet program due to Ankara’s plans to buy Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, raising fears that Moscow could gain data to hone its hardware and shoot down Western aircraft.
“Turkey must choose — does it want to remain a critical partner of the most successful military alliance in the history of the world, or does it want to risk the security of that partnership by making reckless decisions that undermine our alliance?” Pence said.
But Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu ruled out a change of heart, saying: “The S-400 deal is a done deal and we will not step back from this,” he said. Cavusoglu said Turkey still backed NATO on core concerns with Russia and would never recognize Moscow’s 2014 takeover of Crimea from Ukraine.
“We have been working with Russia,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean that we are undermining the alliance and we agree with Russia on everything. There is no shift on our foreign policy.”
No ‘new Cold War’
The 70th anniversary comes amid rising concern over Russia, which has supported separatists in Ukraine and Georgia and sought to sway the 2016 US election. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in an address to the U.S. Congress, said the alliance wanted better relations with Russia — but needed to prepare a strong defense.
“We do not want a new arms race. We do not want a new Cold War. But we must not be naive,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg appeared to soothe Trump during a White House meeting on Tuesday, crediting the US leader’s tough rhetoric with pushing the Europeans and Canada to bolster their defense budgets by $100bn between 2016 and 2020. Lawmakers repeatedly rose to standing ovations as Stoltenberg hailed the value of the alliance.
NATO has been good for Europe, but NATO has also been good for the United States,” he said. “The strength of a nation is not only measured by its economy or the number of its soldiers, but also by the number of its friends. And through NATO, the United States has more friends and allies than any other power.” (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Voice of News America)
03 Apr 19. Bundestag Budget Committee Clears Sale of Six Frigates to Egypt. The German parliament on Wednesday approved the delivery to Egypt of six frigates worth around 2.3bn euros, the Bild newspaper reported today. The Bundestag’s Budget Committee gave its approval for an export credit guarantee on Wednesday afternoon, Bild reported, in order to secure the financial aspect of the deal. This virtually ensures that the deal will be finalized, unlike an earlier Egyptian attempt to buy a single frigate. If confirmed, the order is a significant loss for France’s Naval Group, which has sold a Fremm frigate and four Gowind corvettes to Egypt, and was negotiating for follow-on orders. It also would be the second competition won by Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) in less than a week, after Brazil’s Tamandaré-class win announced on March 29. The Egyptian Navy had ordered the warships, including three Meko A200 frigates, from TKMS, which has sold similar vessels to South Africa. The ships are just under 120 meters long and displace around 3,400 tons. Their armament includes missiles and torpedoes. Green Party budget expert Tobias Lindner criticized the deal with Egypt, mainly because of its prevailing unclear human rights situation: “The arms export policy of the government is becoming increasingly contradictory,” Lindner told Bild. “People have been fighting for weeks against weapons deliveries to Saudi Arabia, while at the same time wanting to deliver frigates to the military dictatorship in Egypt.”
Should the government someday revoke its approval for this sale to Egypt, “this time taxpayers will probably be financially liable for it, through the Hermes guarantee,” Lindner continued. Hermes is the German state-controlled export insurance agency. (Source: defense-aerospace.com)
03 Apr 19. Turkish Foreign Minister: S-400 ‘Will Not Be a Threat’ to NATO. Turkey’s foreign minister claimed April 3 that his country’s intended purchase of the Russianmade S-400 air defense system will not pose a threat to NATO systems, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Speaking at an event commemorating NATO’s 70th anniversary in Washington, D.C., Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said repeatedly that the S-400 sale is “a done deal,” adding at one point, “we will not step back from this.”
Çavuşoğlu’s remarks come just days after the Pentagon announced it is ceasing deliveries of F-35 aircraft and equipment to Turkey in response to the proposed S-400 sale and less than a week after U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill banning the sale of F-35s to Ankara for the same reason. U.S. government officials and lawmakers have repeatedly stressed the concern of having a Russian-made system potentially linked to the Lockheed Martin [LMT]-made F-35, but Çavuşoğlu said the air defense system is not intended to be integrated with the aircraft or other systems used by its NATO partners.
“This is not our aim. This is for our own use, this is a defense system, and it will not be integrated [onto a] NATO system,” he said. The United States should form a technical working group “to make sure that this system will not be a threat,” he added. Should Congress block the sale of F-35s to Turkey, it would have “a very negative impact” on
U.S.-Turkey bilateral relations, Çavuşoğlu said. “It is the responsibility of both [countries] … to explain this situation to Congress and why Turkey had to buy S-400s and why this program is
important,” he said.
