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  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the white paper on the future of European defence – B10-0147/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Reinier Van Lanschot, Mārtiņš Staķis, Ville Niinistö, Damian Boeselager, Hannah Neumann, Maria Ohisalo, Sergey Lagodinsky, Virginijus Sinkevičius
    on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

    B10‑0147/2025

    European Parliament resolution on the white paper on the future of European defence

    (2025/2565(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,

    – having regard its recommendation of 8 June 2022 to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the EU’s Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine[1],

    – having regard to the UN Charter,

    – having regard to the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence, adopted by the Council on 21 March 2022,

    – having regard to the report by Sauli Niinistö, Special Adviser to the President of the European Commission, of 30 October 2024 entitled ‘Safer Together – Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness’,

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas the President of the European Commission tasked the Commissioner for Defence and Space and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy with presenting a white paper on the future of European defence;

    B. whereas Parliament and experts have called for a white paper on defence for more than a decade;

    C. whereas the Strategic Compass was mainly drafted and negotiated before 24 February 2022; whereas the Strategic Compass is a very broad strategy that provides little guidance with regards to the urgent need to accomplish defence readiness and provide deterrence and defence capabilities to prepare for the most urgent military contingency;

    D. whereas there is an urgent need to strengthen parliamentary oversight of European defence in order to guarantee a sound democratic basis for this crucial policy area;

    E. whereas the European defence industrial actors not only face challenges but have also been able to profit from a much higher demand for defence products since February 2022, which has led to record profits, especially among prime contractors;

    F. whereas innovative defence and dual-use start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have not, in a comparable manner, been able to profit from relevant EU funds or orders from and funding by national governments compared to prime contractors;

    G. whereas the combined military spending efforts of EU Member States already exceed that of Russia but suffer from a lack of economies of scale and focus, highlighting the need for more efficiency and the streamlining of military expenses, in addition to the need for fresh investment;

    H. whereas the many concrete recommendations contained in the Niinistö report should guide the work on the white paper also because the report presents a comprehensive and holistic approach to preparedness and readiness that encompasses all civilian and military aspects; whereas the report underlines that the EU does not have a plan on what to do in the event of an armed attack against a Member State and that the EU currently lacks the comprehensive capacity to bring all necessary EU resources together in a coordinated manner across institutional and operational silos;

    I. whereas hybrid threats are designed to operate in the grey zone between peace and war, combining conventional and unconventional methods such as sabotage, espionage and political infiltration to undermine the EU’s stability and resilience; whereas cyberattacks have become a central element of these campaigns, exploiting the increasing digitalisation of critical sectors such as healthcare, finance and energy, causing cascading disruptions with potentially severe economic and societal consequences; whereas foreign information manipulation and interference complements these operations through the spreading of disinformation and propaganda to erode trust in democratic institutions and polarise public opinion; whereas the growing complexity, frequency and intensity of these threats underscore the pressing need to identify and implement effective solutions for safeguarding the EU’s security and resilience;

    J. whereas the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is a wake-up call for the EU, presenting an immediate threat to the European and global security order and to the security of the EU and its Member States; whereas this conflict shows the urgent need for the Member States to define a common perception of threats and demonstrate genuine solidarity with the frontline Member States;

    K. whereas the EU’s ability to take decisive action in response to external threats has been repeatedly hampered by the requirement for unanimity, with certain Member States blocking or delaying critical military aid to Ukraine and hence undermining European security;

    L. whereas the Trump administration is proposing a normalisation of ties with Russia, and has threatened to withdraw the US military from the European continent; whereas it appears that the US administration has ceased to be a reliable ally within NATO, which has negative repercussions for the collective territorial defence of its members;

    1. Stresses the seriousness of the threats to the security of the European continent, which have reached a level unprecedented since the Second World War; expresses deep concern at the rise of geopolitical fractures, also within the West, new and renewed imperialist ambitions for domination by authoritarian powers, systemic rivalry between great powers, nationalist unilateralism, the primary and growing use of force, and violence by certain states and non-state actors in order to promote their political and economic interests or to resolve disputes;

    2. Recalls that the EU is a peace project and should strive towards peace and stability while condemning aggression; underlines that, in order to achieve peace and stability, we must support Ukraine and become more resilient ourselves;

    3. Believes that the war of aggression against Ukraine was part of Putin’s plan to reshape the Euro-Atlantic security architecture and that this plan has been thwarted thanks to the Ukrainian people’s heroic defence;

    4. Underlines that Russian acts of sabotage against critical European infrastructure, and Russia’s manipulation of and interference in EU and NATO countries, have significantly increased; stresses that experts believe that Russia might further escalate its aggressive acts and also attack EU Member States with conventional armed forces during the coming years;

    5. Deplores the fact that the President of the United States has suggested that the US may attempt to annex Greenland, which would be in breach of international law, create considerable instability for the Greenland Government and people and the whole region, further exacerbating the deterioration of relations within the Atlantic Alliance;

    6. Calls, therefore, for the EU to increase its efforts to shift the trajectory of Russia’s war against Ukraine and set the conditions for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace on Ukraine’s terms; underlines that defeating Russia in Ukraine and ensuring Ukraine’s future success are the most effective and cost-efficient investments in European security for the short and medium term;

    7. Urges the Member States to provide more arms and ammunition to Ukraine, in as large quantities and as quickly as possible, to enable Ukraine to liberate its territory and deter further Russian attacks;

    8. Calls for making a fast and significant increase in the financing of military support for Ukraine a key and structural component of the white paper; calls on the Member States to scale up direct investments in the capacity of the Ukrainian defence industry to mass-produce essential defence products (Danish model), specifically drones, air defence systems, artillery and long-range strike capabilities; proposes the allocation of a specific multibillion euro budget to the European Defence Industry Programme’s (EDIP) Ukraine Support Instrument reserved exactly for this purpose; stresses the need to explore legal avenues for fully seizing the frozen assets of sanctioned Russian individuals and the Russian Central Bank for use as grants for Ukraine’s expenditure on its defence and resilience needs and its reconstruction, in accordance with international law; condemns the veto imposed by the Hungarian Government on the European Peace Facility (EPF), which blocks more than EUR 6 billion and renders the EPF almost useless; stresses, further, the urgent need also to consider the option of creating an alternative ad hoc arrangement for those European countries that wish to support Ukraine militarily and finance that aid jointly;

    9. Demands the inclusion of a plan in the white paper that describes how the integration of the Ukrainian defence industry into the EU defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB) can be operationalised in the fastest and most efficient manner; recalls the urgency to properly finance EDIP’s Ukraine instrument; further proposes the provision of war insurance for critical EDTIB projects inside Ukraine; proposes the regular inclusion of Ukrainian Defence Ministry officials with observer status at meetings of relevant Council configurations;

