by Rudy Ruitenberg for C4ISRNET - Media for the Intelligence Age Military.
PARIS – The Netherlands wants to join Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Co-Operation, as it seeks to be a driver of European defense cooperation and better position its industry, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Joining the group, known by its French acronym OCCAR, is an important step towards stronger European defense cooperation and to properly position the Dutch defense industry, according to the ministry. Both are “badly needed due to the war in Ukraine and the tightness in the defense market,’’ the ministry said.
OCCAR is a European organization that manages defense-equipment projects, with an operational budget of about €6 billion ($6.5 billion) and a portfolio of 17 projects including the A400M air lifter, the FREMM multi-mission frigate and the Eurodrone. The group was founded in 2001 by France, the U.K., Germany and Italy, with Spain and Belgium joining several years later.
“The Russian war in Ukraine and increasing threats and conflicts globally underscore the importance of a strong European industrial base,’’ the Dutch ministry said.
The government “wants the Netherlands to play a leading role in driving European defense cooperation,” the ministry said.”Membership in OCCAR fits within that ambition.”
The Netherlands has boosted defense spending following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, with the budget for defense rising to €15 billion in 2023 from around €12 billion in 2022, and more than €21 billion budgeted for 2024.
The countries in OCCAR work together to lower costs and increase efficiency in the development and acquisition of new weapon systems, and joining will allow the Netherlands to remain close to key European partners, and accelerate the implementation of equipment projects, the ministry said.
Membership will also allow Dutch defense companies to more easily participate in projects managed by the group, as well as compete for European projects, even if the Netherlands does not participate itself.
Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren informed parliament of the intention to join. The intention will be assessed by the OCCAR members, and actual accession for the Netherlands will go through a parliamentary treaty procedure, according to the ministry.
More news by Rudy Ruitenberg:
Germany to supply Ukraine with IRIS-T systems in $1.4 billion package
PARIS – Germany will provide Ukraine with an additional four IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defense systems as part of a military aid package worth more than €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion), the German Defence Ministry said in a statement Thursday. The systems will be supplied from 2025.
The package also includes drones and drone-defense systems, demining vehicles, satellite communications, electronic warfare equipment, directional anti-tank mines and artillery shells, aimed at addressing acute needs of the Ukrainian armed forces, according to the ministry.
Germany has become the biggest supplier of military aid to Ukraine behind the U.S., after initial reluctance to provide arms. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius earlier this month confirmed plans to boost the country’s military support for Ukraine, in response to media reports the government is seeking to double the aid to €8 billion in 2024.
IRIS-T systems and a second Patriot tracking radar handed over in October will reach Ukraine this year, once Ukrainian personnel have completed their training, the ministry said.
Pistorius announced the support on Nov. 22 in a video conference with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, the 17th meeting in the so-called Ramstein format, and said Germany will stand with Ukraine “now and for the long term,” according to the ministry.
In addition to short-term aid, the contact group discussed the long-term capability development of the Ukrainian armed forces. Germany and France will lead a “capability coalition,” bringing together more than 20 countries to establish the Capability Coalition Ground Based Air Defense, the ministry said.
Germany will also support other future capability coalitions, and further steps would be discussed at the next meeting on this topic, expected to take place in Berlin in December.
The German government stands ready make a “significant contribution” to modernizing and upgrading the Ukrainian armed forces, according to the statement.
“The Ukrainian armed forces must be made so strong that they can defeat Russian aggression today and deter any attempt at a further attack tomorrow,’’ the ministry said.
Pistorius pointed out during the support meeting that Germany has made an “enormous contribution” since the start of the war, with Ukraine “massively strengthened” in the area of air defense through the delivery of Patriot and IRIS-T systems, as well as almost 50 Gepard anti-aircraft guns.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in September urged allies to “dig deep” and provide more air defense systems for Ukraine, to help the country fend of barrages of Russian missiles.
About Rudy Ruitenberg
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
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Companies are building the Eurodrone to operate immediately in the dense European airspace. (Sebastian Sprenger/Staff)
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