Editor's Foreword

108 ThE MiliTary BalancE 2010
Table 14 Innovative Methods for Capability Development
Method Possible Definition Example
Sharing of capabilities Joint use of national capabilities without a specific
mechanism for use
Pooling of capabilities Delegation of nationally owned resources to a
multinational structure for use
Role and task sharing States rely on other states or a multinational structure
for certain capabilities. Options include the sharing
of niche capabilities, such as CBRN or medical aircraft,
or the sharing of rare and costly capabilities, such as
satellite-based reconnaissance
Pooling through acquisition
of enabling capabilities
Capabilities funded by national governments but held
and operated by multinational structures
role specialisation for rare and costly niche capabilities;
and the collective procurement of critical
capabilities. Pursuing such a course is increasingly
understood to be one of the few remaining options
for significantly improving available capabilities. The
need for such innovative collaboration will have to
be balanced with governments’ desire to maintain
national security and defence priorities, since such
methods invariably increase mutual interdependence
among participating countries.
It is notable that 2008 saw a flurry of capabilityrelated
initiatives driven by groups of EU member
states rather than the Union as a whole. On 10
November 2008, a declaration of intent to establish
a European Air Transport Fleet (EATF) was signed
by 12 EU member states (Belgium, Czech Republic,
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain).
The goal was the pooling of services and aircraft
such as the C-130 Hercules and the planned A-400M
airlifter. From 2014 to 2017, member states were
to make aircraft available; purchase, provide and
exchange flying hours; and pool support functions,
all with the aim of increasing availability, generating
economies of scale, and making more effective use of
assets. Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg
later signed a separate declaration of intent to set up a
multinational unit for the A-400M, though the Airbusmanaged
project to build the aircraft encountered
further delays. On the same day, Belgium, France,
Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal,
Spain and the UK signed a declaration of intent
to enable the generation of a combined European
maritime-strike capability. Called the European
Carrier Group Interoperability Initiative, the declaration
aimed to increase interoperability among
European navies and associated air groups so
that participating countries would find it easier to
European Carrier Group Initiative (ECGI;
declaration of intent signed 10 November 2008)
Movement Coordination Centre Europe
(MCC-E), Eindhoven
European Air Transport Fleet (EATF; declaration
of intent signed 10 November 2008)
Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS);
Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC)
contribute assets into a composite carrier strike group
in support of EU and NATO commitments.
A separate airlift effort was also under way
within NATO. Ten members (Bulgaria, Estonia,
Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Romania, Slovenia and the United States),
as well as Finland and Sweden, signed a Strategic
Airlift Capability (SAC) agreement on 1 October
2008. This activated the NATO Airlift Management
Organisation, which has acquired three C-17s that
are flown and maintained by international crews.
The aircraft were delivered between July and October
2009, are based in Hungary and can be employed
on NATO, EU and UN operations. The SAC Heavy
Airlift Wing began flying operational missions in late
summer 2009, delivering materiel to troops in both
Kosovo and Afghanistan (see Table 19 NATO/EU
Transport and Air Refuelling Capability, p. 210).
Tactical-helicopter transport capability has consistently
ranked as one of the most pressing force-
generation problems for NATO and the EU. According
to European Defence Agency (EDA) figures, only
6–7% of helicopters in the inventories of European
armed forces were deployed on crisis-management
operations. Thus, the problem was one of availability.
Both aircraft and crews were often unable to fly in
demanding operational environments such as deserts
and mountainous areas. The EDA was to focus on the
problem with a three-pronged initiative. For crews,
the short-term ambition was to establish a Helicopter
Tactics Training Programme to be launched in 2010.
In the medium term, the agency aimed to focus on
upgrade programmes for helicopters, particularly
the Mi- range of Soviet-era models in the inventories
of most Central and East European forces. For the
long term, the EDA sought to lead the development
of a Future Transport Helicopter able to lift up to 13
tonnes with a range of 1,000km.