    10. Expects the white paper on EU defence to define a new framework and the extent to which the EU must accomplish defence readiness and preparedness, in view of the most severe military contingencies, deter potential aggressors and defend itself also to assist NATO allies that are also EU Member States to become a credible European pillar in NATO;

    11. Stresses that the time has come to use the white paper process to clearly define what is meant by a true European defence union; recalls that the adoption of the Strategic Compass was only a starting point, but that its implementation remains necessary and requires an update to reflect the goals of deterrence and defence readiness;

    12. Deplores the reluctance of the Council and the EU Member States when it comes to addressing deep structural challenges of the European defence industrial landscape and the lack of ambition as regards cooperation between their armed forces at EU level; calls on the Member States to join forces and support a quantum leap towards a very ambitious and comprehensive framework on defence;

    13. Welcomes in principle the announcements made by the President of the Commission on 4 March 2025 regarding a ‘re-arm Europe’ initiative; stresses, however, that the planned investments should address the lack of cooperation and coordination between Member States, including measures guaranteeing full interoperability and making joint procurement the rule;

    14. Urges the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and the Member States to use the white paper process for outlining a comprehensive framework that is composed of at least the following key components:

    (a) a precise description of scenarios in which the EU and its Member States would use security and military instruments that include the latest risk and threat assessments and range from the most extreme military contingencies to crisis management abroad,

    (b) elements of a military doctrine which describe in detail the military tasks related to the different scenarios, including cooperation with NATO, in particular through a more precise operationalisation and routine exercises for scenarios under Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU),

    (c) revised and adapted military headline goals, closely coordinated with the NATO Defence Planning Process, and a precise description of the necessary quantity and quality of military personnel, including training requirements and key military capabilities that are fully synchronised with the new NATO Force Model as regards EU NATO countries, such as strategic enablers, but also ammunition stocks, in order to fulfil current force generation targets,

    (d) proposals regarding armed forces cooperation structures that go beyond ad hoc arrangements, such as EU Battlegroups, including a strengthened Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC), multinationally crewed strategic enablers (based on the Airborne Warning and Control System – AWACS – model) at EU level and additional permanent multinational military units with sufficient capabilities to provide deterrence and defence,

    (e) a description of the key parameters necessary for the establishment of an efficient and competitive single market for defence that would help Member States to reach the capability headline goals necessary for full defence readiness and equip our closest allies, such as Ukraine;

    15. Underlines that the EU must adopt a holistic and horizontal approach to security and defence by taking into account the many societal and systemic challenges it faces, such as climate change; emphasises the need for an impact assessment of current and future EU policies in order to find out how they can better support EU security and defence, including through other strategic objectives of the Union, especially the transition to a green, digital and just economy;

    16. States that major geopolitical shifts, amplified by the return of large-scale wars in our neighbourhood, have threatened and keep threatening the security of the EU and its citizens, that ‘business as usual’ is not an option, and that, to face the threats, the EU and its Member States must make EU-level cooperation of their armed forces and their defence industry the rule in order to create a capabilities-based EU defence union which can overcome threats and attacks against EU security;

    17. Strongly believes that more substantial progress needs to be made in operationalising Article 42(7) TEU and that a plan is needed on how to operationalise this solidarity policy in the white paper with respect to the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States;

    18. Insists on the need to ensure better cooperation and coordination by taking stock of the will of the EU and the UK to become closer security partners; calls strongly for the creation of a European security council to coordinate actions between like-minded countries willing to form a vanguard in European defence cooperation and integration; calls for this European security council to serve as the foundation for a new European defence union, bringing together like-minded Member States and strategic partners that share a common security vision and mutual trust;

    19. Considers that current strategic documents, legislative proposals and studies such as the Strategic Compass, the European defence industrial strategy and the Niinistö report should finally inspire a concrete and comprehensive vision for the future of European defence, including specific goals, targets and roadmaps, which the white paper should constitute;

    20. Calls for the EU to better link common security and defence policy (CSDP) instruments with internal security tools and to strengthen dual-use and civil-military cooperation at EU level;

    21. Strongly supports the many good recommendations put forward by the Niinistö report; fully supports the report’s aim, which is ‘not to limit our level of preparedness to what is politically convenient’ but to address what is needed in order to cope with the most severe scenarios; insists on the importance of the upcoming preparedness Union strategy to put the EU on track for comprehensive preparedness, including a definition of EU-level vital societal and governmental functions, the development of EU-level preparedness baseline requirements for these functions, and ensuring the coherence of sectoral crisis plans at EU level; recommends, in particular, the Niinistö report recommendations aimed at empowering citizens to make societal resilience work, inspired by the Finnish concept of total defence;

    22. Calls for the EU to develop an EU risk assessment to identify cross-sectoral threats and the risks facing the EU as a whole, and supports the embedding of the ‘preparedness by design’ principle across the EU; insists on the need to develop a mandatory ‘security and preparedness check’ for future impact assessments and ‘stress-tests’ for current legislation as proposed by Niinistö; believes that there is a need to assess whether there are specific challenges that undermine the timely completion of projects identified as critical for effective military deterrence and the rapid arrival of capabilities to the eastern flank for military contingency;

    23. Invites the Commission and the Member States to explore the feasibility of an EU preparedness act to align EU and national efforts when possible;

    24. Calls for the EU and the Member States to set up and conduct an EU comprehensive preparedness exercise to test high-level decision-making and operational coordination;

    25. Calls for the CSDP to be guided by a human security approach and committed to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda; underlines the importance of other multilateral frameworks that strive to build a peaceful and stable future;

    26. Calls on the Member States to push for the deletion of the unanimity rule in foreign and security policy in the Council; asks for an amendment to Article 46(6) TEU to allow for qualified majority voting instead of unanimity in the management of permanent structured cooperation, with the exception of decisions leading to the creation of military missions or operations with an executive mandate under the CSDP, which must remain under unanimity;

    27. Proposes the strengthening of Parliament’s oversight and scrutiny role in line with the EU expanding its role in defence, including via delegated acts for the work programmes of the current and future defence industrial programmes and instruments that would allow for their implementation to be scrutinised, in particular the priorities set by the Commission concerning projects on priority capabilities; calls for a Parliament representative to be appointed to the new defence industrial readiness board proposed in EDIP, where currently none is provided for;

    28. Believes that the EU must acquire a clear understanding of what the actual gap is between the capability targets and defence capabilities of the Member States; stresses the need to ramp up defence industry production, as well as to have ever-ready production units to respond to foreign attacks or specific needs of its strategic partners;

    29. Considers regular threat analyses to be an absolute necessity and proposes synchronising their planning cycle with similar regular threat analyses within NATO and by key non-NATO partners;

    30. Reiterates its call to strengthen EU-NATO cooperation in order to build a more European NATO, particularly by fully aligning the EU’s Strategic Compass and NATO’s strategic concept, the EU’s Capability Development Plan and NATO’s Defence Planning Process capability targets, except for areas where there are clear special interests for the EU only; proposes the appointment of a permanent EU representative to NATO, including to the military committee on information exchange and the respective military operations;

