Latest news with #PermanentStructuredCooperation
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Switzerland to expand EU defense ties with new cyber-defense role
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Switzerland has received the European Union's approval to join a multinational military cybersecurity project, the EU's Council announced this week. The decision allows Switzerland to become part of the Estonian-led Cyber Ranges Federations project under the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) framework, marking a notable advance in Swiss–EU military cooperation. This comes despite Bern's famously longstanding policy of strict military neutrality. Switzerland had applied to join the project in October of last year, shortly after submitting an application for another joint project focused on military mobility. Two formalities remain before becoming a full project member: Estonia must invite Switzerland to the cooperation, and Bern needs a so-called administrative arrangement with the EU governing formalities such a data exchange and other parameters. The Swiss government welcomed this week's EU decision, saying that the country 'will take part in the European PESCO project.' Switzerland has beefed up its own cyber defense capabilities in recent years with its Swiss Cyber Training Range and a Cyber-Defence Campus. The EU's Cyber Ranges Federations initiative seeks to centralize capacity, pool unique services and automate processes across member states, reducing manual workload during exercises and accelerating the development of advanced cybersecurity technologies. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Italy and Luxembourg are already members of the project, in addition to Estonia. Under PESCO's third-state participation rules established in 2020, non-EU countries may join individual projects if they share EU values and pose no threat to member states' security interests. The Council confirmed that Switzerland meets the required political, legal and substantive criteria and will bring 'substantial added value and mutual benefit' to the federation, it said in a press release. The Council retains oversight of third-state involvement and may adjust conditions should security considerations evolve, ensuring alignment with the EU's collective defense objectives. Swiss defense planners have balanced these new engagements with Bern's policy of armed neutrality, with federal officials calling cooperation in PESCO initiatives 'ad hoc collaboration on specific projects which are thematically in the interest of both parties and which do not create critical dependencies for neutrality.' Participation in the cyber project enables Switzerland to contribute – and benefit from – expertise and infrastructure without entangling the country too deeply in broader EU defense commitments, from Bern's point of view. The Swiss government said that 'participation will take place selectively and on a needs-oriented basis.' The latest project represents part of Switzerland's broader strategic approach to selective participation in PESCO projects that align with its defense interests while maintaining neutrality. It's not Switzerland's first brush with EU defense initiatives. In January, the government received the green light to join an EU-led military mobility project, which it applied for in September 2024. The Military Mobility project aims to simplify and standardize national cross-border military transport procedures, enabling swift movement of military personnel and assets throughout the EU via road, rail, sea, or air. Other non-EU countries, such as the UK, Northway, the USA and Canada are also part of this project. In addition to deepening engagement with the EU, Switzerland has also been a member of NATO's partnership for peace since the 1990s, as has its neutral eastern neighbor, Austria. Hardline neutrality defenders have long taken issue with Swiss engagement on military projects beyond its own borders. Their criticism received new urgency in the aftermath of Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022. Last year, a civil movement garnered more 130,000 certified signatures to organize a national referendum on strengthening Switzerland's international neutrality. The referendum organizers specifically want to prevent what they see as a gradual erosion of Switzerland's traditional neutrality through strengthened international defense cooperation.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Netherlands to buy anti-torpedo weapon, tracked armor, new rifle
PARIS — The Netherlands plans to buy a torpedo-killing torpedo as early as 2029, replace the armed forces' standard assault rifle starting this decade and equip its heavy infantry brigade with tracked armored general-purpose vehicles, as part of 17 equipment projects for the coming years. Total spending on the planned projects will be at least €1.45 billion (US$1.65 billion), based on the lower end of the budget range for each project, according to a so-called 'A letter' from the Dutch Ministry of Defense sent to parliament on Wednesday outlining equipment requirements. 'It's essential that the Ministry of Defense has the necessary defense equipment at its disposal in good time to increase our deterrence and be a reliable NATO ally,' State Secretary of Defence Gijs Tuinman wrote. 