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Time to Think About a European Union Operated Airlift Capability? Laurent Donnet

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Time to Think About a European Union Operated Airlift Capability? Laurent Donnet No. 62 April 2015 Time to think about a European Union operated airlift capability? Laurent Donnet The European Council of June 2015 will the development and availability of the assess concrete progress regarding its required civilian and military capabilities to do conclusions of December 2013 and so. Member States were also encouraged to provide further guidance in the most improve the EU rapid response capabilities as promising areas. This could be the right well as to be able to plan and deploy the right time to propose innovative solutions to civilian and military assets rapidly and long-lasting issues and shortfalls - effectively. Here reference to humanitarian aid strategic airlift being one of them – and and disaster response is rather obvious. increased civil/military synergies. Could For responding to natural and man-made the A400M become part of the answer? disasters the Union has an array of instruments, notably those managed by the In December 2013 the European Council European Commission. The European stressed the need to turn the financial crisis Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and and its impact on national defence budgets Civil Protection (DG ECHO) is responsible into an opportunity, to give a new impetus to for the delivery of Community humanitarian European military capability development in assistance and the Emergency Response order to meet its level of ambition. It also Coordination Centre (ERCC) has been invited its Member States to address remaining established to enable the EU and its Member shortfalls and to safeguard the defence States to respond to the disasters in a timely capabilities required to support the European and efficient manner. The ERCC and the EU Union’s (EU) Common Security and Defence Civil Protection Mechanism improve joint Policy (CSDP) as well as to achieve national planning and response coordination in Europe capability targets, while avoiding unnecessary and therefore complement the role of the duplication. The Council adopted substantial Member States. These, and other Community conclusions and identified a number of priority instruments managed by the Commission, actions and called on the Member States to have specific roles and responsibilities in the deepen defence cooperation by improving the Union's response towards disasters. capacity to conduct missions and operations Community humanitarian aid aims at and by making full use of synergies to improve providing relief and assistance to victims of EGMONT Royal Institute for International Relations natural disasters in third countries, in an impartial manner and taking solely into European air forces own large quantities of consideration the needs of the victims. The tactical and strategic transport aircraft and in Commission has adopted specific, unique addition, since the 2002 NATO Summit in procedures for humanitarian assistance that Prague where Member States agreed to allow it to provide a very rapid financial improve strategic airlift capabilities, a large response in case of emergency through United variety of projects and initiatives increased the Nations agencies, international organisations efficiency of these assets: the Strategic Airlift such as the Red Cross, and NGOs. Interim Solution (SALIS) contracting the Humanitarian assistance covers the immediate Antonov AN-124 aircraft, the Strategic Airlift relief response during the emergency phase as Capability (SAC) operating three Boeing C-17 well as assistance to the victims in the aircraft, the European Airlift Centre (EAC) transition out of a crisis or until the arrival of that became multimodal and is known today as more structural reconstruction and the Movement Coordination Centre Europe development assistance. In addition to direct (MCCE), the European Air Transport assistance to the victims (food, shelter, health, Command (EATC) which is already etc.), Community funds are occasionally recognized as the European airlift centre of provided for logistics and transport that are expertise and finally the European Air necessary for humanitarian aid operations. Transport Fleet (EATF) partnership signed in 2011 under the auspices of the EDA. One Bringing an EU response to disasters enhances could argue though that the current inventories the Union’s reputation and receives strong still do not cover the required European airlift support both from its population and from the capabilities, but the substantial efforts made by international community. In the early hours of the nations in the last ten years in the airlift a humanitarian aid or disaster response domain provide today a much more robust, mission, large sized equipment like helicopters, interoperable and efficient capability than generators, water purifying stations, etc. is to before. Moreover, the latter will be further be sent to the affected regions. To ensure consolidated in the next decade with the efficiency and an appropriate speed of delivery of the majority of the ordered response, this is most frequently undertaken A400Ms as well as the further development of by air transportation and often by aircraft EATF. However, although Member States capable of transporting oversized/outsized have a large collection of military owned cargo as well as having strategic reach like the strategic and tactical airlift assets, there is no AN-124, the C-17 or the A400M. In a more guarantee these assets will be available for general framework it is to be noted that EU’s use for a given disaster. This could be Member State’s military owned airlift assets due to many reasons, which include prior have a unique capability in responding to operational tasking of the assets or political disasters, because they are often the only assets and financial imperatives. At the end of the day suited to the task, are wholly owned by the decision to commit military owned airlift Member States and can therefore be targeted assets will always remain the prerogative of promptly and tasked immediately. Generally, Member States. military airlift assets are often capable of operating at small unpaved airstrips closer to The crisis in Ukraine highlights the limits of the disaster scene, and thereby responding the SALIS contract since the Russian directly, which would not be the case for most Federation could block the use of the Russian civilian aircraft. Hence, using military assets in registered AN-124 aircraft by not providing some circumstances may increase not only the diplomatic clearance numbers for some flights. speed but also the efficiency of the response. For a variety of reasons some future European EGMONT Royal Institute for International Relations 2 A400M operators reduced the number of an annual 10% transfer from the European ordered aircraft to be kept in service. In Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF). addition, it is recognised that in specific cases the use of military assets might be perceived as The A400M has been ordered by six member having unwelcome diplomatic and political states (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg, impacts, which might restrict their potential Spain and United Kingdom) which will make use. This was one of the reasons why the UN this aircraft the most commonly used airlift guidelines1 on the use of military and civil and platform in Europe for the following decades. defence assets in support of humanitarian In addition to its strategic reach, the tactical operations were originally drawn up, to ensure capacity the A400M brings (short distance there was no blurring of the lines between landing, capability to operate from non- political and military actions on the one hand prepared platforms, capability to drop) makes and neutral humanitarian missions on the it a unique platform. One hundred and sixty other. This strict demarcation of roles is crucial A400M have been ordered by the European if the security of humanitarian workers is not partners and in aviation, when cooperating to be put further at risk. Work will therefore between similar fleet owners, the larger the fully respect the specific nature and the fleet the lower the cost per aircraft regarding principles of humanitarian assistance, such as maintenance and operating cost. Therefore, the fact that military capabilities are only to be why not having the Union acquiring some used as a last resort or in case of a lack of other A400M from those Member States having possibilities. In the case of natural disasters, aircraft in excess to perform humanitarian aid this impact is likely to be less intense. and disaster response missions or any other Nevertheless, for all the aforementioned mission in support of the European reasons, would it therefore be the right institutions, having them tasked by the EATC moment for the Union to start thinking about and operated under the European flag out of operating an own airlift capability? one of the future A400M bases? Former EU Commissioner Michel Barnier One could easily imagine operating and indicated in his 2006 report1 that European maintaining those civilian A400M’s side-by- emergency response to disasters is primarily a side with their military equivalent, thus taking problem of capacity because pooling of advantage of each other’s fleet, personnel and resources exists only on an ad hoc and financial means. Initial investment costs have voluntary basis. Hence, Barnier suggested the to be taken into account but operating the creation of a European civilian protection aircraft out of an existing A400M airbase will force “Europe Aid”, having the European reduce them substantially. The biggest
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