    31. Calls for the EU to address the critical defence capability gaps and shortfalls and focus efforts on specific projects of common European interest that are too expensive for a single Member State to procure, in particular strategic enablers, but also large stockpiles of critical equipment, in order to provide genuine EU added value, which could most efficiently be jointly procured and managed by an EU framework through a special off-budget instrument; proposes, in particular, the establishment of the following capabilities:

    (a) integrated air defence and long-range strike systems, optimally by coordinating the ongoing development of the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) with the European Long Range Strike Approach (ELSA),

    (b) suppression of enemy air defences,

    (c) multi-type drone force,

    (d) electronic warfare,

    (e) defensive and offensive cyber systems,

    (f) AWACS, aerial refuelling and long-range transport,

    (g) Command, control, communications and computers (C4) and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and space assets critical for early warning, navigation, observation and communication,

    (h) Main Ground Combat System (MGCS),

    (i) Future Combat Aircraft System (FCAS);

    32. Urges the EU and the Member States to move from a ‘flow’ approach to a ‘stock’ approach, with mandatory targets for critical defence equipment; points to the need to ensure the socially and environmentally sustainable provision of relevant raw materials and to implement policies to close gaps in production and the labour market; stresses the urgent need to make defence production and stocking of ammunition and other products more security-relevant by developing plans on how to have a more decentralised and resilient network and joint stocks building on ‘readiness pools’ in regions facing a higher threat level and the possibility of large-scale conventional warfare;

    33. Calls for the EU to urgently adapt its tools to new realities by designing an administrative capacity to move much faster when faced with wars or other large-scale crises; stresses that this can be done by designing and putting in place binding rules, which can be triggered in emergency situations to accelerate administrative and legal procedures, and taking measures in the input side of the supply chain, for the quick production and delivery of military goods, or the construction of infrastructure projects for European mobility, identified as critical for defence;

    34. Urges the EU to take immediate action to pool resources and expertise in the field of cybersecurity, recognising that individual Member States face limited capabilities in this domain; strongly advocates for the development of a unified European approach to cyber forces; further insists on the swift creation of joint European cyber capabilities to effectively address the common challenges faced by all Member States in the rapidly evolving threat landscape, thereby strengthening the EU’s collective resilience and strategic autonomy in the digital realm;

    35. Calls for the EU to use the white paper to describe a plan that helps to remove unnecessary national regulatory obstacles that slow down military mobility without undermining public security; considers that the definition of military mobility should apply to dual-use infrastructures that cover all logistical aspects of mobility, and that for dual-use projects, adequate criteria should be properly applied in terms of funding provisions, in particular at EU level; stresses the need for significant investments in military mobility infrastructures to enhance cargo airlift capabilities, camps, depots, ports, air, sea and rail platforms, railway lines, railroad terminals, waterways, roads and bridges;

    36. Reiterates its full support for the RDC to achieve full operational capability at the latest by mid-2025, with at least 5 000 troops available for rescue and evacuation tasks, initial entry and stabilisation operations or temporary reinforcement of missions; proposes upgrading the RDC by transforming it into a permanent multinational force with its own strategic enablers and command and control, learning from the failed experience of the ad hoc EU Battlegroups;

    37. Calls on the VP/HR to launch a discussion with Member States in order to create additional permanent multinational units to respond to the changed threat landscape for the EU since the decision to create the RDC, especially in the light of Trump’s recent rapprochement towards Putin and comments regarding Greenland, which have increased the need for effective European deterrence and defence in line with the most extreme military contingencies;

    38. Proposes strengthening the current Eurocorps and making it a multinational corps with its own strategic enablers and command and control to which national brigades can be permanently attached with standardised, jointly procured equipment; stresses that such a multinational European corps can enable smaller Member States to fulfil their current force-generation targets, provide industry with aggregate demand through standardised, large-scale equipment orders and provide the EU with its own capability focused on deterrence and defence, including for candidate countries;

    39. Proposes the joint creation of crewed and owned strategic enablers at EU level, based on the model of NATO’s AWACS, which are too expensive for individual Member States and important for the security of the EU as a whole;

    40. Calls for the European Air Transport Command to be transformed into an ‘EU crisis-response air fleet’ comprising military transport aircraft held at European level and made available to Member States for deployments of equipment or troops, emergency evacuations or civil security missions;

    41. Reiterates its call for the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) to benefit from adequate premises, staff, enhanced planning, command and control, and effective communication and information systems;

    42. Calls for a more ambitious concept for military training and relevant planning, command and control elements at EU level to be part of the white paper action plan, such as a fully equipped and well-staffed MPCC; believes that the EU must expand the training of Ukrainian forces in line with Ukrainian needs to enable a higher level of operational coordination between units, allow for the most effective force generation possible, and create conditions for European armed forces to learn lessons from them;

    43. Urges the EU Member States to decide on a united and clear medium- and long-term vision for the European defence industry aimed at helping to meet the capability headline goals;

    44. Stresses the urgent need to change the way defence industrial programmes are implemented across the EU; believes that it is of crucial importance to synchronise their work programmes with the revised headline goals in order to be able to focus on the most urgent and militarily important capability gaps; underlines the importance of overcoming a very broad distribution of scarce financial resources and the need to prevent any further ‘dual sourcing’ or similar duplications at EU level that would add to a high amount of duplications in Europe and to the low efficiency rate of the defence industrial base, which is still characterised by fragmentation;

    45. Stresses that capabilities and resources must be increased, and that the fragmentation of the defence market must be overcome via the creation of a single market for defence, where binding common rules apply guaranteeing fair competition and full interoperability of defence products; shares the view contained in Mario Draghi’s report on the future of European competitiveness that the EU must urgently boost competitiveness in the sector by various means, such as mergers (inspired by best practice, such as that of Airbus), and more competition between traditionally nationally entrenched defence firms, and decide on incentives directed towards the EU defence industry for sufficiently large public and private investments in security and defence;

    46. Believes that the white paper should build on the European defence industrial strategy (EDIS), in particular EDIP, and also develop a concept for a wartime economic cooperation contingency plan to prepare for mutual support in case of large-scale security crises, and deepen wartime economic communication to provide early warnings of hard, hybrid and cyber threats;

    47. Stresses that a single European defence market is a priority, as fragmentation and a lack of competitiveness hamper the capacity of the EU to assume more responsibility as a security provider; deplores the fact that neither the EU defence industrial programmes nor the increasing national defence budgets have led to a surge in EU-level defence industrial cooperation that would have allowed Member States to reach their own 2007 cooperation targets as set in the European Defence Agency (EDA) framework; recalls the persistent low levels of European collaboration since 24 February 2022, which, for research and development (R&D), were 14 % in 2022 and 6 % in 2023, and for joint procurement 18 % in 2023, while the EDA was unable to provide data for 2023 (but stressed that there was ‘a temporary slowdown’); stresses the urgent need to analyse the reasons for the unwillingness of Member States to use EU-level cooperation and see it as the main tool for defence investment;

