23 November 2020
On the 20th of November 2020, the European Council approved the first PESCO Strategic Review (PSR), an assessment of the first initial phase (2018-2020) of the Permanent Structured Cooperation, and guideline for its second initial phase starting in 2021 and lasting until 2025. The PSR started in December 2019 and continued throughout 2020 at the level of the PESCO Secretariat.
PESCO’s pMS have agreed that the binding commitments they mutually agreed upon “have proven to present a solid guideline in ensuring consistent implementation of PESCO and must therefore not be changed in the context of the current PESCO Strategic Review” (Council of the European Union, 2020; 4).
Thus, the second phase will have to enhance the fulfilment of the binding commitments laid out by the PESCO framework, also by working towards a coherent Full Spectrum Force Package (FSFP), which will contribute to the realisation of the EU Level of Ambition as envisaged by the forthcoming Strategic Compass. The FSFP will have to be interoperable, deployable and modular, in accordance with the EU Capability Development Priorities and CARD recommendations, so as to contribute efficiently to CSDP operations and missions (ibid.).
On the 20th of November 2020, the first CARD report was presented to the 25 EDA Defence Ministers at the EDA Ministerial Steering Board, chaired by the Head of the Agency, High Representative Josep Borrell.
CARD’s first report identified 55 collaborative capability development opportunities across six domains, advising MSs to concentrate their capability development efforts on them. Seventeen of such opportunities relate to the land domain, highlighting how the development of land infantry fighting vehicles, combat tanks and artillery attracts big portions of MSs’ national defence expenditures. CARD’s very first report on the European defence landscape also identified the land domain as one characterised by high fragmentation and lack of coherence, particularly in the sector of armoured vehicles (European Defence Agency, 2020).
At the operational level, both the PESCO Strategic Review and CARD invite MSs to act and find solutions that can mitigate shortfalls and enhance collective progress in the short-to-medium-term. Hence, the PSR also identified 26 PESCO projects planned to deliver concrete results and full operational capability before the end of the next PESCO phase in 2025.
Among these projects, the land forces domain will benefit from the expected full operability of the “EU Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) Land Battlefield Missile Systems”.
This France-driven tri-national initiative, adopted in November 2018, aims at building an EU new generation array of medium-range BLOS Land Battlefield missile systems. The missile systems are envisaged to be integrated on ground-to-ground and air-to-ground platforms and to have integrated autonomous target designation capability. Doctrinal interoperability is also a core goal of the project, as joint training will contribute to the development of a European doctrine on BLOS firing (European Council, 2020).
Five other land-related projects were approved throughout PESCO’s first initial phase. Among these are the “Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle / Amphibious Assault Vehicle / Light Armoured Vehicle” and the “Indirect Fire Support (EuroArtillery)”, both adopted in March 2018 through the first batch of PESCO projects.
The main purpose of these joint initiatives is the enhancement of operational interoperability of European land forces and systems.
The first European prototypes of Armoured Fighting Vehicles – in their amphibious and light versions – will be based on a common platform and will support fast deployment manoeuvres, reconnaissance and combat support, as well as logistics support, command and control, and medical support during CSDP missions (ibid.).
On the other hand, EuroArtillery is set to contribute to the EU’s combat capability by developing a mobile precision artillery platform, which will include land-battle decisive ammunition, non-lethal ammunition, and a common fire control system. Hence, CSDP multinational operations will be strengthened through more coordination and a higher level of interoperability (ibid.).
The PSR is a cornerstone in checking the progress of MSs’ commitment and substantial efforts in the sector of European Defence and Security. The land domain has shown to be of utmost importance for the operational success of CSDP missions and the fulfilment of the EU Level of Ambition. With these premises, PESCO now enters its second phase.
Written by Yasmine BENCHEKROUN, Researcher at Finabel – European Army Interoperability Centre
Sources
Council of the European Union, Council Conclusions on the PESCO Strategic Review 2020, Brussels, 20 November 2020, 13188/20. Retrieved at https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/46859/st13188-en20.pdf
European Council, Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)’s projects – Overview, 20 November 2020. Retrieved at https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/46846/pesco-projects-20-nov-2020.pdf
European Defence Agency, Results of First Coordinated Annual Review On Defence, 20 November 2020. Retrieved at https://eda.europa.eu/docs/default-source/eda-factsheets/2020-11-20-card
