EU kicks-off research programme to better protect military forces

Nov 13, 2006, 15:50 GMT

Brussels - European Union defence ministers on Monday launched a new research programme which aims at protecting EU troops in the field against fatal threats such as snipers, booby traps and improvised bombs.

The three-year programme, co-ordinated by the European Defence Agency (EDA), is worth some 55 million euros (71 million dollars) and involves 19 European governments. The programme starts on January 1, 2007.

France, Germany and Poland are the largest contributors. Military heavyweight Britain, however, is not on board.

Under the new scheme, new defence research and technology initiatives are planned in areas such as the individual protection of soldiers, data analysis and secure wireless communication.

Unlike previous co-operation on European defence research and technology, the new scheme sets up a common budget. Member countries will jointly decide on the financing of individual projects.

'Nothing is more important than ensuring that our troops have the best possible chance of returning home safely from operations where, as we can see almost every day, they face a variety of new and unpredictable threats,' said EDA head Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy and security chief.

Solana called on EU member states to spend more on defence research and development to ensure Europe has 'an effective defence technological and industrial base and to develop the military capabilities we will need in the future.'

Finland, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden said they would start a joint research programme under the EDA umbrella, worth some 100 million euros.

The planned project aims at improving the interoperability of software defined radio, a technology for secure communications, in Europe and with the United States and NATO.

The European Defence Agency was set up to help EU governments develop their defence capabilities for crisis-management operations.