    48. Strongly supports the idea to make EU-level cooperation the rule in the European defence industrial sector and commit to concrete numerical targets for cooperation as presented in EDIS, which focus in particular on joint procurement (at least 40 % by 2030), intra-EU trade (at least 35 % by 2030), and procurement of EU-made defence products (at least 50 % by 2030 and 60 % by 2035);

    49. Urges the Commission and the Council to address the dual challenge of joint military equipment production and its effective utilisation across Member States; calls for a comprehensive strategy to guarantee increased interoperability through the promotion of agreed civil and military standards, such as NATO standardisation agreements, within EU defence industrial programmes; demands a commitment to tying the funding of current and future instruments to the standardisation of and convergence on certification by NATO allies and to make current standards more precise; calls on the Commission to present concrete plans to overcome interoperability obstacles and ensure the efficient utilisation of jointly produced equipment by all participating Member States;

    50. Insists on the importance of European defence projects of common interest as presented in EDIP, which are critical to European defence readiness and preparedness; believes that these should support the industrial and technological capacities that underpin common capability priorities and that cannot be implemented alone, such as strategic enablers; proposes that, based on the capabilities’ headline goals, the Commissioner for Defence create a clear ‘output plan’ listing relevant quantified targets not just for strategic enablers but also for the most critical large-scale equipment needs, such as MGCS, FCAS and ESSI and ELSA, which would then be jointly procured and maintained throughout the life cycle of the product in order to achieve economies of scale and interoperability in the most effective and fastest way;

    51. Believes that a competitive and resilient European defence industry will also lead to a restructuring of the industrial landscape, including through mergers, which would also reduce the number of parallel programmes that waste financial resources, as well as a better regional distribution of production sites; considers that our defence policies should encourage the growth of EU centres of excellence, also according to the criteria of decentralisation, security and resilience; stresses the need to massively boost start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs in the sector as a priority and as a structural element of the section of the white paper pertaining to the single market for defence; stresses that for well-established or systemic actors in the defence sector, public investment should be accompanied by additional safeguards to ensure that public money is reinvested and not used for the purpose of generating profits for their shareholders, such as by windfall profit taxes;

    52. Proposes to create European regional EDTIB clusters uniting research, development, production and maintenance facilities to create regional economies of scale and focus areas of technological specialisation; calls for these clusters to be strategically spread throughout the EU to allow for continued manufacturing in times of crisis and to more evenly distribute the economic opportunities for SMEs and Member States with relatively small defence industries; calls for these clusters to be aligned with EDIP’s proposal for the Structure for European Armament Programme;

    53. Calls for more coherence in support of companies by reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and cutting red tape, and ensuring much easier access for small- and mid-cap companies within the defence sector;

    54. Calls for a comprehensive strategy to leverage current instruments such as the Defence Equity Facility and new initiatives such as EDIP’s Fund to Accelerate Defence Supply Chain Transformation; demands concrete commitments to increase the amount of funding per SME while ensuring transparency and accountability; requests the implementation of robust monitoring mechanisms to ensure that funds drive innovation and competitiveness among SMEs without distorting the market; demands, further, regular reporting on the impact and effectiveness of these financial instruments in supporting start-ups and SMEs in the defence industry and dual-use sector;

    55. Calls on the Commission to design a successor to the European Defence Fund (EDF) that supports common research and innovation all along the supply chain and lay the conditions to address technological challenges and provide European solutions to key capabilities gaps; calls for the establishment of a Commission agency with a specific focus on R&D with dual-use potential, taking inspiration from the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; stresses the need to put a strong emphasis on EU-level support for the most disruptive and innovative technology via the creation of an accelerator hub for researching, developing and testing new breakthrough defence technologies, which would also contribute to economic competitiveness, bringing together industry, governments and the expert community; underlines that this organisation should nurture a risk-taking culture and be highly flexible by design; proposes, as a first step, that funding allocation should focus on a limited number of critical projects, including decarbonised defence and novel deterrence capabilities;

    56. Calls for the strengthening of energy resilience and the climate and environmental transition dimension under the successor to the EDF, and for the climate-proofing and decarbonisation (covering both adaptation and mitigation) of EU defence by design and across the five dimensions: operational, capability planning and development, multi-stakeholder engagement, governance, and R&D, for the benefit of the performance of military capabilities, the resilience of armed forces, and thus the competitiveness of the EDTIB;

    57. Is deeply convinced that the EU-level instruments should prioritise and massively increase support for SMEs and start-ups in the dual-use and defence sector; stresses the need to support SMEs and start-ups in bringing successfully tested prototypes to the market, including the scaling up of production; underlines the need to bridge the current funding gap as regards these important steps that would strengthen the EDTIB, including in close cooperation with the Ukrainian technological and defence industrial base;

    58. Insists on the need to remove barriers to market entry for defence products across the EU by reviewing the directives on the transfer of defence-related products and defence procurement; calls on the Commission to propose actions for better market access, smoother cross-border cooperation and increased security of supply, including by harmonising national export policies;

    59. Stresses the need to develop an effective EU-level armaments policy that includes the establishment of a functioning and effective external trade dimension that aims to support partners that face threats from aggressive authoritarian regimes and prevents arms deliveries to undemocratic aggressive regimes and regimes that make illegal use of them as assessed under the relevant international human rights and humanitarian law, in line with the current eight criteria under the Council Common Position on arms exports[2]; stresses the need to overcome the very narrow and national interpretation of Article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) in this respect;

    60. Invites the Member States to actively participate in a priority-ordering mechanism for defence production which builds on security and defence capability mapping to help prioritise orders, contracts and the recruitment of employees in emergency situations;

    61. Strongly believes that a European preference must be the cornerstone of EU policies related to the European defence market, as a strategic imperative aimed at protecting European know-how; underlines that the European preference principle must be reflected in EU defence regulations in clear and unambiguous eligibility criteria; underlines, however, that exceptions for emergency military contingencies and projects critical for ensuring defence readiness should be built into these criteria;

    62. Calls for a crisis response instrument for securing European sovereignty based on the model of the US Defense Production Act, so that the EU has a tool which can be activated to react quickly to emergency wartime or crisis needs; calls for such a tool to include the following key components:

    (a) joint procurement of specific defence products,

    (b) prioritising the provision of critical materials, and prioritising orders, for specific supply chains, such as artillery munitions,

    (c) fast-tracking administrative and legal procedures for moving military equipment and troops, and where possible the construction of (infrastructure) projects critical for military mobility or other military readiness priority areas, while avoiding the circumvention of environmental protection provisions and building in necessary safeguards;

