News and activities

On Thursday 6 May | 17:30-19:30 CEST our partner Eurodefense organises an important webinar titled  'Breaking the Impasse' on their policy proposal for the future of European defence cooperation.  Register here for the webinar . The security and defence capabilities of the EU should be strengthened. There is a growing Europe wide support for a more effective defence and better cooperation. However, multilateral defence cooperation in past decades was difficult. To give new impetus Eurodefense developed a proposal comprising four elements: 1. A permanent, limited, but high-quality intervention capacity of the European Union for direct action in case of crisis.  2. Development and introduction of new technologies and capabilities beyond the capacity of most Member States. 3. Improving fast EU decision-making in crisis situations by a EU security council. 4. Strengthening the EU command structure to effectively lead EU units the EU contribution to NATO. For more informatio...

    Webinar  7 April 2021 | 19:30 - 20:30   Ground effect boats, although not well known, have recently begun to be rediscovered for use in both military and commercial areas.  Ground effect vehicles cruise at very high speeds without touching the water, thanks to the air cushion formed under their wings at low altitude. While the resistance acting on the wing during the cruise decreases, the wing efficiency increases as the lift force increases. In this way, ground-effect vehicles can reach speeds higher than any other marine vehicle. In addition, they have less fuel consumption, longer range and higher carrying capacity than aircraft and helicopters.  The proposed design differs from conventional ground effect vehicles by its hover (with a middle fan) and VTOL capabilities. This natural sea skimmer with extreme speed and VTOL capability makes the vehicle a suitable choice in diverse environments with efficiency, long-range, higher load capacity, lowe...

On 4 November 2020 our partner federation EuroDéfense sent this policy proposal to the president of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. When implemented, this proposal would be a breakthrough in European cooperation in defence. The security and defence capabilities of the EU should be strengthened. There is a growing Europe wide support for a more effective defence and better cooperation. However, multilateral defence cooperation in past decades was difficult. To give new impetus to strengthening the security and de fence of the EU, the EURODEFENSE Network, represented in 15 countries, has sent a practical proposal to the president of the European Commission, the presiden t of the European Council and the president of the European Parliament.  European security is no longer just about military threats and the defence of the territory of a member state. There are many new threats and developments that most individual Member States are unable to...

  Download below the 2019 annual report of the Federation  including the annual report of our cooperation with the EuroDéfense network. In 2019 the most important activities of the federation were: Review and comment on European defence policy, Complete working group report “Energy Transition as an Operational Advantage for the Military” in cooperation with EuroDéfense (EWG26). Present “unintended effects” of current policies in the European Parliament Cooperate with EuroDéfense in the framework of our partnership agreement, Start working group on the participation of SMEs in the defence industry in cooperation with  EuroDéfense (EWG29) Implement the new partnership with the European Training and Simulation Association ETSA, Distribute invitations of (inter)national relevant activities among member associations. EDTA annual report 2019

Pollution at sea used to be the norm , Picture US NAVY Energy transition is discussed worldwide on a daily basis, except in most Ministries of Defence and the military. Currently, military capabilities are being built running on regular diesel fuel with an intended service life of 40 years. However, when energy transition continues at the current pace, availability of fossil fuels could be an issue in less than 20 years. Time for action! A working group of EDTA and EuroDéfense has written  a report on Energy Transition for the military   based on contributions received from member associations in France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK as well as topical on-line research in NATO, EDA, European Nations and industries. The report focuses on the policies, need and options for use of sustainable energy in major military combat systems like naval vessels, aircraft, vehicles and in military compounds, especially during operations.  Energy transition could be a necess...