Speaking before the European Parliament’s security and defence subcommittee (SEDE) on Thursday March 3rd, EDA Chief Executive Jorge Domecq stressed the need for a more coordinated European approach to effectively tackle hybrid threats. At a time when hybrid warfare tactics - a combination of conventional and unconventional, military and non-military, overt and covert actions - are increasingly employed by state- and non-state actors in conflicts close to the EU’s southern and eastern borders (Ukraine, Syria, Libya), “it is essential to focus on the ability and agility of Member States and the EU to anticipate and react in a swift and coordinated manner” to these threats, Mr Domecq said. Most individual Member States have adequate capabilities in place to counter hybrid threats, “but they must learn to deploy those resources in a more coherent, comprehensive way”, he stressed. The European External Action Service (EEAS), supported by EDA and the Commission, is currently preparing a joint framework on hybrid warfare which will form the basis of the future work in this field. In the meantime, the EDA continues its work of assessing the extent to which hybrid threats will affect capability development in Europe in the broadest possible context, Mr Domecq told MEPs. To this end, EDA will conduct a table top exercise from 9-11 March which will involve relevant actors, such as the EEAS, the European Commission, NATO, Member States and academics. The results will be presented to Ministers of Defence in April.
Enhanced EU-NATO cooperation
Referring to the potential of enhanced EU-NATO cooperation in countering hybrid threats, Mr Domecq expressed the view that progress in this particular field could take EU-NATO relations “to a new level”. In the current context of rapidly spreading hybrid warfare, to intensify cooperation with NATO “is not an option, but an absolute necessity”, the EDA Chief Executive stated in the presence of NATO Assistant Secretary General Heinrich Brauss who also attended the SEDE meeting. “Our collective reply to hybrid is a major opportunity (…) The comparative advantages of the EU and NATO should be used to the maximum extent. The deterrence effect of NATO and the complementarity of our (EU) tools and instruments, are more than enough reason to enhance our cooperation”, he said.
Global Strategy, R&T
In his speech, Mr Domecq also touched upon the upcoming EU Global Strategy telling MEPs that the EDA would use its full expertise to help translate the Global Strategy into EU military capabilities required to deal with current and future security risks, including hybrid threats. He also highlighted the need for increased investments in defence-related research and technologies (R&T) with a particular focus on dual-use technologies and civilian-military synergies. By pushing forward the Preparatory Action on CSDP-related research project which is scheduled to be launched in 2017, the EDA and the European Commission “recognise that investing today in future-oriented defence research programmes is crucial to developing the capabilities that are required tomorrow”, Mr Domecq stated.