    63. Deplores the lack of willingness by Member States to invest in EU-level cooperation and urges them to reach the EU objectives on security and defence; highlights the fact that the cost of non-preparedness for the most extreme military contingencies would be higher than the cost of decisive EU preparedness; recalls that aggregate EU defence spending is insufficient and that very little national defence spending is coordinated or even pooled with other Member States or invested in European collaborative projects; calls for the EU and the Member States to work and agree on concrete measures and means for short- to long-term public and private investment;

    64. Notes that, according to the Commission President, the defence spending gap currently stands at EUR 500 billion for the next decade, but that, if the EU needs to develop its own military capabilities, experts estimate that this amount will have to rise significantly; underlines that the EU budget alone cannot fill the gap, but has an important role to play;

    65. Underlines that increases in defence investment should not compete with other public investment priorities, including social expenditure, territorial cohesion and climate transition, which are all relevant to our European security; reiterates that the most effective way to maintain such priorities is to release fresh investment for defence rather than repurpose already earmarked funding; further recalls that financing orientations should be anchored in a whole-of-society approach to resilience and therefore need to be broadly supported by European citizens, and that this support needs to be sustainable in the long term;

    66. Opposes any proposal aimed at repurposing cohesion policy funds from their long-term objectives and recalls that only strengthening Europe’s social and economic fabric and reducing territorial disparities will contribute to the balanced development and stability of all EU regions, and will ultimately reinforce the EU’s ability to defend itself against disinformation and foreign influence;

    67. Supports the Commission President’s announcement to create a new EU financial instrument to assist Member States in increasing their defence spending through loans backed by the EU budget; takes note of the intention to establish such a new instrument under Article 122 TFEU; recalls that while the EU Recovery Instrument, which allocated borrowed funds to various EU programmes, was established by a Council regulation under Article 122 TFEU, various EU programmes to which the resources were allocated, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility, were adopted through ‘codecision’, relying on Article 175 TFEU; calls on the Commission to adopt a similar legal structure, respecting the ordinary legislative procedure and ensuring the democratic legitimacy of any new EU financing instrument for defence;

    68. Welcomes the further extension of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s eligibility criteria to dual-use goods; welcomes the EIB Group’s 2022 Strategic European Security Initiative aimed at supporting innovation in dual-use technology; stresses that EIB investments should focus on innovative projects, but not expendable products such as ammunition; stresses that greater EIB investment in the defence sector can encourage commercial banks’ investment in the sector; calls on the EIB Group to review the impact of the extension of its new dual-use goods policy and insists that any further extension of lending in the sector should only take place if it has no negative impact on the overall financing costs of the bank or its investment pipeline, or on the contribution to financing the investment needed for enabling the EU to reach its climate goals;

    69. Considers that, complementing joint debt, further defence lending should be dealt with in a separate bank, as investment in defence cannot in principle be considered an environmental, social and governance investment; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to establish, as a matter of urgency, a new defence bank modelled on the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development that could address the global perspective of securing defence lending, while protecting other investment and allowing for allies to join;

    70. Takes note of the Commission President’s announcement on ‘activating the escape clause for defence investments’; underlines that, in view of other pressing policy priorities, the escape clause must be applied in a way that ensures that increases in defence expenditure do not lead to cuts in other areas and is conditional on being spent on developing common EU projects, including dual-use infrastructure such as railways, satellite systems and resilient power grids;

    71. Stresses that the current political context demonstrates that the recently adopted EU economic governance framework deprives governments of the financial resources needed to respond to current and new challenges; underlines that prioritising one policy area over another exacerbates rather than mitigates the multiple crises the EU is facing; calls for a review of the EU fiscal rules framework that would provide the long-term funding certainty required for investment in promoting the just transition, expanding European defence production capabilities and developing dual-use infrastructure, thereby underpinning a truly coordinated EU approach to investment policy;

    72. Insists that urgent needs cannot wait for the next multiannual financial framework (MMF); believes that, as long as Member States refuse to allocate more resources to a higher overall EU budget, including the creation of new own resources, and given the unanimity requirement to change both the MMF Regulation[3] and the Council’s Own-Resources Decision[4], and given the urgency, solutions for alternative funding must be considered without delay, including:

    (a) the urgent launch of a discussion with a view to establishing another off-budget financial facility[5] which would sufficiently pool and Europeanise parts of national defence budgets at EU level and address the entire life cycle of military capabilities, from collaborative R&D and joint procurement to joint maintenance, training and security of supply, and which is, like the current off-budget EPF, open to non-EU countries such as Norway and the UK; stresses therefore the need to improve decision-making and oversight procedures compared to the current EPF governance model,

    (b) the issuance of EU risk guarantees by the Commission to lower interest rates for participants in EU-level projects identified as critical for defence readiness,

    (c) a new EU debt programme along the lines of the NextGenerationEU backed by genuine own resources to repay the borrowed funds,

    (d) the creation of new genuine EU own resources to create additional revenue flows to finance security- and defence-related investments at EU level,

    (e) greater mobilisation of equity and private capital; reiterates therefore its call for more private investment in EU defence,

    (f) the creation of specific financial products so that private banks invest more in the defence sector,

    (g) the development of emergency procedures for projects established in response to major crises or wars;

    73. Believes that the next MFF should have a greater allocation of funds for common security and be more flexible in order to react to unforeseen crises and emergencies;

    74. Welcomes the proposals made in the recent Niinistö report as regards the financing of European defence; supports the setting up of a defending Europe facility and a securing Europe facility; equally welcomes and supports the proposal to establish an investment guarantee programme based on the model of InvestEU with open architecture to trigger private sector investment and to issue a ‘European preparedness bond standard’;

    75. Insists that robust mechanisms be implemented to ensure the efficient use of scarce EU budget resources and prevent any duplication of efforts in defence projects; requests a comprehensive review of current oversight procedures and the development of a transparent framework for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of EU-funded defence initiatives;

    76. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commissioner for Defence and Space, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council and the Commission.

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Untapped potential of AI and revitalising the technology sector and innovative national and European companies – E-002670/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission oversees several actions to make the EU a leading player in artificial intelligence (AI) and increase competitiveness.

    Support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is delivered via two initiatives of the Digital Europe Programme (DEP)[1]: European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs)[2] and Testing Experimentation Facilities (TEFs)[3].

    Over 150 EDIHs have delivered over 20 000 services to SMEs to support their digitalisation and use of AI. TEFs in four sectors ( healthcare, manufacturing, smart cities and agri-food) help SMEs test AI. The Commission has financed the AI on Demand Platform[4] to help SMEs access AI tools and datasets.

    In addition, at the Action Summit in Paris, the Commission launched InvestAI, an initiative to mobilise EUR 200 billion for AI investment[5] including a new European fund of EUR 20 billion for AI gigafactories needed to allow open, collaborative development of AI models and to make Europe an AI continent.

    The Chips Act[6] aims to address semiconductor shortages and strengthen Europe’s technological leadership. It mobilises over EUR 43 billion of investments for manufacturing facilities to ensure resilience of the Union’s semiconductor sector.

