LAND FORCES ACADEMY NICOLAE BLCESCU SIBIU 2013

Analyze and implications of SMARTDEFENCE concept

Made by: Gabriel Pincu Class 34-B

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Content:
1. Definition 2. Analyze 3. Implications 4. Conclusions Bibliography

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1. Definition Smart Defence concept, launched at the NATO Summit in Chicago in May 2012, was adopted in the context of the contribution of major imbalance NATO Alliance budget imbalance whose importance has increased considerably in the conditions created by the global economic and financial crisis. According to NATO, Smart Defence means pooling and sharing capabilities, setting priorities and coordinating efforts better. According to me, there is a simpler definition: Smart Defence means getting the best value for money. Smart defence is a concept that encourages Allies to cooperate in developing, acquiring and maintaining military capabilities to meet current security problems in accordance with the new NATO strategic concept. Some of the factors driving the need for a smart defence NATO capability include the state of the global economy and recent events in the Middle East. From 2008 the world economy has been facing its worst period since the end of the Second World War. Governments are applying budgetary restrictions to tackle this serious recession, which is having a considerable effect on defence spending Smart Defense is equivalent to the pooling and sharing concept implemented at EU level. 2.Analyze Pooling and sharing and Smart Defense are two concepts roughly referring to the same approach capabilities merger and joint use in order to ensure more effective investments in security and defense. Cooperation among member states is the central idea around which the two concepts are built. What we can do is ask why Smart Defence could be successful. There are three main reasons: NATOs competence, the history and culture of cooperation, and four successful past projects (the Alliance Ground Surveillance Programme AGS; the Strategic Airlift Capability; the Strategic Airlift Interim Solutions SALIS; and the Airborne Warning and Control System AWACS). It could be argued that to do what Smart Defence entails and follow through the initiatives that were described above, countries do not need NATO. However the Alliance offers a specific structure and set of competencies, including the four operational Agencies (NATO Communications and Information Agency, NATO Support Agency, NATO
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Procurement Organisation, and NATO Science and Technology Organisation), and the know-how and experience built over a 63-year-long period. Over this period, member countries have also developed a habit and history of cooperation, evidenced by joint activities and solutions to respond to various common threats, in different theatres. Specific projects were also proposed in the past, which required cooperation, just as Smart Defence does now; not only did numerous countries come together, but they also reached significant and successful results. The AGS project aims at developing a system of drones and radars to provide NATO with a good air picture of ground conditions. This is why, to this day, 13 Allies participate in the project. The Strategic Airlift Capability project is composed of 10 Allies and 2 partners for the provision and operation of C-17 aircraft. The SALIS project included 14 Allies and 2 partners who coordinate the pooling of resources to support NATO in the air-transport of heavy equipment. Finally the AWACS project that operates 17 Boeing E-3A Sentry equipped with an AWAC system, reached the participation of 17 Allies. All these projects provide essential but expensive capabilities (NATO, 2012). 3. Implications By focusing on the implications of Smart Defence concept for Romania, the last Minister of National Defence, Cornelius Dobritoiu pointed out in his speech: key phrase of this concept is to spend less and achieve more through extensive international cooperation multinational . According to his statements, Smart Defense is not refer primarily to save money, but to create added value by reducing costs and developing capabilities. Thus, together we achieve more with fewer resources. Mr. Patrick Auroy, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment, said the essence of the concept of Smart Defence, stating that intelligent defense is not to spend more but to spend better. He listed three steps for implementation of intelligent defense in the allied states: Prioritization, cooperation and specialization. Prioritization is how jointly select what to cut and what to keep. Cooperation refers to what we should do together to provide multi-level capabilities that would otherwise be too expensive for many of us, taken separately. Specialization means that the allies to coordinate more closely so that plans can focus on what they can do best and each contributes effectively to the capabilities needed to achieve the goals of NATO. In his speech, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Titus Corlean said that Romania seeks armies of NATO member states meet standards and adequate
