24/04/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Defence Agency’s (EDA) steering committee has given the go-ahead for the launch of a new research project to study ways of improving the equipment and operational dress of armed forces operating in extreme cold and icy conditions, the agency announced on 23 April. “The overall objective is to contribute to improving Europe’s ability to operate in arctic/cold environments by developing tools to reduce the risk of cold-related injuries to soldiers and to improve the performance of combatants”, says the EDA in its communiqué. Four countries will participate in the project, the first to study cold weather operations at the European level: the Netherlands, which is taking the lead, France, Sweden and Norway. The project will last three to four years. (CG)