President Trump promised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a recent phone call “that he will do his best to resolve this issue,” the foreign minister said. Ankara is in “urgent need” of an air defense system as its neighbors in the region are increasing
investment in missile capabilities, and NATO “is not capable enough to cover our airspace yet,” he said.
He said that the United States put Turkey in the position of seeking out the S-400 because it was unable to procure the Raytheon [RTN]-Lockheed Martin [LMT]-made Patriot air defense system for the last decade.
“We couldn’t get it for the last 10 years. That’s why we had to buy from Russia and we tried to buy from other allies as well. It didn’t work,” he said.
He confirmed that Turkey has received a recent proposal from the United States to sell the Patriot system. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said last week during a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing that “we need [Turkey] to buy Patriot.”
The State Department last December approved a $3.5bn Patriot missile system deal with Turkey, which would include 80 Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced and 60 PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement missiles (Defense Daily, Dec. 19, 2018). However, the proposal “doesn’t guarantee” that the U.S. government will be able to sell Patriot to Turkey, the foreign minister noted Wednesday. Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday that he is confident in the Patriot proposal, and that he still expects F-35 aircraft to be delivered to Turkey, Task & Purpose reported that
day. “I am very confident in the Patriot proposal that we’ve delivered to Turkey, its availability, its pricing, and very importantly, the industrial participation that comes along with the Patriot
system,” he said.
Turkey not only has committed to procuring up to 100 F-35 aircraft but it is one of several industry partners on the program, and Turkish companies are building various components including engine fuselages in partnership with Northrop Grumman [NOC], the panoramic cockpit display and parts of the electrical wiring and interconnection system, according to
Lockheed Martin.
The Pentagon said Monday that it is currently looking into secondary sources of supply for Turkish-produced parts of the F-35.
The country has already contributed $1.2bn to the program and an additional $2.3bn is “on the way,” Çavuşoğlu noted.
While severing F-35 production could cost Turkey up to $12bn in industrial opportunities, Çavuşoğlu said his country’s industry is not dependent solely upon the program, and is continuing to improve and work to support itself into the future. “Turkish people understand very well … the threat in the neighborhood,” he said. “We are not living in a very peaceful region.” (Source: Defense Daily)
04 Apr 19. New mental health project to support Royal Marines. Royal Marines now have a simpler way of accessing mental health treatment thanks to a new initiative masterminded by a serving commando. Project Regain is aimed at promoting early detection and help for Royal Marines who could suffer from mental health issues. Evidence collected by the project suggested that commandos find it hard to ask for support when symptoms of illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression first present themselves. Royal Marines have one of the most physically and psychologically demanding jobs on the planet and findings show lack of knowledge about mental health issues makes it more difficult to recognise a problem developing. Now Regain has been set up to change this for the better by allowing Royal Marines and related ranks to refer themselves directly to specialists without the need to first go through their unit’s medical officer.
“It can be hard to put your hand up if you think you might be struggling with your mental health, and we’re working to challenge the perceived stigma around asking for help,” said Minister for Defence People and Veterans Tobias Elwood.
“Project Regain will help personnel get support quickly and easily, as soon as they need it, and I applaud the Royal Marines for leading the way, ensuring no one suffers in silence.”
All they need to do is pick up a phone and call the Department of Community Mental Health at Colchester and from there they will be put straight through to a nurse who will arrange an appointment locally.
“Streamlining access to care and reducing stigma will allow individuals to receive the treatment they need,” said Regain’s founder, Captain Ryan Morris, Physical Training and Sports Officer at the Commando Training Centre in Lympstone, Devon.
“We will hopefully be in a place where our people can access treatment at the start of an issue, which will reduce the treatment timelines and ensure we have marines ready to deploy and able to deliver the expertise they were trained to deliver around the world.”
Support systems are already well established within the corps – and Royal Marines have the lowest rates of mental health problems in the UK Armed Forces – but Regain intends to improve mental health awareness and reduce stigma.
Capt Morris has twice in his career been assigned to work at Hasler Company, in Devonport Naval Base. Hasler is a dedicated centre designed to professionally help with rehabilitation for servicemen and women.
