Fourth Wave PESCO Projects: A New Drive in the EU Defence Dynamic 

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.

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The U.S. Army’s latest pntOS software development enhances defence and security 

On November 8, 2021, Breaking Defense reported that the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s C5ISR Centre released a new ‘pntOS’, a software allowing for posi-tioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) sensors that enable multi-domain operations and interop-erability under the complete range of threat conditions found in rapidly changing hostile envi-ronments among land forces.

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NATO Joint Military Exercises: A Strive for Military Interoperability

Current geopolitical challenges are ever so complex because of their scope and scale. Therefore, they require highly developed technologies and a multilateral approach as single militaries cannot face a multi-layered strategy alone. Military experts within NATO agree that successful missions presuppose cooperation between member states in the form of efficient information exchange and coordinated activities as well as interoperability between the industrial and military sectors. Accordingly, the military exercises conducted by NATO to connect member states’ forces and improve the innovation of military capabilities.

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Entering the Age of Tanks: The Evolution of Tanks in Land Forces

The tank’s earliest predecessors can be traced back to horse-drawn war chariots of the 2nd millennium BCE in the Middle East and, later, to the protected vehicles of the Middle Ages in Europe. Both ideas fused in the 14th and 15th centuries when Guido da Vigevano and Leonardo da Vinci developed battle cars. However, more practical forms emerged in early 20th century England with the first self-propelled armoured vehicle— an armoured steam traction engine— and the first motor vehicle mounted with a machine gun. The operational push to develop such vehicles arose from the vulnerability of horse-drawn carriages in the infantry, which were needed to improve the mobility of the heavy machine guns that dominated battlefields.

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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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