Capabilities Development Process
EDA’s mission is to support the Council and the Member States in their effort to improve the European Union’s defence capabilities for the Common Security and Defence Policy. Thus, the Agency has a
capability-driven approach. Everything it does is underpinned by the acid test of whether the activities will improve European Defence capabilities.
The capability-driven approach starts with an understanding of those Defence capabilities required to meet the needs of contemporary and future operations. Which challenges and threats will European forces have to face? What will be the impact of technology, both for European capacities but also to the advantage of adversaries? What can be learned from ongoing crisis management operations? In essence, European capability development needs to be undertaken from a common view or picture.
The
Capability Development Plan (CDP) provides the basis of the Agency’s capability-driven approach. It was developed collectively with the
participating Member States, the Council Secretariat and the EU Military Committee (EUMC), supported by the EU Military Staff (EUMS). EDA’s Steering Board provides the guidance and endorsed the CDP in July 2008.
The Capability Development Plan gives an auditable picture of the ability of the EU to undertake all of the Defence tasks required for CSDP over the short, medium and longer term. The inputs come from the Headline Goal 2010 Progress Catalogue, Lessons Identified from crisis management operations, Member States’ programmes to address capability improvement and finally from a focused long term analysis (2025+). From this picture, a series of conclusions are drawn and priority actions selected to fill the foreseen requirements. Currently there are 12 priority actions selected by the Steering Board.
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