    Regarding company law, the Commission is preparing a proposal for a 28th regime which will simplifies applicable rules. An EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy will also address obstacles preventing new companies from emerging and scaling.

    From 2021 to 2027[7], over EUR 4 billion of EU funding is available for AI research and innovation activities under Horizon Europe[8] and DEP[9].

    A Commission recommendation[10] encourages businesses to make use of data-analysis, automated recognition and machine learning to detect counterfeits online.

    To limit the impact of energy prices the Commission will present an Action Plan on Affordable Energy.

    • [1] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/digital-programme
    • [2] https://european-digital-innovation-hubs.ec.europa.eu/edih-catalogue
    • [3] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/testing-and-experimentation-facilities
    • [4] https://www.ai4europe.eu
    • [5] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_467
    • [6] Regulation (EU) 2023/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/694 (Chips Act) (OJ L 229, 18.9.2023, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1781/oj).
    • [7] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/european-ai-research
    • [8] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en
    • [9] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/digital-programme
    • [10] Commission Recommendation on measures to combat counterfeiting and enhance the enforcement of intellectual property rights: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/commission-recommendation-measures-combat-counterfeiting-and-enhance-enforcement-intellectual_en

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Greek and Christian communities suffering in Aleppo – E-002792/2024(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The fall of Assad’s criminal[1] regime marks a historic moment for the Syrian people, who — irrespective of religion and ethnicity — have endured immense suffering under its rule.

    This is a moment of hope, but also uncertainty, and all Syrians, in the country and the diaspora, must have an opportunity to reunify, stabilise and rebuild their country. It is essential that all Syrians be protected and that the transition be inclusive[2] of all components of society.

    Whereas the competence for safety and diplomatic protection of citizens lies primarily with the Member States, the EU supports Member States’ efforts to evacuate or repatriate citizens from conflict zones through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism[3], which coordinates disaster response and contributes to transport and operational support.

    The EU is actively engaging with Syria’s new leadership to prevent expansion of terrorism working with partners within the Global Coalition against Da’esh[4] to share information, assessing and addressing the threat posed by Da’esh and its affiliates.

    EU measures include counter-terrorism cooperation with regional partners; multilateral engagement with the United Nations (UN) and with the Global Counterterrorism Forum[5] as co-chair; security measures; support for repatriation including financial support through the EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility[6], rehabilitation, and reintegration; humanitarian aid, including mental health services; funding programmes to prevent and counter violent extremism, radicalisation and propaganda.

    The EU provides humanitarian aid on a needs basis. Despite the highly challenging security environment, EU humanitarian partners, together with local organisations, are providing emergency assistance to all affected communities throughout the country.

    • [1] As set out in the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on the situation in the Middle East of 27 January 2025, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/fac/2025/01/27/
    • [2] See footnote 1.
    • [3] https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/eu-civil-protection-mechanism_en
    • [4] https://theglobalcoalition.org/en/
    • [5] https://www.thegctf.org/
    • [6] https://www.un.org/counterterrorism/EU-UN-Global-Terrorism-Threats-Facility

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the white paper on the future of European defence – B10-0145/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    B10‑0145/2025

    European Parliament resolution on the white paper on the future of European defence

    (2025/2565(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to Articles 24(1), 42, 43 and 45 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU),

    – having regard to the national security strategies of the Member States,

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) 2023/1525 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 July 2023 on supporting ammunition production (ASAP)[1],

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) 2023/2418 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 on establishing an instrument for the reinforcement of the European defence industry through common procurement (EDIRPA)[2],

    – having regard to the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence,

    – having regard to Commission Recommendation (EU) 2023/2113 of 3 October 2023 on critical technology areas for the EU’s economic security for further risk assessment with Member States[3],

    – having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 10 March 2023 entitled ‘European Union Space Strategy for Security and Defence’ (JOIN(2023)0009),

    – having regard to the report by Sauli Niinistö of 30 October 2024 entitled ‘Safer Together – Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness’,

    – having regard to the report by Mario Draghi of 9 September 2024 entitled ‘The future of European competitiveness’,

    – having regard to Special Report 04/2025 of the European Court of Auditors of 5 February 2025 entitled ‘EU military mobility: Full speed not reached due to design weaknesses and obstacles en route’,

    – having regard to the three Joint Declarations on EU-NATO cooperation signed on 8 July 2016, 10 July 2018 and 10 January 2023,

    – having regard to the Madrid Summit Declaration adopted by the NATO heads of state and government at the North Atlantic Council meeting in Madrid on 29 June 2022,

    – having regard to the NATO 2022 Strategic Concept and the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius,

    – having regard to the opening remarks made by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Brussels at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting of 12 February 2025,

    – having regard to the talks held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 18 February 2025 between US and Russian negotiators,

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas the Commission announced the release of a white paper on the future of European defence, co-authored by Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius and Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, by 19 March 2025; whereas this document will be the first of its kind produced by the EU and emulates similar documents published by Member States;

    B. whereas the white paper must respect the limits set by the TEU in terms of foreign policy and defence and it must take note of the international context and the strategic environment in order to provide a perspective and proposals that will enable the strengthening of Europe’s security;

    C. whereas the white paper on the future of European defence will provide the framework for future defence projects and regulations and will be a key point of reference for incoming negotiations on the next multiannual financial framework;

    D. whereas the international order is profoundly destabilised and is restructuring; whereas the international rules and organisations that emerged from the Second World War and then from the end of the Cold War are in crisis; whereas international relations are increasingly characterised by uncertainty, and the tendency to resort to armed force to resolve international disagreements is growing;

    E. whereas Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has profoundly destabilised the security order in Europe; whereas this unilateral aggression has accelerated the integration of Sweden and Finland into NATO; whereas this war has considerably deteriorated relations and exchanges between Russia and the countries of Europe;

    F. whereas the war in Ukraine has highlighted the chronic underinvestment by Member States in their armed forces; whereas the stocks of arms and ammunition in Europe are largely insufficient; whereas certain critical military capabilities are not possessed by any European military; whereas the infrastructure that is essential for the security and proper functioning of European societies and economies is vulnerable; whereas some Member States have encountered significant difficulties in deploying and transporting military resources within the EU itself;

    G. whereas the relations between the United States and China will structure, to a large extent, the future of international relations in the 21st century; whereas the United States no longer has the will to maintain the same level of military involvement in Europe; whereas the US Secretary of Defence has expressly spoken of a ‘division of labour’ between allies, with the Americans prioritising the Pacific region, while emphasising that Europeans must be responsible for the defence of Europe and must increase their capabilities accordingly;

    H. whereas the European Union is composed of 27 sovereign states, with each having the sovereign right to determine its own foreign and defence policy;

    I. whereas it is in the interest of the Member States to adopt a common policy on matters of common interest to them; whereas enhanced cooperation on defence matters is mutually beneficial if it improves the security of the Member States against any direct aggression or if it increases their capacity to respond to any threat to their territorial integrity, sovereignty or prosperity;

    J. whereas the European defence market is too fragmented; whereas for a single armament type, there can be several or even dozens of different varieties of equipment in the EU, representing a collective loss of resources because of duplication, and preventing economies of scale;

    K. whereas Article 24(1) TEU stipulates that decisions related to the common foreign and security policy and the common security and defence policy are taken unanimously by the Council; whereas Article 24(1) TEU also stipulates that the EU cannot adopt legislative acts on foreign affairs and defence; whereas Article 36 TEU stipulates that Parliament has a consultative role;

    L. whereas, on 30 January 2025, 19 EU countries sent a letter to the European Investment Bank calling for it ‘to play an even stronger role in providing investment funding and leveraging private funding for the security and defence sector’;

    1. Stresses that diplomatic and defence policy issues are primarily the prerogative of the Member States, which remain the most relevant and the only legitimate political units in the international order; respects the right of every Member State to determine its own foreign and security policy; insists on the importance of maintaining the principle of unanimity in the Council for all decisions related to the common foreign and security policy and the common security and defence policy;

    2. Underlines that strengthening the Member States’ militaries, based on threats, is necessary to compensate for the security deficit caused by decades of underinvestment and the gradual disengagement of the United States; emphasises that this rearmament policy led by the Member States must not aim to escalate tensions in Europe, but rather aim to reach a level that will deter any hostile actions, establish a continental balance and maintain peace;

    3. Notes that the United States remains the EU’s main military ally and is an essential member of NATO; insists that, irrespective of the political orientation of the White House, US foreign policy will continue to make the Asia-Pacific region a geostrategic priority and to perceive Europe as a secondary theatre; stresses that Member States must no longer subcontract their security and defence to other powers;

    4. Underlines that NATO is a crucial partner in the collective defence architecture in Europe; takes note of the ambition of building a European pillar within NATO; considers that a greater contribution from European states within the alliance must, for the sake of consistency, result in a more balanced distribution of command posts in favour of European military personnel; stresses that stepping up the defence capabilities of European states can go hand in hand with the deepening of EU-NATO cooperation with due respect for the neutrality of the EU Member States that are not part of the NATO alliance;

    5. Highlights the need to overcome the fragmentation of the EU’s internal market for defence products through greater cooperation between Member States and to collectively work on the interoperability of military capabilities; calls on the Member States to encourage cross-border defence procurement in order to strengthen intra-European industrial cooperation and achieve the objective of European strategic autonomy;

    6. Stresses that greater cooperation in the defence sector must actively involve defence SMEs, not only large defence actors, and serve as a platform for SME development, providing greater opportunities for them to contribute to the EU’s technological base and enhance European strategic autonomy;

    7. Notes, however, that the strengthening of the European defence industry must not result in the attribution of new competences to the Commission, which would be in breach of the Treaties and would undermine the sovereignty of Member States without increasing efficacy; reiterates, therefore, that decision-making regarding military requirements, the prioritisation of capability development and the purchase of defence products should remain within the remit of Member States; underlines that, despite the need for increased cooperation in the field of defence, such as on joint procurement and joint production, the Member States must retain full sovereignty over their arms export policies;

    8. Calls for the co-legislators to establish the principle of a European preference in future European defence regulations, including in the European defence industrial plan, so that European funds benefit European companies on European soil, which will enhance our industrial defence capabilities and will reduce our dependences on non-EU countries; recalls that this regulation must in no way restrict the freedom of the Member States to determine their own arms procurement and import/export policy;

    9. Calls on the NATO-affiliated Member States to cooperate in order to identify and fill critical capability gaps by building on and complementing NATO’s Defence Planning Process targets, which are required for sustained full-spectrum operations, including space systems and launchers, long-range missiles, integrated air and missile defence systems, ammunition production, artificial intelligence (AI), maritime drone capability, command and control capability, electronic warfare systems and air-to-air refuelling capacity;

    10. Calls on non-neutral Member States to adequately invest in their infrastructure to guarantee optimal military mobility across Europe in line with their respective military agreements and alliances;

    11. Emphasises the importance for European states to have the capacity and a framework to act independently within the NATO framework where possible and outside of the NATO framework if necessary; points out that the Rapid Deployment Capacity, an inter-state initiative under the control of the Member States, only comprised of 5 000 troops, does not allow for the possibility of engagement in a context of intense combat; reaffirms that it is in the Member States’ interest to strengthen their ability to fight together by conducting joint training and exercises that enhance the interoperability of the various national instruments;

    12. Expresses the need to consider European defence in all its dimensions, including land, air, naval, space and cybernetic; notes that contemporary strategic issues have a growing naval dimension and that the powers challenging the international order are deploying naval capabilities at regional level; stresses the importance of European cooperation at sea and welcomes the current progress of Operation Aspides, the lessons from which must be put to good use; stresses that European strategic autonomy has a maritime and naval dimension, and that European navies should cooperate more closely to ensure the protection of their maritime areas, as well as their underwater or surface infrastructure; stresses that the principle of freedom of navigation must be protected and calls, therefore, for an increase in surveillance and the ability to react quickly in the event of threats arising in European seas;

    13. Notes that space will increasingly become a key aspect of power and sovereignty; underlines that the Member States must maintain and guarantee their independent access to space; welcomes the launch of Ariane 6, but is concerned by the accumulated delays; draws attention to the need for the space sector to be industrialised to increase the number of rockets launched to put European satellites into orbit; welcomes the launch of the European satellite constellation IRIS², which should enable secure communications solutions for sovereign and military issues by 2030; emphasises the need for the future EU space law not to hamper the competitiveness of European companies and to apply constraints on non-EU players; notes the importance of Galileo, Europe’s global navigation satellite system;

    14. Underlines that, unlike the United States (Buy America Act) and China (Government Procurement Law), the European space industry is not shielded from international competition and does not benefit from a European preference; calls on the Member States and the Commission to implement a European preference in space industry procurement and promote innovation, research and development; stresses that the European Space Agency’s principle of geographical return hampers innovative European SMEs and start-ups from receiving adequate funding and contributes to the fragmentation of the European space industry; calls on the European Space Agency to abolish the principle of geographical return and adopt an innovative and efficiency-based approach to space procurement rather than a geographically driven one;

    15. Underlines that the strengthening of European defence capabilities will require significant financing; calls on banks, pension funds, insurance companies and other actors in the Member States to simplify and significantly increase the financing of projects and companies operating in the field of defence; insists that in the context of the urgent need to increase defence spending, financial institutions should not consider investments in the field of defence to be damaging for their reputation; rejects, however, the idea of issuing joint debt, such as defence Eurobonds, to support defence spending;

