a8.90 European D 14974 E Security ESD & Defence 6/2021 International Security and Defence Journal ISSN 1617-7983 • Czech IFV Programme www.euro-sd.com • • OPVs from and for Europe • Dismounted Combat • Frontex Update • Body Armour June 2021 • Medium AFV Upgrades • Containers for Logistic Support Politics · Armed Forces · Procurement · Technology Eurofighter Typhoon – developed by Europe, for Europe. www.eurofighter.com Effective Proven Trusted EuropeanSecDef297x210.indd 1 22.03.21 11:36 Editorial Afghanistan – Another War Lost? At the end of April, after almost 20 years in theatre, the United States decided to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, thus terminating the Resolute Support Mission and completing it – preferably – by 11 September 2021, the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US. As a result, all other western countries with military troop contingents in the country decided to follow suit and also end their military presence in Afghanistan. Following the announcement of the United States’ troop withdrawal, politicians in this country – Germany – rushed to affirm that there was no other alternative for Germany, either, as the station- ing of German troops in Afghanistan was only possible with the military support of the American allies. So far, the mantra of the German Government, as well as NATO, had always been: withdrawal is not linked to calendar dates, but to the situation in-country. The Grand Coalition had just extended the mandate with the main point being that the country would be in danger of descending into chaos and civil war if the troops left prematurely. Prevention of a civil war – has that been the objective of the mission? Well, if I remember correctly, there was no mentioning of a civil war threat when the United States entered into an agreement with the so-called “Northern Alliance” (formerly National Islamic Front of Afghanistan), a loose coalition of rival Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara warlords, in October 2001. The objective clearly was to destroy the power of Al Qaida including – which appeared to be the premier objective of the mission to many observers – finding and eliminating Osama Bin Laden as the main suspect of the 9/11 attacks. With strong air support by US troops, the Northern Alliance managed to conquer the country’s capital Kabul and the provincial capitals of Kandahar and Kun- duz, following which the United Nations’ Security Council mandated the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to protect the interim government under President Hamid Karzai and to assist in the reconstruction of the country. When – after months-long global public announcements – the ISAF troops arrived in theatre in December 2001, they were forced to realise that Osama Bin Laden had gone elsewhere and that the rules of war against regular forces could not be applied to the fight against irregular forces like the Taliban and Al Qaida. Within a short period of time, ISAF troops became increasingly involved in combat operations in the South and in the East without, however, achieving a decisive victory. And that has remained unchanged until the present day. During the early phase of the operation, the German Government avoided using the terms “war” or “combat” in connection with the Afghanistan mission, rather, the operation was advertised as something to – as a German Army major deployed to Afghanistan expressed himself during a TV interview – “dig fountains in fanciful apparel” and thus provide human assistance to the deserving population of the country. But what has been achieved after all these years? According to NATO, “…ISAF’s primary objective was to enable the Afghan Government to provide effective security across the country and develop new Afghan security forces to ensure Afghanistan would never again become a safe haven for terrorists.” According to other sources, ISAF’s “…main purpose was to train the Afghan forces and assist in rebuilding government institutions.” As we are all well aware, these objectives could not be met, rather, the political situation and development of the country is still decisively influenced by the Taliban and the withdrawing troops, above all, are afraid of forthcoming attacks by the Taliban, in response to which they have assigned special forces units for the protection of that logistic effort. A recent assessment by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University had the costs invested in the US military’s presence in Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan at between US$3.2Tr and US$4Tr (US$4,000,000,000,000), of which the Afghanistan share is US$1.1Tr. Taxpayers in Germany invested €12.5Bn. The total number of war victims in the three theatres is estimated at around 360,000, of which 225,000 were in uniform. Was it worth the effort? Jürgen Hensel 6/2021 · European Security & Defence 1 Contents Photo: UK MoD Photo: Rheinmetall ASW torpedoes can be launched from ships, Page 46 For most military, police and security forces Page 61 dropped from fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, around the world, body armour is