The second edition (third, if including a related conference in Germany) of the European Air and Missile Defence Conference 2024 recently concluded, held on September 16 and 17 at Italian Air Force HQ in Rome, organized by the italian Ministry of Defense.
This event aimed to provide an opportunity for a bilateral meeting between Italy and France, represented by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu, with the participation of representatives from other European countries, supported by industry leaders from the defense sector.
The meeting proved to be an excellent opportunity to affirm the cooperation between Italy and France and take stock of European defense in a constantly evolving geopolitical landscape, with a conflict on Europe’s doorstep, the Middle East conflict and the related situation in the Red Sea, tensions in the Pacific region, and the upcoming U.S. presidential elections—a nation that remains one of Europe’s major allied partners.
The various panels at the European Air and Missile Defence Conference 2024 addressed topics such as cooperation and technology and know-how exchange in Europe, aimed at building a common multi-layered defense. Discussions ranged from threats posed by drones and hypersonic missiles to cyber threats, emphasizing the need for appropriate and proportionate responses, including in economic terms. For example, it was highlighted the importance of avoiding costly, disproportionate responses to drone threats, using weapons far more expensive than the threat itself.
Another critical issue emphasized during the event was bureaucracy, both domestically and in relations with European partner nations. Bureaucracy continues to be a significant obstacle slowing the development of a common European defense. In a democratic Europe with its welfare system, where decisions are made collectively, this results in a tangible delay in developing defense systems, putting us at a disadvantage compared to authoritarian regimes. While these regimes may be flawed, they are much more efficient in achieving defense outcomes or, worse, offensive actions, such as the case of Russia, which cooperates more easily with China, Iran, and North Korea than European nations cooperate with each other.
Another crucial factor that risks undermining the development of defense technologies is the offshoring of European technological production to Asia, driven by economic reasons that are now backfiring. Consider that the West graduates around one million engineers annually, while China graduates four million. Today, there is no more room for competition in Europe; what is needed is cooperation at every level, from universities to final production, to be more effective and eliminate bureaucratic barriers.
A further key factor is the shared need for raw materials. Currently, Europe depends on China for 90% of rare earth elements and 78% of lithium. It is vital to forecast over the next 30 years where raw materials can be sourced, including within Europe, by exploiting, for instance, vast underwater deposits that will become essential for producing defense systems. Any disruption in the supply of these materials would have significant repercussions for achieving the final goal of a common European defense.
Cooperating in defense today in Europe is easier than in other sectors because a solid reality like MBDA already exists. MBDA is a consortium for the development of defense systems, comprising Matra (France), BAE Dynamics (UK), and Alenia, now Leonardo, for Italy. MBDA is, and aims to be, a solid foundation for building and consolidating defense systems suited to new scenarios, from countering threats like drones to creating systems capable of intercepting hypersonic weapons.
The goal is to achieve Design Authority, meaning the ability to design, operate, and modify systems under the control of European industry, aiming for sovereign defense of our continent in an ever-evolving geopolitical context.
MBDA’s air defense systems include products for very short-range air defense, such as the V-SHORAD MANPADS currently in development or the Mistral, short-range systems like the CAMM-ER and VL MICA, medium-range systems like the Aster and its evolution Aster B1NT, which will be integrated into the next-generation SAMP/T NG system, capable of countering ballistic threats, up to systems designed to combat hypersonic threats. MBDA leads a European consortium studying an interceptor against highly sophisticated hypersonic missiles.
The SAMP/T NG, in particular, thanks to its open architecture, can become the core of a multi-layer air defense system by integrating short-to-medium range vertical-launch missiles like CAMM-ER or MICA.
This will allow the creation of a multi-level system with a fully European Design Authority, ensuring genuine strategic autonomy for our continent. The SAMP/T NG can rightfully become the only European Design Authority system capable of integrating various effectors within NATO’s entire ABT/TBM (anti-ballistic) operational chain.
It is no longer feasible to rely on those who have contributed to Europe’s defense for decades. We must be part of NATO, capable of producing defense for ourselves and, in a hypothetical distant scenario, even offering support to those who have protected us for decades.
To the reader, all this may not appear to be a race for rearmament, as it might seem, but rather an inevitable stance in a dynamic geopolitical context that we must accept. It is not easy to understand these efforts for a common defense in a peaceful and quiet Europe, but would you build your house without a roof just because today is a sunny day?
Article: Simone Vicari
Images: Gianluca Vannicelli, Simone Vicari