Read more about the article Cybersecurity and the European Defence Cooperation
Food For Thought

Cybersecurity and the European Defence Cooperation

In a digital world, the hybrid attack has become a recurrent occurrence. To be prepared to fight cyber threats, the European Union (EU) had first to understand this new form of attack and how dangerous it could be. After the Estonian cyberattack of 2007, the need for a response plan able to satisfy national and European defence expectations brought the debate of cybersecurity to the centre of defence and security policies. The techno- logical advances brought by the internet and electronic devices have become a fundamen- tal part of our daily lives. These technological changes have transformed the way we communicate today and have directly impacted how countries handle defence and security strategies.

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16 December 2021
Read more about the article Special Operations units and armed forces of the US and Greece form new defence agreement on strategic cooperation
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Special Operations units and armed forces of the US and Greece form new defence agreement on strategic cooperation

The US armed forces and the Armed Forces of Greece have increasingly made a greater effort of military cooperation and training in Greece, a country of key geo-political relevance within the region of Europe to help enhance the defence capabilities.

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10 December 2021
Read more about the article Israel’s own Elbit Systems will develop and produce a surveillance system for Cyprus
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Israel’s own Elbit Systems will develop and produce a surveillance system for Cyprus

An agreement was reached between the Israeli and Cypriot governments awarding Israeli high technology company Elbit Systems a 27.5-million-euro contract for a surveillance system. The head of the Israel Defence Ministry’s Directorate for International Defense Cooperation, former Brigadier General Yair Kulas and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus Andreas Louka were the ones who signed the agreement on the fourth of November. The contract has a duration of three years and reports state the system will most likely be used along the border between Cyprus and the Turkish-controlled part north of the island. The surveillance system is expected to aid the Cypriot forces in controlling the flow of asylum seeker and illegal goods coming from the Turkish-controlled part of the country. A region that has been under foreign control since 1974 and cut off from the rest of the country by the United Nations Buffer Zone also known as the Green Line. The northern part of the country remains unrecognized by all other members of the UN except for Turkey.

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26 November 2021
Read more about the article Closing the Capabilities Gap: Perspectives for European Defence Cooperation in the Balkans
Food For Thought

Closing the Capabilities Gap: Perspectives for European Defence Cooperation in the Balkans

In the context of the EU and NATO’s eastern enlargement, the need to enhance military cooperation in a post-conflict society like the Balkans has been introduced as a fundamental perspective to ensure peacebuilding and restore security in the region. Despite working towards full NATO and EU memberships in recent years, the defence environment and national shrinking budgets have delayed the Balkans’ objective of fulfilling the requirements needed to achieve a collective defence and military cooperation between armed forces.

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24 November 2021
Read more about the article How can the European Defence Fund help the development of European Defence Capabilities?
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How can the European Defence Fund help the development of European Defence Capabilities?

The geopolitical context of the European Union (EU) has changed significantly in recent years, leading Member States to face new threats. Confronted with this situation, European leaders have agreed to work more closely together in defence and security. EU Member States are not cooperating appropriately, which has led to inefficient use of funds, wasteful duplication, and inadequate deployability of defence troops. The military industry is characterised by rising defence equipment costs as well as expensive Research and Development (R&D) costs, which limit the launch of new military programmes and have a direct impact on the EU Defence Technological and Industrial Base’s (EDTIB) competitiveness and innovation (EU Parliament and Council, 2021). The level of defence spending varies significantly amongst Member States. Increased solidarity is required to deliver joint defence capabilities, particularly through the engagement of the EU budget. The cost of non-cooperation between Member States in the field of defence and security is estimated at between €25 billion and €100 billion every year (Maelcamp, I.; Ungaro, A.R.).

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16 November 2021