Strategic & Tactical Airlift Management
At the SB MoD in May 2006, EDA was requested to undertake a comprehensive capability analysis of future strategic transport requirements for EU Crisis Management Operations (CMOs) and disaster relief operations. To fulfil this request, a lot of studies were conducted since 2006 (strategic transport evaluation study, future technology assessment study, intra-theatre mobility evaluation study, etc.) and final conclusions and recommendations will be assessed by subject matter experts and major findings addressed at higher level.
All studies made in the last four years at EDA in the transport area, as well as the work performed by the different working groups, will be summarized and bundled into a final report on future strategic transport requirements for EU CMOs and disaster relief operations. This will be done at PT M&T level, forwarded to the IDT Deploy for screening and afterwards to SB CAP for action.
Work inside the PT EATF (and soon a Category A) will continue to address the work strands identified and prioritised by the pMS to enhance the efficiency of their respective airlift and hereby increase the availability of airlift in the EU. This includes work on diplomatic clearances as well as on air transport operations and training that were identified as urgent issues to tackle.
In November 2009, the Council agreed a paper on promoting synergies between the EU civil and military capability development for EU crisis management operations. Phase 1 of the work plan was conducted from June to September 2010. Contributions were received from the EU Military Staff, the CPCC, the EU SitCen, the Council General Secretariat, the EDA as well as from the European Commission, thus ensuring a civil-military perspective in each of the thirteen areas addressed. In the framework of the first panel on strategic and tactical transport chaired by EDA an action has been identified for the establishment of modalities to facilitate the provision of transport in support of EU military, civilian and disaster response operations, initially focussing on airlift. The action is threefold and comprises the following issues, only in regard to fixed wing airlift:
- To clarify conditions under which military airlift capacity (including military contracted lift) may be used in support of EU civilian missions and disaster response operations.
- To achieve a common understanding of flat rates (flying hour cost) for military airlift and establish a database of flat rates for military airlift.
- To draft SOPs for CPCC similar to the ones existing between EUMS and DG ECHO in respect of the provision of military airlift.
In accordance with the work plan, the following phase (Phase 2) aims at confirming the state of play established in the first one and deriving work lines required to further develop potential synergies. It will be conducted from January to June 2011. It will be a planning phase, allowing the identification of actions that bring mutual and tangible added value, and the derivation of individual work lines for each action.
Last but not least, the implications of SES and SESAR will have to be looked at very closely, since the implementation of SES will have a massive impact on the way of working and operating (military) airlift within the EU. Specific issues to be solved are those relating to Diplomatic Clearances (DIC), in order to streamline the current system with a step by step approach. The aim is to reduce the need for and the overall footprint of DIC on military flight. SES/SESAR will heavily interact with military flying and there is a need to exploit all possible advantages within.
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