“The second time I was at Hasler, I saw the patient demographic shift from physiological injuries to psychological illness. Many of my peers and friends were suffering from mental illness,” said Capt Morris, who has recently been made an MBE for his work on the project.
“At that time, education and understanding was lacking and after listening to the issues from the patients surrounding their experiences, it was obvious a simple and effective solution could be developed.
“I have seen first-hand the devastation mental illness causes not only to the individuals but friends and more importantly their families.”
Regain gives individuals access to basic education about mental health symptoms and the ways in which to seek help.
Most Royal Marines who seek help have eight to 12 sessions of talking therapy and then carry on their careers. All the treatment provided is confidential.
“Having lost friends to suicide, preventing any further tragedy is clearly a drive and focus for me and this project,” said Capt Morris.
“However, on the simplest level, improving a marine’s relationship with their partner and children by even a small margin will have a profound positive effect on those around them, none more so than on a child’s development.
“This simple intervention has had a positive effect, and helping those who need it has become my focus and passion. Other than my family it is what drives me daily.
“The support available is there and very good if you know where and how to look for it, but more importantly feel able to access it.” (Source: U.K. MoD)
03 Apr 19. UK-led high-readiness force to deploy to the Baltic Sea. Nearly 2,000 UK Armed Forces personnel will deploy to the Baltic Sea for a series of multinational exercises in support of European security. Sailors and marines from all nations of the UK-led high-readiness Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) will take part in the deployment, due to take place in May, which will underline the importance of protecting Europe at a time of increased threat. This week, Defence Ministers and representatives from JEF countries will come together at the Ministry of Defence to discuss the deployment and test the mechanisms for mobilising the JEF, laying the foundation for the start of Baltic Protector.
A total of 3,000 military personnel from all JEF nations will be involved in the Baltic Protector deployment, which draws in around 20 naval vessels, including a number of Royal Navy ships. They will test themselves with maritime tactical exercises, amphibious drills, amphibious raiding practice, shore landings and naval manoeuvres. This is the first ever JEF maritime deployment of this scale, and demonstrates its ability to provide reassurance in the region.
The joint force, now fully operational, is spearheaded by the UK and includes eight other likeminded nations – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The JEF builds on many years of experience between the UK and these countries.
At full strength, the joint force has the capability to mobilise over 10,000 personnel in support of a variety of missions to deliver rapid and far-reaching effect. And while Baltic Protector is maritime-focused, personnel from the British Army and Royal Air Force will also take part.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said, “As Britain prepares to leave the EU, our unwavering commitment to European security and stability is more important than ever. Deploying our world class sailors and marines to the Baltic Sea, alongside our international allies, firmly underlines Britain’s leading role in Europe.”
Baltic Protector, the first deployment of the JEF Maritime Task Group, will be made up of three major exercises and is aimed at integrating UK and partner nations to test their ability to operate together.
JEF personnel and ships will also work alongside NATO allies during the deployment, further underlining the versatility of the joint force, and the commitment to supporting European security.
Commodore James Parkin, Commander of the Task Group, said:
It is a huge privilege to command the Baltic Protector deployment, and I am greatly looking forward to working with our close friends and partners from the other eight Joint Expeditionary Force partner nations.
Together, this UK-led Maritime Task Group will conduct a series of demanding amphibious exercises and maritime security patrols across the Baltic Sea that will serve to improve the way we operate together and our readiness to respond to crisis.
The JEF, which was established at the 2014 NATO Summit and launched a year later, became fully operational with the signing of a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding in June 2018.
As an adaptable high-readiness force that can be stood up anywhere, at any time and in any environment, the JEF can cover a range of tasks, including combat operations, deterrence, or humanitarian support. The JEF has the ability to operate independently or in support of multinational organisations, including NATO, UN, EU and Northern Group.
The joint force is a clear example of collective strength between partner nations, and this joint working has been seen previously. This has included during the Ebola outbreak – as part of the response, the UK, the Netherlands and Norway combined resources on land, at sea and in the air. This demonstrates the kind of integrated mission the JEF could be mobilised to support. (Source: U.K. MoD)
03 Apr 19. Nuclear submarine costs threaten to swamp MoD. Closure of facility to remove nuclear waste puts storage of old vessels at breaking point. The UK has not disposed of any nuclear powered submarines it has decommissioned since 1980, threatening further budget overruns and placing the Ministry of Defence’s storage docks under pressure, a report by the government spending watchdog found. The National Audit Office said the closure of an MoD facility at Devonport in Plymouth which removes nuclear waste from the reactor that powers the vessels has led to a series of knock-on delays. It has also left Britain’s capacity to store the ageing submarines at breaking point. “The ministry needs to get a grip urgently before we run out of space to store and maintain submarines and we damage our reputation as a responsible nuclear power,” said Meg Hillier, Labour MP and chair of parliament’s public accounts committee.
