The EU is committed to the fight against IED. Operational project in Afghanistan

(BRUSSELS 2, IN LUXEMBOURG) The Ministers of Defense of the European Union (*), meeting Monday in Luxembourg, decided to launch a new, concrete project on the fight against IED (improvised explosives) in Afghanistan. A project led by the European Defense Agency (EDA). This is the first time that European industrial capabilities have been deployed on the ground, which can be described as hostile, as part of a NATO operation.

An analysis laboratory deployed in the field

This " project financed from the European budget will be very useful, in the face of the threats posed by bombs to European forces on a daily basis explained Alexander Weis, head of the European Defense Agency at the end of the meeting. Concretely, it will consist in deploying, in Afghanistan, a team of specialists capable of doing "in situ" high-level analyzes of the origin of ingredients used in improvised explosive devices, know how it works follow the evolution of the composition and ingredients. comments an expert on the subject. " Certainly, this fills a void on the ground. Usually, indeed, the collection of elements is carried out on site (this is level 1) while the more in-depth analysis is carried out in the States (level 3). The intermediate level is missing: on-site investigation and analysis (level 2). " This system will make it possible to better follow the evolutions of the bombers, to give on the spot certain recommendations to remedy them or even to be able to intervene on the logistics of the components used. ". NB: improvised explosives cause about 60% of the casualties to coalition forces (according to the site iCasualties).

Operational project in June 2011, pushed by France

All the ministers of defence, members of the Agency have shown their interest in this project, according to certain sources. France will be the framework nation for the project, officially confirmed Hervé Morin, the French Minister of Defence. But other countries like Italy or Poland are also very interested in participating. As one diplomat explained, France “does not currently have anti-IED capabilities. And this project interests him to the highest degree ». This makes it possible to have a national project financed by Europe. Which is not, in itself, abnormal. This is also in itself the objective of the projects carried out by the European Defense Agency: to be able to pool research, projects, which a Member State could not carry out alone, to avoid duplicating expenditure.

This system should be operational by June 2011. The European Defense Agency will launch a call for tenders. And its director hopes to sign the contract next October. The budget should be around one million euros. British firms specializing in the issue would be in a good position to win this market, according to other sources.

An EU project in a NATO operation, an example to follow?

This first deployment of specialists paid by the European Defense Agency on a NATO operation is intended as an example of the possible cooperation that exists between this EU structure and NATO. Alexander Weis, the director of the Agency, and what can be considered as his counterpart on the NATO side, General Abrial, head of Commander Allied Transformation (ACT), meet regularly, discreetly, to compare their views and see the projects that can be carried out in a complementary way by the EU and NATO a diplomat explained to me. A pragmatic device which makes it possible to compensate for the absence of a formal agreement between the two organizations (due to the Cypriot-Turkish dispute). " Grand declarations - as the Secretary General of NATO, AF Rasmussen, was able to make in Palma de Mallorca, claiming that Turkey must have a place in the European Defense Agency - are very counter-productive”, he believes. And to add: This type of device, informal, under the "waterline" makes it possible to develop good cooperation... provided that the "politics" does not interfere ". Modern version of "to live well, live hidden".

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

(*) with the exception of Denmark which benefits from an opt-out on defence.