The EU Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) – as part of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) – went one step further, from cooperation to integration in defence, adopting the fourth wave of new security projects. On 16 November, the Council endorsed 14 new PESCO projects to further deepen defence cooperation between member states in five core areas: land, maritime, air, cyber, and space, which will enable joint training facilities and services. These new additions bring the joint projects in military domains to a total number of 60, thus boosting the European resilience and its operational capabilities on the ground. Many of these projects will enhance the EU’s security umbrella and its autonomy to act more independently when needed.
Since 2017, endorsing a long-term perspective, PESCO’s 25 member states have been focusing on conducting joint military exercises, where each project follows its own time frame. For instance, PESCO’s first 17 projects, which were adopted in March 2018, have been officially accomplished. Whereas the second and third batches of projects that were launched in November 2018 and November 2019 respectively, are still ongoing. As a result of the PESCO Strategic Review in 2020, the Council sets clearer objectives to fulfil states’ obligatory commitment, delivering tangible results by the end of 2025.
Therefore, the 14 new projects mark a new era in European defence clout, especially in the area of air and space. For instance, the Strategic Air Transport for Outsized Cargo (SATOC) project will install the “transport of outsized and heavy cargo.” The Medium size Semi-Autonomous Surface Vehicle (M-SASV) project foresees a vehicle with enhanced operational flexibility and crew protection in both coastal and naval missions. In the same vein, the Next Generation Small RPAS (NGSR) envisages modernised tactical drones for maritime, air and civilian defence in case of disaster/emergency status, while the Defence of Space Assets (DoSA) project contemplates the possibility of operational performances in space.
On top of air and space projects, PESCO’s ambitious package also encompasses activities in the maritime, land and cyber sectors. To illustrate, the Main Battle Tank Simulation and Testing Centre (MBT-SIMTEC) will improve the European land forces’ capabilities while the C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers – 4C – Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance) system will facilitate the technological sovereignty in strategically crucial domains. Therefore, the Council stresses the EU’s efforts to centre around substantial progress on as many projects as possible for the 2021-2025 time-period reinforcing operational readiness in armed forces.
