Citizendia
Your Ad Here

European Union

This article is part of the series:
Defence of the
European Union
Politics

CFSP High Representative

Javier Solana

Foreign and Security Policy
Security and Defence Policy
Defence Initiative
Defence Procurement
Petersberg tasks
Foreign relations
Bodies

Political and Security Committee
Military Committee
Military Staff
Defence Agency
Institute for Security Studies
Satellite Centre
Military Forces

Helsinki Headline Goal
EUFOR
Battlegroups
Gendarmerie
Eurocorps
Deployments
Related organisations

Western European Union
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
 v • d • e 

European defence procurement refers to the collective armaments purchasing policies of European nations. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in This article deals with the workings of European Union foreign policy The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy The High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (HR is the main co-ordinator of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, PhD (born 14 July 1942 in Madrid, Spain is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP This article deals with the workings of European Union foreign policy The European Security and Defence Policy or ESDP is a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar of the European Union The European Defence Initiative is a proposal for enhanced European Union defence cooperation presented by France, Germany, Belgium and The Petersberg tasks are a list of Military and Security priorities incorporated within the European Security and Defence Policy of the European Union This article deals with relations between the European Union and third countries The Political and Security Committee, PSC (sometimes referred to by its French COPS acronym derived from Comité politique et de sécurité) is a permanent The European Union Military Committee (EUMC is a department of military officials under the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and The European Union Military Staff (EUMS is a department of the European Union (EU responsible for supervising operations within the realm of the European Security The European Defence Agency (EDA is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. The European Union Institute for Security Studies ( EUISS) is a Paris-based Agency of the European Union, operating under the EU's second pillar the Common Foreign The European Union Satellite Centre ( EUSC) is an Agency of the Council of the European Union which gathers information through satellite images to help the EU prevent conflicts At present there is no military of the European Union, as the European integration has not developed very far in the area of defence The Helsinki Headline Goal was a military capability target set for 2003 during the December 1999 Helsinki European Council meeting EUFOR or European Union Force is a term used to describe European Union military deployments and has been used four times so far in FYROM from March 2003 to December European Union battlegroups (EU BGs are military forces under the direct control of the European Council, each consisting of at least 1500 combat soldiers The European Gendarmerie Force or EGF was launched by an agreement between five members of the European Union: France, Italy, Spain Eurocorps is a multinational army corps within the framework of European Union and NATO common defence initiatives Since 2002 the European Union has become increasingly active abroad under the European Security and Defence Policy. The Western European Union ( WEU) is a partially dormant European defence and security organization established on the basis of the Treaty of Brussels of 1948 The North Atlantic Treaty

Traditionally European countries have either developed their own weapon systems or bought 'off the shelf' systems usually NATO-sponsored from the United States or from Soviet Union, now from Russia. The North Atlantic Treaty The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending In the modern era, reduced defence budgets and increasing complexity make it difficult for most countries to develop their own weapon systems. Furthermore identical projects in differing countries was recognised as a waste of resources. However the same countries often do not wish to purchase American systems because the perception of a loss of sovereignty and the profits (and jobs) go to American companies.

Therefore some European nations are attempting to pool their resources to create multinational programmes to create a more independent and competitive capability. The European Defence Agency was established in 2001 to create such a stronger European market for defence equipment. The European Defence Agency (EDA is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.

Contents

History

The Eurofighter Typhoon is an example of European commitment to its own industry. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout When the British government cancelled the TSR-2 and purchased the F-4 Phantom II there was outcry. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Previously United Kingdom, Germany and Italy had cooperated in producing the Panavia Tornado in the 1970s. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Industry

While European defence budgets remain fragmented and massive duplication in research and development exists, the European defence industry has made some moves towards consolidation. British Aerospace was widely expected to merge with Germany’s DASA to form the first major European defence giant. British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Instead in 1999 BAe merged with another British company, GEC's defence businesses (GEC-Marconi), to form BAE Systems which has tended to focus on the Anglo-American market. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The General Electric Company or GEC was a major UK company involved in consumer and defence electronics communications and engineering Marconi Electronic Systems (MES, or GEC-Marconi as it was until 1998 was the defence arm of The General Electric Company (GEC BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly As a result, in 2000, DASA merged with Aerospatiale-Matra to form EADS. Aérospatiale-Matra was a European Missile and Aircraft manufacturer. The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV ( EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation formed by the merger on July 10, Further consolidation of the smaller defence firms cannot be ruled out.

In 2002 the formation of MBDA brought together the product portfolios of Aerospatiale Matra Missiles (of EADS), Alenia Marconi Systems missiles, and Matra BAe Dynamics to form Europe's No. MBDA is a missile manufacturer with operations in France, Germany, Italy and Britain. Aérospatiale-Matra was a European Missile and Aircraft manufacturer. Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS was a major European integrated defence electronics company and an equal shares Joint venture between BAE Systems and Matra BAe Dynamics was formed in August 1996 by merger of half the missile business of Matra Defense of France and BAe Dynamics (a division of 1 missile manufacturer and No. 2 globally after Raytheon. Raytheon Company ( is a major American Defense contractor and industrial corporation with core Manufacturing concentrations in Defense systems