The NAO report comes as Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, prepares to launch a fresh campaign for more money for Britain’s armed forces in the government’s upcoming comprehensive spending review. Despite winning an extra £1bn for defence last year, the MoD’s £186bn equipment plan faces a funding gap of up to £15bn over the next decade. The cost of maintaining Britain’s nuclear deterrent — which includes four new nuclear powered Astute class submarines as well as four Dreadnought class boats to carry the UK’s nuclear armed Trident missiles — makes up about a quarter of the MoD’s equipment budget. However the cost of defuelling and dismantling its former fleet of nuclear submarines is now threatening to become another heavy burden on the MoD’s finances with the ministry now storing twice as many submarines as it operates. The NAO report said that over the past four decades, the ministry had spent £500m on maintaining and disposing of retired submarines at Devonport and the Rosyth dockyard. The MoD estimates its future liability for maintaining its 20 stored and 10 in-service nuclear powered submarines is £7.5bn with the NAO adding that the department had not “fully considered its approach to disposing of all its operational and future submarines”.
But work at the only defuelling facility, run by the UK defence company Babcock at Devonport, was suspended in 2004 after the Office for Nuclear Regulation found it did not meet the latest regulatory standards. Nine of the 20 out-of-service submarines are still waiting to have their radioactive waste removed.
The MoD estimates that the defuelling facility will only restart operations in 2023 after the department’s budget was spent elsewhere. This is 11 years after originally planned and has led to a £100m increase in costs to £275m. Trevor Taylor, an analyst with the UK defence think-tank, the Royal United Services Institute, said he did not believe there was a risk to public safety from the storage of so many ageing nuclear submarines. “In my understanding, the facilities at Devonport reflect the stringent requirements of the nuclear regulatory authorities . . . the facility should thus be ‘safe’,” said Mr Taylor. The NAO said that the MoD’s ability to dispose of its submarines was largely dependent on Babcock — the sole contractor capable of carrying out the work. The already delayed project was put further behind schedule following an unplanned MoD decision in 2014 to refuel HMS Vanguard, one of the four nuclear submarines which carry the nuclear deterrent, and a two-year pause to infrastructure upgrades at Devonport ordered by the Royal Navy in 2016 to save money. A contract between Babcock and the MoD to upgrade and manage the defuelling facility is due to run out this month. The NAO report said the ministry “does not yet know how much it will cost to complete this work given commercial negotiations [with Babcock] are ongoing”, adding that the MoD “expects to pay more than initially forecast”. Labour MP Kevan Jones, a former shadow defence minister, said: “This report is completely damning and shows the government has no strategic plan to deal with these issues. As a matter of urgency it needs to be made clear what the plan is for defuelling and the contractual arrangements with Babcock.” Babcock declined to comment and directed any inquiries regarding the conclusions of the report to the MoD, which described the disposal of submarines as a “complex and challenging undertaking”. “We are currently negotiating new contractual arrangements with Babcock to provide better value for money for the taxpayer,” a spokesperson said. (Source: FT.com)
02 Apr 19. NATO meeting to focus on Russia, as U.S. cautions Turkey over missile purchases. Turkey remains an important NATO ally and partner to the United States despite concerns over its plans to buy missile defence systems from Russia, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, a day before the start of a NATO meeting in Washington. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to preview the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, said the gathering would discuss all elements of the military threat posed by Russia, including in the Black Sea, as well as the Afghan peace process and members’ budget contributions to the alliance.
The official said the NATO allies would seek to agree on a package of measures to bolster NATO’s military presence in the Black Sea, which has become a flashpoint with Moscow over its seizure of Ukrainian ships last year.
“The focus is on the defence and deterrence posture of the alliance in the Black Sea region,” said the official, adding that a plenary session on Thursday would focus on Russia, including what Washington sees as Moscow’s breach of the Cold War-era Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The United States has said it will withdraw from the treaty this summer unless Moscow ends its alleged violations of the landmark 1987 arms control pact. Russia denies violating the treaty.
