SUMMARY
Since 2008, the European Defence Agency (EDA) has been producing a Capability Development Plan (CDP) to address long-term security and defence challenges. It looks at future security scenarios and makes recommendations about the capabilities European militaries will need to react to a variety of potential developments. The CDP is a comprehensive planning method providing a picture of European military capabilities over time. It can be used by Member States’ defence planners when identifying priorities and opportunities for cooperation.
Goals
- Provide a picture of European military capabilities over time
- Help Member States’ defence planners identify priorities and opportunities for cooperation
- Look at the long term trends affecting European Defence
- Identify list of priority actions detailed enough to direct work on capability development
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
The EDA produces an updated (CDP) since 2008, in close cooperation with its Member States and with the active contributions of the EU Military Committee (EUMC) and the European Union Military Staff (EUMS).
The purpose of the periodic CDP revision, a key tasking of the Agency, is to provide a full capability picture that supports decision-making at EU and national levels regarding defence capability development. The overall objective is to increase coherence between Member States’ defence planning and to encourage European cooperation by looking together at future operational needs and defining common EU Capability Development Priorities. The CDP revision benefits from several inputs such as the Headline Goal Process, studies on long-term trends, lessons from operations and information on current plans and programmes.
The 2023 Update
The CDP is regularly updated and the latest version was endorsed by the EDA Steering Board in Ministers of Defence formation in November 2023. The revised set of EU Capability Development Priorities serves as a baseline for EU-wide defence planning, and all EU defence-related initiatives, such as the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), the European Defence Fund (EDF), and any future EU Defence supporting tools. In line with the Strategic Compass, this set of priorities shall also serve as a prime reference for national defence planning.
The 2023 review resulted in 14 priorities across the five military domains, and a further eight priorities categorised under strategic enablers and force multipliers. The 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities address overall military potential and thus encompass the entire EU capability landscape. They are further structured in 69 key areas which will have an impact over different time horizons, succinctly capture those next generation capabilities. The 22 priorities are vital to bolstering European full spectrum military capability across all operational domains, addressing both operational realities and future threats and challenges.
The 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities are the outcome of an in-depth assessment of short, medium, and long-term capability trend analysis. These trends cover existing capability shortfalls in the context of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), lessons identified from recent operations and missions, planned cooperation, and potential for future European defence collaboration. They also encompass an analysis of long-term technology perspectives and future operational environments, including their associated requirements.
Download the 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities factsheet for more details.
A detailed overview of the 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities is available here.