Other major players include

Products

Below are some examples of European products and the previously weapons they may replace. AgustaWestland is a Helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom. BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly Dassault Aviation is a French aircraft manufacturer of military, regional and business jets, a subsidiary of Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Ko KG is a German arms manufacturer and a subsidiary of the Diehl Stiftung GmbH with headquarters in Überlingen. The Eurocopter Group is a European Helicopter manufacturing and support company formed in 1992 from the merger of German Daimler-Benz Aerospace WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Finmeccanica SpA is an Italian conglomerate. Finmeccanica is the second largest industrial group and the largest of the Hi-tech industrial groups based The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann GmbH & Co KG (KMW or simply Krauss-Maffei is an Injection molding machine manufacturer and Defence company based in Germany MBDA is a missile manufacturer with operations in France, Germany, Italy and Britain. Rheinmetall AG is a German Automotive and defense company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß Rolls-Royce plc ( is a British Aircraft engine maker and the second-largest in the world behind GE Aviation. Snecma is a major French manufacturer of engines for commercial and military aircraft and for space vehicles The Thales Group ( is a French Electronics company delivering mission-critical information systems and services for the Aerospace, Defense ThyssenKrupp AG ( is a large German industrial conglomerate, with more than 200000 employees

There are several examples where one country continues to pursue purely national programmes because collaboration would be unacceptable or undesirable. For example both the UK and France continue to develop and operate independent nuclear deterrent. Likewise France's desire for military and industrial independence has motivated its continued pursuit of high-technology projects, e. g. Dassault Rafale. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Multinational programmes can fail because of disagreements about price or capability. For example while the UK terminated its collaboration with France and Italy on the next generation frigate (Horizon CNGF) and started a national Type 45 programme. History France, Italy and the UK issued a joint requirement in 1992 after the failure of the NATO Frigate Replacement (NFR-90 project Background The UK had sought to procure the ships in collaboration with 7 other NATO nations under the NFR-90 project which later collapsed However the warships will share some systems, primarily the MBDA Aster missile. Aster is a family of surface-to-air missiles manufactured by Eurosam, a European consortium consisting of MBDA France MBDA Italy (combined 66% and the

British Prime Minister Tony Blair came under pressure from President Bill Clinton to select Raytheon's future missile to arm the Eurofighter,[1] however the UK government selected the European Meteor air to air missile. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States The Meteor could be deemed riskier, however the Meteor armed Typhoon will not be subject to U. S. export controls and MBDA now has a missile product with no real competition from American manufacturers.

Likewise European governments were actively dissuaded by the US Department of Defense from continuing the A400M project, the Pentagon argued that the Lockheed C-130J and Boeing C-17 provided all the capability European governments needed and was already flying. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The DOD also argued that to spend limited budgetary resources on such duplication was foolish. Continuing delays and lack of agreement in the A400M programme have however already caused the R. A. F. to purchase the Boeing C-17.

The previous generation American fight plane (F-16) was widely sold throughout Europe. The next generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will probably not see the same export success, at least partially because the JSF project will not allow final assembly in other countries (as was widespread with the F-16 ) except the UK and Italy, and because there are European alternatives such as Eurofighter, Rafale and Gripen. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Conclusion

It can be argued that the focus on "buying European" sometimes obscures the important factor, the actual provision of capability. Only the UK operates a truly competitive defence procurement policy, for example allowing the involvement of the Thales Group in the Royal Navy Future Carrier (CVF). The Thales Group ( is a French Electronics company delivering mission-critical information systems and services for the Aerospace, Defense The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) History Requirement The 22000 tonne Invincible class aircraft carriers ''Invincible'', ''Illustrious'' and ''Ark Royal''

Recent UK government selection of European defence equipment has been more related to capability than such a "buy European" policy. The UK's Meteor decision was not dogmatic, but represented a true increase in both the operational capability of the Eurofighter and potential for export sales than an AMRAAM equipped Typhoon. [2]

It seems likely that a stronger, more competitive and potentially more efficient European industry will allow European governments to do more with current budgets. However American companies are assured of a healthy share of European procurement budgets. The UK continues to order U. S. defence products, some of them made jointly, in large numbers, F-35 Lightning II, Chinook, C-130J are a few examples. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The F-35 is also likely to see service in other European air forces.

A problem for the European Defence Cooperation however, is that France - which has a large defence industry - sometimes chooses own projects instead of participating in European ones. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. France withdrew from both the Panavia Tornado (in 1967), and the Eurofighter Typhoon (in 1985) projects in favour of French projects. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

See also

References

  1. ^ Baumgardner, Neil. OCCAR ( Organisation conjointe de coopération en matière d'armement) is a European organisation which facilitates and manages collaborative European The European Security and Defence Policy or ESDP is a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy pillar of the European Union The European Defence Agency (EDA is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. "Raytheon Offers Joint Development of New Missile with UK", Defense Daily, Phillips Business Information, Inc. , 1999-09-16. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers Retrieved on 2006-12-02. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire  
  2. ^ Gray, Bernard. "Caught in the crossfire: With guided weapons decisive in modern warfare, three British orders are critical to the European missile industry", Financial Times, The Financial Times Ltd. , 1996-02-01, p. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen  21. Retrieved on 2006-12-02. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire  

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic