On 20 November, European Defence Ministers approved the first ever annual Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD).
“CARD provides the first ever comprehensive defence review conducted at EU level, analysing the European landscape in the short, medium and long term”, explained the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency, Jiří Šedivý, to journalists, including EUROPE. He believes that if properly understood and used, this review could be a game changer in the long run.
Mr Šedivý returned to the CARD process. For the first time ever, there has been an in-depth structured dialogue with national planners at European level identifying common planning objectives and areas to focus on, as well as generating opportunities for collaboration. Furthermore, for the first time ever, a “360-degree analysis” of the European defence landscape in the Agency’s 26 Member States was carried out and a set of recommendations was drawn up on how to move from ad hoc to permanent and structured cooperation.
“EU defence suffers from fragmentation, duplication and insufficient operational commitment”, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell summarised before the media.
“This requires continuous and coordinated efforts among Member States in three main interlinked areas: defence spending, defence planning and defence cooperation”, Mr Šedivý said.
The report identifies clear opportunities for multinational cooperation and lists 55 possibilities in all military fields: 17 in land operations, 14 in air operations, 12 in maritime operations, 3 in cyberspace, 4 in space, and 5 in joint and enabler operations. It also recommends 56 opportunities for research and technology collaboration.
CARD identifies six policy areas on which Member States should concentrate their efforts, as these areas have a strong potential to boost the operational performance of the EU and its Member States in the short and medium term, while ensuring industrial know-how. These are: - main battle tank, for which 11 countries have expressed interest in further cooperation; - European patrol class surface ship (7 countries); - soldier systems (10 countries); - counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) / anti access and area denial; - defence in space; - and enhanced military mobility.
According to Mr Šedivý, the results of the CARD review will not be visible for several years. “I would like to encourage Member States to take into account CARD’s recommendations and reflect them in their strategic revisions or mid-term plans”, he said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)