While the official described the NATO alliance as “strong and unified,” U.S. tensions with Turkey over its plans to buy a S-400 missile defence system from Russia are likely to loom large. The United States has halted delivery of equipment related to its F-35 fighter jets to Turkey over its S-400 plans.
“We have very serious concerns about its stated plans to proceed with the acquisition of the S-400 missile defence system and there will be potential consequences, within sanctions law and the F-35 programme if they continue,” the official said.
“Our relationship is not being defined by the single issue of the S-400, but the S-400 is a deeply problematic issue for the United States,” the official added. (Source: Reuters)
02 Apr 19. United States, Lithuania Sign Defense Cooperation Plan. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Kathryn Wheelbarger met with Lithuanian Policy Director Robertas Šapronas today at the Pentagon to sign the U.S.-Lithuania Defense Cooperation Strategic Roadmap. The roadmap identifies specific security cooperation priorities the United States and Lithuania agreed to focus on from 2019 to 2024.
These areas include:
- Strengthening existing defense cooperation in training, exercises, and exchanges;
- Cooperating on deterrence and the security of the Baltic Sea region, including providing support to improve maritime domain awareness in the Baltic Sea;
- Improving intelligence-sharing, surveillance, and early-warning capabilities in the Baltic region;
- Cooperating in multinational operations;
- Focusing cyber security efforts toward building capabilities to deter and defend against malicious cyber intrusions and attacks.
During the U.S.-Baltic Strategic Dialogue in November 2018, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania each agreed to bilaterally develop Defense Cooperation Strategic Roadmaps with the United States.
The Lithuania Roadmap is the first of these agreements to be signed.
Activities to support the implementation of these roadmaps will be decided during upcoming military staff talks.
Since 2014, the United States has invested nearly $80m for defense security cooperation in Lithuania, and Lithuania has committed more than $200m in national funds to purchase U.S. defense articles.
01 Apr 19. European Border and Coast Guard: The Commission welcomes agreement on a standing corps of 10,000 border guards by 2027. Today, the Council green-lighted the political agreement reached last week to reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard, giving it the right level of ambition to respond to the common challenges Europe is facing in managing migration and borders.
The centrepiece of the reinforced Agency will be a standing corps of 10,000 border guards – ready to support Member States at any time. The Agency will also have a stronger mandate on returns and will cooperate more closely with non-EU countries, including those beyond the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. Agreed in the record time of just over 6 months, the new European Border and Coast Guard represents a step-change in the EU’s ability to collectively better protect Europe’s external borders.
Welcoming the agreement, First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: “In an area of free movement without internal border controls, strengthening and managing Europe’s external borders is a shared responsibility. I am glad to see that a 10,000-strong standing corps with the necessary equipment will help Member States to better protect our borders and our citizens. By working together constructively and swiftly, we can create a safer Europe.”
Commissioner for Home Affairs, Migration and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos added: “From now onwards, the European Border and Coast Guard will have the full operational capacity and powers needed to effectively and fully support Member States on the ground, at all times. Better controlling our external borders, fighting irregular migration, carrying out returns and cooperating with third countries – we can only succeed if we do this together. Ultimately, this will also help preserve the long-term viability of the Schengen area of free movement.”
The Agency supports Member States and does not replace their responsibilities in external border management and return. The reinforced European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be equipped with more resources and capabilities including:
— A standing corps of 10,000 border guards: A standing corps of 10,000 border guards will be set up by 2027 and will ensure that the Agency can support Member States whenever and wherever needed. The standing corps will bring together Agency staff as well as border guards and return experts seconded or deployed by Member States, who will support the over 100,000 national border guards in their tasks.
In addition, the Agency will have a budget to acquire its own equipment, such as vessels, planes and vehicles.
— Executive powers: The standing corps will be able to carry out border control and return tasks, such as identity checks, authorising entry at the external borders, and carrying out borders’ surveillance – only with the agreement of the host Member State.
— More support on return: In addition to organising and financing joint return operations, the Agency will now also be able to support Member States at all stages of return process with Member States remaining responsible for taking return decisions. This support will include for example by identifying non-EU nationals with no right to stay or acquiring travel documents.
— Stronger cooperation with non-EU countries: The Agency will be able – subject to prior agreement of the country concerned – to launch joint operations and deploy staff outside the EU, beyond countries neighbouring the EU, to provide support on border and migration management.
