An increased role for the commercial sector in providing logistical support for EU crisis-management operations could help fill critical gaps, provide better value for money and free military personnel for front-line duty, a conference organised by the European Defence Agency heard today.
More than 200 representatives of governments, armed forces, EU institutions and industry attended the Brussels event and debated practical measures to encourage greater private sector involvement and explored the challenges and constraints in supporting multinational operations in remote and varied locations.
EDA LOGISTICS CONFERENCE - FINAL REPORT
“Current and future crisis management operations set complex demands,” Javier Solana, Head of the EDA, said in his keynote speech to the conference. “A close dialogue between consumers and suppliers is needed, because we might need new mechanisms to ensure that services are timely and effective in an environment where the military have to deploy and react rapidly to emerging crises."
Commercial support for military logistics is not a new concept and the practice has grown over the past decade, especially in areas such as “life support” -- accommodation and catering -- as well as fuel supply, construction and strategic transport by sea and air.
Video report from the conference
The conference was told that governments must now consider outsourcing capabilities in the area of operations traditionally considered to be purely military, like transport and utility helicopters, which are in short supply.
“In my mind the question is not if industry shall be part of the logistics support for these operations or not, but how industry best can be a partner to the EU in this effort,” Åke Svensson, President of the AeroSpace & Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) told the conference. “I see great opportunities for our industry to contribute to EU efforts in crisis-management operations."
Solana pointed out that although European armed forces increasingly operate more and more side-by-side, the greater part of their equipment was still not interoperable. As a result, in all military operations there were as many logistical chains as there were national flags, resulting in duplication and wasted money.
The conference heard that common standards, which would address the minimum common understanding of the basic requirements, were needed to make contracted logistical services acceptable from the outset to the various national contingents participating in an operation.
Greater use of the commercial sector would require new structures in both the armed forces and companies, to ensure appropriate control and coordination between military staff and civilian contractors. This transformation will require the military to acquire commercial management skills and to think about commercial relationships.
General Henri Bentégeat, Chairman of the EU Military Committee, pointed out many of the limitations of outsourcing logistics but said the possibility should not be dismissed.
“We do it all the time and we are now contracting in Chad and Central Africa. Why? Mainly because the transformation of European forces to make them more deployable and sustainable has not been completed yet. And because Member States never commit enough logistics assets to our operations,” he told the conference.
Other topics raised during the panel discussions included the limits to what civilian operators can and should do in support of military operations; how to ensure commercial support was available within the required timelines for operations; the fact that contracts, even when written with the best of intentions, cannot cover every possible contingency in advance; and security of contracted personnel and formulas for sharing risks over the contractors’ equipment.
“The EDA’s third annual conference has once again raised a number of important questions in an area of critical importance for European defence and delivered some possible answers,” said EDA Chief Executive Alexander Weis.
“As with the previous conferences on R&T and the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base, the Agency will follow up today’s debates and work with Member States to turn good ideas into concrete actions,” he added.
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