Threat Profiles, Regional Co-operation Shape Europe's Defence Strategies

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Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, An Overview of European National Defence Strategies, 2018, reveals that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), and other multi-national agencies are building strategic capability across multiple domains. Such mechanisms include joint training, contingency response, and armament co-operation and deployments to address conventional, terrorist and cyber threats as well as humanitarian crises. Reducing capability duplication, minimising costs, and maximising operational efficiency across Europe’s defence market have become strategic priorities.  

“Europe’s security strategy is evolving with strategies focused on Europeanising the defence supply chain,” said Jaison Deepak, senior industry analyst, Defence at Frost & Sullivan. “In the future, cutting-edge fighter, unmanned air system, battle tank, artillery, and maritime patrol programmes are expected to emerge out of European joint armament co-operation.”

Deepak expects the increased tempo of air policing measures carried out by European air forces and the need to maintain high availability of the combat aircraft fleet to result in military aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul business growth in coming years. Moreover, newer and more advanced threats from rival nations will require significant investment by larger European nations into innovative air defence equipment and tactical and missile defence systems.

Six strategies that could create growth opportunities in the European defence market:

1. Use of proven technology with high technology readiness levels to avoid time and cost overruns;
2. The establishment of local industrial bases and European subsidiary networks to create jobs, source components for maintenance, repair and overhaul, and support European vendors;
3. Development of readily available training and simulation tools, especially for platforms with high operational costs;
4. Adopting open architecture to facilitate easy and cost-effective upgrades;
5. Utilising commercial off-the-shelf components and software to reduce costs and increase availability; and
6. Offering ISR aircraft and UAS as a service or leasing to minimise capability costs while building geospatial information.

“Despite increasing defence budgets, affordability is a very important criterion, especially for Central European states with limited budgets,” noted Deepak. “These countries need solutions that provide a good balance of capability and cost. Utilising commercial off-the-shelf components and joining with local partners for final assembly, maintenance, and repair would be worthwhile strategies.”

An Overview of European National Defence Strategies, 2018 assesses defence spending, geopolitics and defence co-operation, national defence structures, defence industrial base, and current and future military programs across Europe, including analysis of defence strategies in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Rep, Slovenia, and Georgia.

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