— Antenna offices: The Agency will be able to set up antenna offices in Member States and in a non-EU country (subject to a status agreement) to support logistically its operational activities and guarantee the smooth running of the Agency’s operations.
Next steps
The European Parliament’s LIBE Committee still has to confirm the political agreement reached in trilogues on 28 March. Then both the European Parliament and the Council will have to formally adopt the Regulation. The text will then be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and the European Border and Coast Guard’s enhanced mandate will enter into force 20 days later. The new European Border and Coast Guard standing corps will be available for deployment starting from 2021, once it becomes fully operational and will reach its full capacity of 10,000 border guards by 2027.
Background
The European Border and Coast Guard was established in 2016, building on existing structures of Frontex, to meet the new challenges and political realities faced by the EU, both as regards migration and internal security. The reliance on voluntary Member States’ contributions of staff and equipment has however resulted in persistent gaps affecting the efficiency of the support the European Border and Coast Guard could offer to Member States.
In his 2018 State of the Union Address President Juncker announced that the Commission will reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard even further. The objective of this upgrade was to equip the Agency with a standing corps of 10,000 operational staff and with its own equipment to ensure that the EU has the necessary capabilities in place — constantly and reliably. On 28 March, the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on the Commission’s proposal, which was confirmed by the Council. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/European Commission)
02 Apr 19. Stick to defence spending pledge, NATO chief tells Germany. Germany must honour its own promises on defence spending, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted Monday, as the alliance prepares to mark its 70th anniversary amid unprecedented tensions with Washington.
NATO foreign ministers meet in the US capital this week for a low-key celebration of the alliance’s 1949 founding treaty, with US complaints over weak European military spending firmly on the agenda.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused NATO allies — and economic powerhouse Germany in particular — of freeloading on America’s military muscle and reportedly threatened to “go it alone” if Europe does not step up.
All NATO allies agreed to move towards spending two percent of GDP on defence by 2024, but last month Berlin announced that its own figure was set to fall in the coming years, from 1.37 percent in 2020 to just 1.25 percent in 2023.
The news infuriated Washington, and Stoltenberg said Berlin must live up to commitments it had signed up to at a summit in 2014.
“I expect Germany to make good on the pledge Germany made together with all other NATO allies,” Stoltenberg told reporters.
“I expect them to meet spending commitments, and they have submitted to NATO a national plan where they outline how Germany will increase defence spending in real terms by 80 percent over a decade.”
– Germany warns not to test ‘unity’ –
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, speaking in New York ahead of the NATO meeting, said that Berlin had already boosted defence spending by almost 40 percent since 2014 and was one of the alliance’s top troop contributors.
“We are grateful for our partnership within NATO, which has enabled us Europeans to enjoy security, stability and prosperity over the last 70 years,” he told the American Council on Germany.
“But public debates about burden-sharing in NATO are generating uncertainty — at a time when Russia is trying to test our unity again and again,” he said.
“Europeans know that we need to assume greater responsibility for our security. It lies in our own interest.”
In 2018, only seven of NATO’s 29 member states hit the two percent target.
Stoltenberg, whose mandate as secretary general was extended by two years to 2022 last week, insists that away from Trump’s fiery rhetoric, the US is fully committed to NATO, stepping up its investment of troops and resources in Europe.
And in a sign of NATO’s enthusiasm to keep the US on board, Stoltenberg reiterated the alliance’s plans to invest more than $260m (232m euros) in a facility in Poland to support US forces.
The storage and maintenance facility will allow equipment to be “pre-positioned” as part of NATO’s efforts to step up its ability to counter the threat posed by Russia. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/AFP)
01 Apr 19. Turkey says S-400 delivery talks still on, despite US bill to block F-35. Turkey, a key partner in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, is reportedly still in talks with Russia to deliver the S-400 Triumph air defense system, despite opposition in the U.S. Congress.
“The contract with Russia on S-400s remains in force and these defensive systems will be delivered to Turkey. Now talks on this issue are underway,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, according to the Russian news agency, TASS. TASS reported March 29 that Moscow aims to complete production in May for subsequent delivery to Turkey.
The comments came as a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers offered legislation March 28 to ban the sale of the transfer of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to Turkey until the U.S. government certifies Turkey will not accept delivery of the S-400.
“Turkey is an important NATO ally and willing partner in addressing a number of U.S. national security priorities,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. “It’s concerning that Turkey would seek close defense cooperation with Russia, whose authoritarian ruler seeks to undermine NATO and U.S. interests at every turn.”
