The OSRA is a new approach for aligning strategic research agendas with Member States’ operational needs and requirements. This will provide a systematic and clear mechanism for collaborative European Defence Research for the future, such as the upcoming EU framework programme and Preparatory Action. In addition to the bottomup process of identifying common areas of R&T interests, the so-called technology push process, a top-down capability-pull process is foreseen that links operational requirements directly to technologies in a systematic and traceable manner, and moreover leads towards the development of an European overarching strategic research agenda.