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financial resources to support reform as the financial austerity. However, he added that Smart Defence initiative of the Secretary General NATO is welcome in the current economic and military reality that will waste resources necessary to ensure convergence of initiatives and processes that Smart Defence. The increasing interest in implementing the concept of pooling and sharing, which proved an ef cient way to strengthen the European military power in a period of austerity, is the result of economic factors. The Ghent initiative played an important role in the development of this concept. The latter consisted in the effort of the 27 EU Member States defense ministers to nd solutions to strengthen European military capabilities in the context of budget cuts and rising cost investments in the military. Thus, within the Ghent initiative, we have identi ed the following areas where multilateral cooperation could bring added value to the Common Security and Defence Policy: Harmonization of the military requirements. This needs to occur at the level of the objectives related to the capabilities issue that were established at national and EU level. Research and Development. It is an area considered essential for improving existing capabilities and for developing new ones. Procurement. Aggregating national requirements savings can be made to the economy of mass production. In ord er to achieve cost ef ciency, the harmonization of military requirements and contract awards based on competition are important prerequisites. When the document known as the Ghent initiative was issued, the EU had already issued two directives, thus creating the legal framework for meeting the above conditions. One of the Directives was aimed at simplifying the terms and conditions for defenserelated products transfers within the community and hence, at harmonizing the European weapons market and reducing the administrative procedures that hinder the movement of military equipment between EU member states. The other one regulated the coordination of procedures for the award of certain work contracts, supply of goods and provision of services by contracting authorities or entities in the elds of defense and security. Training and exercises play an important role in the context of European forces tendency to decrease in number. Therefore, applying the pooling and sharing concept to the facilities available for training could not only contribute to lower costs, but also to increased interoperability. Command structures and procedures. Cost management. Providing expensive goods (e.g. strategic recognition, etc.) is a priority in the efforts to increase cooperation.
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Consequently, initiatives such as Helicopter Training Program, Maritime Surveillance Network, European Satellite Communications Procurement Cell, campaign hospitals, air refueling, Future Military Satellite Communications, Reconnaissance - Surveillance - Intelligence, Pilots Training, European Centre for Transportation, Smart Ammunition, Logistics and Naval Training were under discussion. All of the above considered, the idea of pooling and sharing involves cooperative and harmonization efforts in the security and defense industry eld. It is, in fact, an economical solution to manage the impact of the economic and nancial crisis on military budgets. Although not necessarily a new concept, its scale and importance nowadays are new. Also, the fact that pooling and sharing is an economical solution for managing current challenges and that the idea itself is not fundamentally new can be found in the emphasis placed on research and development the in 2020 Strategy where smart (i.e. smart growth) was de ned as developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation. Research and development can boost resource ef ciency and create new jobs. Basically, research and development are key factors in economic growth and their inclusion in initiatives to streamline defense spending becomes natural. 4. Conclusions We can now read the initial quote in a new light. Indeed, the crisis offers a possibility for countries to come together. Yet, it is not because every state has a stake in keeping each other strong but because every state has an interest in keeping itself strong. Cooperation is not sought by individual states as an aim in itself, but as a tool. Just as they would use anything else to preserve their power, so they will use cooperation if this furthers their selfinterest and protects them from downfall. The Allies designed NATOs founding concept of collective security not because they appreciated it as a value in itself, but because they needed it. This applies to all other strategic concepts that have been developed throughout NATOs 69-year long life, Smart Defence included. As this essay has shown, despite the challenges that NATO faces when promoting the new initiative, multinational cooperation is still possible among realist states. This does not mean that it is possible to implement a radical reform of states mind-sets, because cooperation continues to be seen as an instrument and not an a-priori value. NATO needs to acknowledge this, and build on it. Consequently, it will be able to draw strategy proposals that are less utopian, and more realistic, possible, and aligned with the members real interests, abilities and aims.
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Bibliography
1.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/official_texts_87594.htm?mode=pr essrelease [Accessed 2 June 2013] 2.http://www.mapn.ro/smg/gmr/Engleza/Ultimul_nr/4_2012/frunzeti,roc eanu,bogzeanu-p.165-173.pdf [Accessed 2 June 2013] 3. http://www.nato-pa.int/Default.asp?SHORTCUT=2775[Accessed 2 June 2013] 4.http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2012/smart-defence/Smart-DefenceMeaning/EN/.

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