Lankford introduced the bill with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
“Make no mistake — the Kremlin is an adversary of the United States and many of our NATO allies. The prospect of Russia having access to U.S. aircraft and technology in a NATO country, Turkey, is a serious national and global security risk,” Shaheen said.
The bill is the latest effort from Washington to try to convince the Tayyip Erdoğan-led government to cancel the S-400 deal. U.S. and European officials believe Russia would gain the ability to spot and track the fifth-generation fighter.
The U.S. has offered Turkey its Patriot missile defense system as an alternative but the two nations have apparently been unable to consummate a deal.
U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who is the current Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO and the head of American forces in Europe, said early last month that the F-35 sale to Turkey should be cancelled if it buys the S-400.
A day later, Erdoğan told local television channels that not only will Turkey stick to its S-400 acquisition plans, but it might also seek the more advanced S-500 in the future.
“We signed a deal with Russia for the purchase of S-400, and will start co-production. It’s done,” Erdoğan said, according to local translations. “There can never be a turning back. This would not be ethical, it would be immoral. Nobody should ask us to lick up what we spat. Later, we may work with S-500s.” (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
01 Apr 19. Nato chief braced for renewed Trump pressure over military spending. Jens Stoltenberg to meet US president ahead of alliance’s 70th birthday celebrations. Donald Trump is poised to pile more pressure on Nato allies to increase their military spending as the alliance prepares for a 70th birthday event in Washington. Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary-general, said he expected the US president to push for greater burden-sharing by European allies when the two men meet in the US capital on Tuesday, ahead of the commemoration and a gathering of the organisation’s foreign ministers. Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised European Nato members for their slow progress on hitting an alliance target to spend 2 per cent of gross domestic product on their armed forces by 2024. Germany — a frequent target of the president’s ire — has recently sought to assuage doubts that it will even reach a lower benchmark of 1.5 per cent of economic output. “I expect that the message from President Trump will be that the US is committed to Nato, that Nato is important for our shared security — but at the same time we need fair sharing of the burden,” Mr Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Monday before leaving for the US, where he will also address a joint session of Congress. “My message will be: ‘I agree. Nato is a strong alliance — but for Nato to remain a strong alliance we need to be a fair alliance’.” European diplomats are braced for possible attacks from Mr Trump this week, even though the 70th anniversary is not being marked at leader level — in contrast to the alliance’s 60th and 50th birthdays. Kay Bailey Hutchison, US ambassador to Nato, said on Monday that the main reason heads of state and government were not gathering was because it was “too soon” after the Brussels summit in July last year, where Mr Trump clashed fiercely with European leaders over military spending.
European officials and analysts say Germany in particular may be in the line of fire, after its comparatively low defence budget last month drew further attention to how it lags behind many European partners that have raised spending in the past few years. Ms Hutchison said Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, had reassured Mr Trump in a phone call last week that Berlin would hit the 1.5 per cent benchmark by 2024. “We need more from Germany because they are the strongest economy in Europe,” the US envoy told reporters. “We’re asking for it. And they say they will deliver.” Recommended The FT View The editorial board Angry words in Munich speak to fraying Atlanticism Germany faced renewed criticism in March after the finance ministry released figures that suggested Berlin would fall short of honouring the 1.5 per cent promise. Under the ministry’s medium-term budget plans, defence spending would be just 1.25 per cent of gross domestic product by 2024. The news triggered sharp criticism from Richard Grenell, the US ambassador in Berlin, of what he branded a “worrisome signal to Germany’s 28 Nato allies”. But German government officials say the finance ministry figures are just estimates, adding that defence spending had risen sharply in recent years. Ms Merkel told parliament in March that Berlin would not miss the 1.5 per cent goal: “That we fulfil this commitment is something I stand for, and that the federal government stands for,” she said. (Source: FT.com)
29 Mar 19. Two sentenced in German Eurofighter embezzlement trial – prosecutors. Two suspects who pleaded guilty to charges of embezzlement in the sale of Eurofighter jets to Austria were handed suspended jail terms by a Munich court, prosecutors in the city said on Friday.
They were sentenced on charges of embezzlement and aiding and abetting embezzlement, a spokeswoman said, adding that proceedings against other individuals had been halted, either because they had paid fines or because they faced equivalent in Austria. (Source: Reuters)
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