'With this omnibus A letter, the Ministry of Defense is taking the next step toward greater flexibility and less internal bureaucracy in the procurement process.' The Netherlands lifted its 2025 defense budget to €22 billion, after spending €21.4 billion last year. The country is in the process of renewing its fleet of air-defense frigates, anti-submarine warfare frigates and submarines, and on land is beefing up its 43 Mechanized Brigade into a heavy infantry brigade with a full-fledged tank battalion and mobile air-defense systems. The Dutch plan to equip the future frigates, submarines and new amphibious transport vessels with a hard-kill system to defend against unmanned underwater vehicles such as drones and torpedoes. The first platform to be fitted with the anti-torpedo torpedo (ATT) system will be the anti-submarine warfare frigates, according to Tuinman. Development of the anti-torpedo weapon from a demonstration model to a production-ready design will continue within the European Union's Permanent Structured Cooperation through to 2028, according to the Dutch MoD. Subsequently, the Netherlands expects to acquire a 'qualified ATT' starting in 2029, when the first new Dutch ASW frigate is scheduled to become operational. The investment for the anti-torpedo torpedo is €250 million to €1 billion for the 2025-2039 period, the ministry said. Potential international military cooperation through PESCO will reduce the technical development and financial risks, according to Tuinman. European navies chase the white whale of torpedo-busting torpedoes Other Navy investment projects include a replacement for the Mark 48 torpedoes for the new Orka-class submarines to be built by Naval Group, with delivery of the new torpedoes planned in the early 2030s. The Netherlands also plans to invest in unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned surface vessels for maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and to contribute to anti-submarine warfare. Both projects are in the €50 million to €250 million range. For the land forces, the Netherlands plans to buy an estimated 100 to 150 tracked armored vehicles for use by the heavy infantry brigade in roles including transport, command, ambulance, engineering and troop transport, for between €250 million and €1 billion. The MoD plans to buy the tracked vehicles through a negotiated procedure without tender from a single source, buying systems that are already known and have been acquired previously, Tuinman said. 'This ensures that contracting can be done quickly, which benefits delivery time.' While Tuinman didn't provide details on the model the Dutch plan to buy, the 43 Mechanized Brigade operates the CV90 infantry combat vehicle from BAE Systems Hägglunds, alongside Leopard 2 main battle tanks. The CV90 exists in an armored-personnel carrier version that is the base for other non-turreted variants. Sweden, Finland, Norway and Lithuania are preparing a joint purchase of the CV90, the Swedish government said earlier this week. The Dutch list of projects also includes replacing the armed forces' Colt C7 standard assault rife and C8 carbines, with a budget of €250 million to €1 billion for the 2027-2041 period. The existing rifles have been modernized since 2009 and will reach the end of their technical lifespan in 2030, and the ministry targets the first deliveries of the new arms before the end of the decade. The MoD plans to buy multiple variants of the same weapon from a single supplier, and is looking for a possible purchase in cooperation with partner countries to increase interoperability. The Netherlands said several partners and allies either use similar weapons or are planning to acquire them in the short term. The Netherlands will also buy around 200 multi-barrel machine guns that will equip helicopters and ships, for between €50 million and €250 million. The speed of engagements has increased, and the MoD said it's looking for a weapon with a higher rate of fire than the current MAG 7.62 mm and Browning .50 machine guns. Technical improvements on a multi-barrel machine gun make it less likely to malfunction than current weapons, and the improved combat capabilities increase the survivability and operational availability of platforms including naval vessels and helicopters, the ministry said. The ministry said the Dutch F-35 jets need a tactical armament that can be deployed against well-defended targets, with high survivability to avoid anti-munition weapon systems, and the ministry has budgeted €50 million to €250 million from 2027 to 2032 to acquire such a weapon. The current weapons for tactical deployment equipping the Dutch F-35 fleet are precision-guided and short-range, free-fall munitions with low survivability due to lack of speed or because of high radar reflectivity. They are limited in their deployment due to vulnerability to weather conditions, camouflage, deception and jamming, the ministry said. The Netherlands has changed its defense procurement to cut red tape and accelerate the process, doubling the threshold that requires notification to parliament to €50 million and lifting the investment amount that needs parliamentary approval to €250 million from €100 million. 'Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Defense has taken new measures to increase agility, speed up processes and reduce internal bureaucracy,' Tuinman said.
