The Professor Christian de Boissieu, Chairman of the Chair's Scientific Advisory Board, and Olivier Martin, Chairman of the Chair's Steering Committee, published an article in the «ideas» section of Les Echos on 29 July (no. 23759). article on the consequences of the return to Europe of a high-intensity conflict, particularly for the French defence industry.
They conclude that the defence industry must be fully involved in the development of new technologies. a stakeholder in new industrial strategies, These should include ensure our ability to support the defence effort, The aim is to strengthen strategic autonomy and sovereignty.
«The upheavals caused by the return of a high-intensity conflict to Europe are impressive: massive support from Western countries for Ukraine, in particular through the delivery of high-tech weapons; the return of NATO to centre stage, with Sweden and Finland applying for membership; European solidarity in favour of international sanctions against Russia; the announcement of significant increases in defence budgets by most European countries, particularly Germany, after many years of cuts...
The return of the risk of war and the need for European countries to actively prepare for this situation is the first and most obvious lesson of the Ukrainian crisis.
A second lesson is emerging in Europe, but also more surprisingly in the United States: the ability to sustain this war effort over the long term. Current deliveries are being made by drawing on equipment available within the armed forces, so the volume delivered by each country is linked to the size of its existing stock. The first delivery difficulties are already appearing, even in the United States.
The US Department of Defence has just launched a reflection on this subject with its industry, and it seems essential that the same analysis be launched in France and Europe, as the President of the Republic has just requested.
A third lesson concerns the resilience of nations to sustain such conflicts over time. This will undoubtedly be a decisive factor in overcoming the Ukrainian crisis, in particular by comparing the resilience of the Russian and Ukrainian populations, but also that of the European nations affected by the impact of the economic sanctions imposed on Russia (inflation, decline in activity, etc.).
The final lesson to be learned, particularly in Europe, is that the possibility of a major conflict, hitherto regarded as virtual, means that we must be genuinely capable of dealing with it. Recognition of the European defence industry as a common asset essential to the sovereignty and security of our continent means that its funding must be sustainable.
Let's not forget the highly publicised campaign to exclude the defence industry from access to bank finance. It is to be feared that this theme, now muted, will return once the situation in Ukraine has been «normalised».
It is therefore essential that the national and European authorities remember this when they see such campaigns to destabilise their defence industry resurface. In particular, by adopting taxonomy rules that are compatible with the maintenance and development of a sovereign European defence.
It would be paradoxical for European countries to increase their defence investment budgets while, at the same time, incoherent taxonomy rules would force major industrial groups out of the sector, financially strangle SMEs and discourage innovative start-ups from entering the market.
The defence industry must be fully involved in the new industrial strategies, particularly because of its civil-military duality. Our President and the new government have reiterated the importance of strategic autonomy and sovereignty. More than ever, the defence industry is an essential component of these considerations».»
