European Union Military Staff

VIRNECT joins forces with the SYNERGISE initiative to revolutionize disaster management on a global scale.

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Telecommunications, European Union Military Staff, Incident management, State, State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, Samsung Electronics, Equip, KEPCO, Innovation, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, LG Chem, Control System, ICT, KOSDAQ, Korea, South Korea, KAC, Command, Knowledge, Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, Robotics, THW, Technical, Central government, Education, Safety, System of systems, Risk management, Science, Research

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --  A diverse consortium of eighteen partners from Europe, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States, including VIRNECT, will collaboratively design, develop, integrate, deploy, test, validate, and demonstrate the Novel Integrated Toolkit. This comprehensive solution comprises an array of tools and services designed to:

Key Points: 
  • The toolkit is set to redefine disaster management by improving collaboration among first responders and enhancing mission effectiveness and victim detection in complex scenarios.
  • Foster collaborative response and resource management by sharing and updating a common operational picture across deployed teams, command chains, and participating agencies.
  • SYNERGISE combines advanced technology to enhance the safety, situational awareness, sense-making, and collaborative incident management of first responders.'
  • Tim Ha, CEO of VIRNECT, shares his enthusiasm, affirming that 'Our collaboration within SYNERGISE exemplifies VIRNECT's commitment to serving humanity through technology.

European defence: where is it heading?

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Common Security and Defence Policy, European Union Military Staff, Military, Military Planning and Conduct Capability, EU Battlegroup, Permanent Structured Cooperation, Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management, Common Foreign and Security Policy, European Personnel Recovery Centre

Tuesday, May 21, 2019In light of Brexit, an increasingly assertive Russia and the unpredictable attitude of the current US administration toward European security, there is, at present. a political appetite for progress in the development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy. Much has been achieved in the last few years and without the UK, which has historically opposed deeper defence integration, Brexit undoubtedly offers opportunities. The question is: how far will the EU at 27 be willing to go? This is an update to an earlier paper published in May 2018.

Key Points: 


House of Commons Library

European defence: where is it heading?

  • In light of Brexit, an increasingly assertive Russia and the unpredictable attitude of the current US administration toward European security, there is, at present.
  • a political appetite for progress in the development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy.
Background
  • As such it has been quick to lose impetus in the face of other challenges.
  • Over the years the EU has thus become a notable soft power actor, with a focus on civilian crisis management; while greater regulation of the European defence market has been a European Commission priority.
2013 – A fresh impetus for CSDP
  • The Council made a “strong” commitment to the further development of a credible and effective CSDP, focusing specifically on:
    • Increasing the effectiveness, visibility and impact of CSDP
    • Enhancing the development of capabilities
    • Strengthening Europe's defence industry
  • This loss of momentum in developing the hard power aspects of CSDP led, in 2013, to efforts to inject fresh impetus into the European defence agenda.
  • Consequently, it became the main topic of discussion for the European Council Summit in December of that year; the first time in five years that EU leaders had comprehensively discussed EU defence policy.
Making progress on CSDP
  • A Security and Defence Implementation Plan (SDIP) was subsequently adopted by EU leaders in December 2016, as part of a broader package of defence and security measures which also focused on increased cooperation between the EU and NATO and the implementation of the European Commission’s Defence Action Plan on the European defence industry. Specific measures of the SDIP included:
    • Establishing a Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) to promote transparency and cooperation among Member States
    • Developing the EU battlegroups so that they are more usable and effective
    • Enhancing and coordinating oversight of all EU missions, including the establishment of a new permanent operational planning and conduct capability within the EU Military Staff for non-executive military missions
    • Investigating areas for CSDP cooperation using the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) mechanism
    • Enhancing partnerships with the UN, NATO, African Union and OSCE and adopting a more strategic approach to engaging with third party countries in CSDP matters.
  • While the Commission will be responsible for the execution and management structure of the EDIDP, any technology and assets developed under it will remain under the ownership of the relevant Member States and will not be ‘EU assets’. Calls for proposals will be issued over the next two years in four priority areas:
    • Enabling operations, protection and mobility of forces
    • Intelligence, secured communication, and cyber
    • The conduct of high-end operations
    • Innovative defence technologies and SMEs.
  • Over the last few years significant progress has been made across all of these areas.
  • In December 2016 EU leaders agreed the establishment of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) for non-executive CSDP missions.
  • It will streamline and simplify existing off-budget mechanisms, including the Athena Mechanism which has been used since 2004 to finance CSDP operations.
The Brexit effect
  • While generally supportive of CSDP, successive UK governments have been cautious in their approach to greater European defence integration.
  • To that end, UK involvement in the evolution of CSDP has been significant in that it has allowed the UK to influence and shape its development.
Towards a common European defence?
  • Indeed, the speed at which PESCO was launched, after years of inactivity, is indicative of the changing tide in European defence and what can be achieved when political interests converge.
  • At present, there is a political appetite for progress in European defence.