now a or carried to their target area. standard item of kit. SECURITY POLICY 58 The British Army' EW Posture Thomas Withington 14 Protecting the EU’s External Borders: 61 Body Armour Requirements: An Update on Frontex Fit for Purpose Giulia Tilenni Tim Guest 18 NATO Defence Against Terrorism 66 Containers for Logistic Support Dr. Andreea Stoian Karadeli Christopher F. Foss 24 Syria in 2021: 70 Land-Based Offensive Hypersonic A Transition Conflict with no Lasting Resolution Weapon Programmes Dr. Andreea Stoian Karadeli Sidney E. Dean 74 Upgrading Medium Armoured Fighting Vehicles ARMAMENT & TECHNOLOGY Christopher F. Foss 29 Czech IFV Procurement Programme 77 CBRN Respiratory Protection and Filters Martin Smisek Dan Kaszeta 34 Japan’s Complicated Machine Gun Procurement Sumitomo Heavy Industries withdraws from ongoing machine gun tender. INDUSTRY & MARKETS Shinichi Kiyotani 80 Contract Management in Australia Capability Priorities for Dismounted Combat 36 Stephen Bunce Manuela Tudosia 85 "We see an increasingly complex OPVs for and from Europe 42 threat environment." Bob Nugent Interview with Kevin Davis, Vice-President of Product and 46 Unmanned Surface and Underwater Vessels Channel Management, TCI International, Inc. European Developments 87 “Our ASCOD is the only platform in the current Sidney E. Dean Czech competition which can be adapted to a medium main battle tank.” 52 The TEJAS Light Combat Aircraft Interview with Juan Escriña, GDELS Vice President for India’s Single Largest Indigenous Defence Order Tracked Vehicles & Artillery and Managing Director of Suman Sharma GDELS-Santa Bárbara Sistemas (SBS) 54 Killing the Lurking Submarine Doug Richardson 2 European Security & Defence · 6/2021 Image: Raytheon Photo: Audun Rikardsen IMU TACTICAL GRADE Development of agile hypersonic weapon Page 70 systems has become a priority for technolo- gically advanced armed forces. VIEWPOINT FROM … 51 India Debalina Ghoshal 1:1 scale 69 New Delhi Suman Sharma STIM318 – the latest Sensonor tactical grade Inertial Measurement Unit, IMU. COLUMNS Increased performance for demanding 1 Editorial guidance and navigation applications. 4 Firms & Faces • ITAR free • Small size, low weight, power and cost 6 ESD Spotlight • Insensitive to magnetic fi elds 83 Masthead • Low gyro bias instability (0.3°/h) • Low gyro noise (0.15°/√h) • Low accelerometer bias instability (0.003 mg) Index of Advertisers • Low accelerometer noise (0.015m/s/√h) AOC Europe 43 • User programmable BIAS Offset Bofors Test Center 9 • Weight 57 grams, volume <2cu.in, power 5V, 1.8 W DSEI 3rd cover DST 28, 33 STIM318 is a design that is fi eld proven in Military Land Eurofighter 2nd cover navigators, Missile systems, Target acquisition systems, Fischer Connectors 7 Airborne surveillance, DIRCM, Remote Weapon GDELS 29 IAI 41 Systems, Launch vehicles and Satellites. ITEC 49 Qualifi ed according to high-performance aircraft vibration John Cockerill Defense 4th cover standard. Koehler 84 Leonardo 23 Lürssen 14/15 MBDA 13 Mittler 27 When size, performance and robustness matter NBC Sys 11 Pearson Engineering 30 Raytheon ELCAN 35, 39 [email protected] • sensonor.com Rheinmetall 31 Sensonor 3 Systematic 37 6/2021 · European Security & Defence 3 WB Group 19 Firms & Faces Incora Opens New Global Corpo- Rheinmetall Joins UNGC EUMET to rate Headquarters in Fort Worth (jr) Rheinmetall is joining the United Na- Develop Engine for NGF (jh) Incora has announced the opening of its tions Global Compact (UNGC). In becom- (gwh) MTU Aero Engines (Germany), Safran new global headquarters in Fort Worth. Fort ing a signatory, the company pledges to Aircraft Engines (France) and ITP Aero (Spain) Worth was previously home to two com- uphold the 10 principles of the UNGC have agreed to jointly develop, manufacture pany offices, which have consolidated into regarding sustainable and responsible and support the engine for the Next Gen- business management and development. eration Fighter (NGF), a core element of the Even before joining the UNGC, Rheinmet- Future Combat Air System (FCAS), MTU said all oriented its sustainability strategy to in a statement. Photo: Incora the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) To this end, MTU and Safran have founded of the UN. For example, the group aims to European Military Engine Team (EUMET) be CO2-neutral by 2035. In this context, GmbH on a 50:50 basis, which, with ITP as reduced consumption of energy and wa- the main partner, intends to provide each ter is crucial. partner a one-third share of the work as the The UNGC is the world’s biggest sustain- sole contractual partner of the nations partic- ability initiative. Enacted by the UN in ipating in the FCAS programme. The manag- 2000, it currently numbers 12,765 com- ing director of EUMET will be nominated by the new, expanded location. Incora’s largest panies from 160 countries. All of the sig- Safran and MTU Aero Engines’ Programme warehouse, by volume, is in the Dallas-Fort natories are committed to running their Director, Michael Schreyögg, will chair the Worth area, and some of the company’s businesses in accordance with ten uni- EUMET shareholder meeting.