Pacific force’s wish list seeks $11 billion more than defense proposal

Sur le même sujet

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  1 août 2019 | International, Aérospatial

  SCAF : la Suède et le Royaume-Uni cherchent à rompre leur isolement

  Les ministres suédois et britannique de la Défense ont signé un protocole d'accord concernant le développement conjoint des systèmes de combat aérien du futur. Face à l'axe mis en place entre l'Allemagne, l'Espagne et la France pour développer conjointement un système de combat aérien du futur (SCAF), le Royaume-Uni et la Suède cherchent à rompre leur isolement en s'alliant. La secrétaire d'État à la Défense du Royaume-Uni, Penny Mordaunt, et le ministre suédois de la Défense, Peter Hultqvist, se sont donc rencontrés à Londres pour signer un protocole d'accord portant sur le développement d'un système similaire de combat aérien du futur (SCAF). S'étalant sur dix ans, cet accord doit permettre d'établir les conditions d'une coopération plus étroite concernant le développement d'un SCAF. Cela inclut la possibilité d'intégrer des technologies installées sur les Saab JAS 39 Gripen et BAE Systems Typhoon. Selon les parties concernées, les industriels et les gouvernements des deux pays ont identifié des besoins futurs similaires en matière de combat aérien. Le ministre de la Défense suédois, Peter Hultqvist, a souligné que les relations industrielles partagées par les deux pays étaient essentielles pour garantir cette future puissance aérienne de combat. « La coopération internationale fait partie de la stratégie de croissance de Saab et la collaboration avec les industries britanniques représente cette façon de travailler, également en prévision du futur », commente Håkan Buskhe, président de Saab. Le constructeur suédois rappelle qu'il développe actuellement le chasseur de nouvelle génération, le Gripen E/F, et qu'il « s'engage à le faire en étroite collaboration avec ses partenaires stratégiques, les forces aériennes suédoises et brésiliennes, ainsi qu'avec d'autres clients existants et nouveaux du Gripen, afin que le Gripen évolue pour répondre aux nouvelles exigences opérationnelles des prochaines décennies. » De son côté, le ministre britannique chargé des achats de la Défense, Stuart Andrew, a rappelé que le partenariat entre le Royaume-Uni et la Suède comportait déjà des exercices conjoints dans l'Arctique ainsi que l'exercice Ramstein Alloy au-dessus de l'Europe de l'Est. De même, les Typhoons de la Royal Air force sont équipés de distributeurs de paillettes et de leurres de fabrication suédoise tandis que le radar Giraffe de Saab est un élément clé du système de défense aérienne au sol britannique Sky Saber. Enfin, les Gripen sont équipés de radars conçus et construits par Leonardo à Edimbourg et le Royaume-Uni, en collaboration avec des partenaires européens, dont la Suède, a mis au point des missiles air-air Meteor. https://www.air-cosmos.com/article/scaf-la-sude-et-le-royaume-uni-cherchent-rompre-leur-isolement-21536

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  17 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  Finland’s defense minister: Continuity and change in Finnish defense policy

  By: Jussi Niinistö Today we are all adapting to a new security environment, both in Europe and globally. From the Finnish point of view, we can see some continuity and some new elements. After the Cold War ended, Finland did not initiate a massive defense transformation. Even though we started to build interoperability with our NATO partners and participated in crisis management operations, the main focus of the Finnish Defence Forces was always the defense of our own territory. Our consistent policy was to keep our defense strong. The upcoming investments — including four new corvettes for the Navy and replacement of the Finnish Air Force's F-18 fleet — and new defense-related legislation will further strengthen our readiness and national defense. What has changed in our current environment, however, is that other European Union and NATO countries have also started to focus on the defense of their own territory, and NATO's presence is the Baltic Sea region has increased. This has enhanced stability and security in the Baltic Sea region. At the same time, increased presence in our neighborhood has created more training opportunities. Increased cooperation and coordination is also needed because of our geography and a shared security environment, which creates some interdependency. This type of defense cooperation is based on a shared, common interest. Today, the Finnish Defence Forces are more capable and more interoperable than they have ever been. That makes us effective in looking after our own security and a solid partner for other EU member states and NATO countries. For Finland, the European Union has always been a security provider. It is increasingly also a facilitator and enabler of defense cooperation. The union has tools that other organizations lack. The European Defence Fund or promoting military mobility in Europe are just a few examples, and only a beginning, as we are moving from out-of-area crisis management to a more strategic approach to protecting Europe and its citizens. Although all the EU member states have agreed on the direction we are heading, some want to move faster than others. The vision for the future must bring countries together instead of sowing divisions. The more the EU can do for defense, the better for NATO and the trans-Atlantic link. A more capable and integrated Europe is also a stronger trans-Atlantic partner. In this respect, more EU does not mean less NATO. EU and NATO must continue to coordinate their actions on both hard and soft security. I hope this illustrates why we, in Finland, do not see European strategic autonomy as an alternative to NATO or as an alternative to a strong trans-Atlantic link. It is also essential to mention the Nordic Defence Cooperation, which has also adapted to changes in our shared security environment. In November, the Nordic defense ministers adopted a new Vision 2025 for taking our cooperation forward. The vision states that we will improve our defense capability and cooperation in peace, crisis and conflict, and that we will ensure a close Nordic political and military dialogue on security and defense. This regional cooperation supports what we are doing in the EU and together with NATO. During my time as the minister of defense of Finland, we have taken other steps to strengthen the trans-Atlantic link. A prime example is our bilateral defense relationship with the United States. In October 2016, we signed our bilateral statement of intent on defense cooperation. This was later followed by a trilateral statement of intent between Finland, Sweden and the United States in May 2018. The statements of intent speak to both the depth and width of our cooperation, including joint exercises, policy dialogue and materiel cooperation. In the coming years, these links will be further strengthened. We must also keep our minds on the bigger picture. There is a dual challenge: to sustain the vital trans-Atlantic relationship and further strengthen European security. These goals can best be achieved by increasing European capabilities. Europe needs to finds its voice and speak, alongside the United States. Jussi Niinistö is Finland's defense minister. https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2018/12/10/finlands-defense-minister-continuity-and-change-in-finnish-defense-policy/

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  8 décembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

  US expands list of ‘Communist Chinese military companies'

  by Jon Grevatt The US Department of Defense (DoD) has identified four additional Chinese corporations that it claims have links to China's military. The companies' inclusion on the list of ‘Communist Chinese military companies' means that US investors will be prevented from buying stock in the firms from January 2021. The new list, which takes the number of blacklisted Chinese companies to 35, features corporations that are known primarily for operations in commercial domains. They include the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China Construction Technology Company (CCTC), China International Engineering Consulting Corporation (CIECC), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The DoD said these firms' inclusion on the list is aligned with US efforts to tackle China's military-civil fusion (MCF) strategy, which seeks to adopt advanced commercial technologies for military gains. It said, “The [DoD] is determined to highlight and counter the People's Republic of China's (PRC) military-civil fusion development strategy, which supports the modernisation goals of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by ensuring its access to advanced technologies and expertise acquired and developed by even those PRC companies, universities, and research programs that appear to be civilian entities.” The DoD added that the list of Chinese companies will continue to be updated “with additional entities as appropriate”. In response to the listing, China's foreign ministry spokesperson said on 4 December that the move constituted a “groundless suppression”. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-expands-list-of-communist-chinese-military-companies