    16. Notes the growing importance of AI in warfare, particularly in the development of drones and autonomous weapons; recognises the indigenous AI advances in warfare made by Ukraine and Israel, demonstrating that the Member States are equally capable of developing similar capabilities; highlights that recent breakthroughs, such as the one made by the Chinese AI computing start-up DeepSeek, demonstrate the feasibility of cost-competitive AI systems; calls on the Member States to accelerate the development of AI capabilities; underlines that the AI Act[4], set to be implemented in 2025, creates uncertainty regarding the production and development of dual-use AI systems, an ambiguity that could hinder the development of essential defence industry products; calls for this issue to be clarified to ensure that the European defence industry is not disadvantaged compared to its American and Chinese counterparts;

    17. Stresses that a strong civilian manufacturing industry, particularly in the steelmaking, automotive, aerospace and shipbuilding sectors, is essential for deterrence and for maintaining long-term military and industrial capabilities in the event of conflict; notes the decline of these industries since the 1990s, especially in western Europe; calls on the Commission and the Council to safeguard the manufacturing industries that are vital to national security, including through the use of tariffs; urges the Commission to revise the Green Deal and revoke the net-neutrality goal, since it destroys manufacturing competitiveness and is responsible for the deindustrialisation of key industries in the Member States; stresses that the relocation of essential manufacturing industries to non-EU countries is counterproductive both in terms of global environmental impact and national security;

    18. Expresses concern over the growing dependence of the European defence industry on foreign components, particularly rare earths and semiconductors, which are essential for advanced military technologies; calls on the Member States to intensify efforts to develop domestic rare earth mining and semiconductor manufacturing capabilities to safeguard the autonomy of the European defence industry in the event of conflicts or severe supply chain disruptions;

    19. Welcomes the Dutch Government’s decision to tighten export control rules on advanced lithography systems, which are essential for semiconductor production; stresses that EU technological transfers to non-EU countries have significantly contributed to the rise of foreign competition and the deindustrialisation of Europe; encourages the Member States to impose stricter export controls on critical dual-use technologies and manufacturing products;

    20. Notes that 80 % of EU data is stored and managed in the United States and other non-EU countries, where it may be subject to extraterritorial intervention under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the CLOUD Act, or China’s Data Security Law; stresses that protecting critical industrial and government data is essential to ensuring national security; welcomes the Swiss Government Cloud programme as a step toward cloud sovereignty and encourages the Member States to implement similar initiatives; encourages the Member States to strengthen regulations on telecommunications service providers, which are predominantly based outside Europe, creating a significant dependence on external actors;

    21. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, the Commission, the European Council and the parliaments and governments of the Member States.

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the white paper on the future of European defence – B10-0148/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Nathalie Loiseau, Petras Auštrevičius, Dan Barna, Helmut Brandstätter, Engin Eroglu, Bernard Guetta, Urmas Paet, Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, Hilde Vautmans, Dainius Žalimas, Michał Kobosko
    on behalf of the Renew Group

    B10‑0148/2025

    European Parliament resolution on the white paper on the future of European defence

    (2025/2565(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas over the last decade, major geopolitical shifts, amplified by the return of large-scale wars in the EU’s neighbourhood, have threatened the security of the EU, its Member States and its citizens;

    B. whereas the global order is fragmenting and is increasingly characterised by complex and entrenched instabilities;

    C. whereas the EU cannot be secure without security in its immediate neighbourhood; whereas Ukraine’s capacity to resist Russia’s war of aggression is vital to EU security;

    D. whereas recent statements by members of the US Administration, accompanied by the behaviour of the US leadership towards President Zelenskyy, reflect a shift in US foreign policy; whereas it is becoming increasingly clear that Europe needs to strengthen its own security and defence and must be in a position to help Ukraine win the war;

    E. whereas the biggest and fastest growth in Russia’s military capabilities is taking place close to Russia’s borders with the West, while the EU is taking its time to enhance its defence capacity;

    F. whereas there is an urgent need to further reform and strengthen the EU’s defence policy in the light of Ukraine’s recent war experience and the use of new war technologies;

    G. whereas it is in the EU’s interest to see Ukraine as an integral part of a genuine European security system;

    H. whereas, in their mission letters from the President of the European Commission, the Commissioner for Defence and Space and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy were tasked with presenting a white paper on the future of European defence within the first 100 days of their mandate;

    1. Considers that the EU must take urgent action to ensure its own autonomous security, strengthen useful partnerships with like-minded partners and significantly reduce its dependencies on other countries; stresses, therefore, that the EU is now facing a turning point in its history and construction; insists that ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option as it would mean the end of a safe and secure Europe; considers that the EU and its Member States have to choose between pulling together in a synchronised way and joining forces to overcome the threats and attacks against EU security, or standing alone at the mercy of aggressive adversaries and unreliable partners; recalls that Russia is the most significant direct threat to Europe’s security; emphasises, however, the fact that the instability in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood must also be fully taken into consideration;

    2. Underlines that the EU must now adopt a holistic and cross-cutting approach, integrating a defence and security dimension into most European policies, including adequate regulatory and financial instruments to address identified capability needs and gaps;

    3. Believes therefore that the time has come for renewed political ambition to act and turn the EU into a genuine security provider, increase the EU’s defence readiness and build a true European Defence Union; recalls that the adoption of the Strategic Compass was a good starting point, but that it must still be implemented in a timely manner; welcomes the recent EU defence instruments; insists on the urgent need to change scale, as EU defence efforts cannot remain limited in size, fragmented in scope and lengthy in delivery; calls for a quantum leap and a new approach on defence, accompanied by strong choices and decisions, an action plan and a short-to-long-term defence investment plan to enhance the bloc’s security infrastructure, improve deterrence, respond to hybrid threats and attacks, guarantee the mobilisation of equity and private capital and develop strategic enablers and strategic weapons systems to enhance Europe’s collective military power and thus reduce its dependency on others;

    4. Urges the EU to adopt a coherent, robust and comprehensive framework to strengthen its security and the security of its partners, to better identify potential future breaking points and prevent further crises, and, together with the Member States, to marshal responses similar to those required in times of war;

    5. Expects the white paper on European defence to define this new framework and the extent to which the EU can help Europe anticipate and ready itself for the most extreme military contingencies, deter potential aggressors and defend itself both in the short and long term with a view to becoming a credible power and a European pillar within NATO;

    6. Considers that common foreign and security policy (CSDP) missions and operations have to be reassessed and reviewed with this perspective in mind; insists that, to fulfil its role as an insurance policy for Europe’s security, the CSDP must become stronger and more agile, including by becoming the EU’s instrument to fight against hybrid warfare;

    7. Stresses that capabilities and resources must be increased, and that the fragmentation of the defence market must be overcome; fully agrees with and shares the Draghi report’s[1] view that the EU and its Member States must urgently decide on incentives directed towards the EU defence industry and find creative solutions for large-scale public and private investments in security and defence;

    8. Urges the EU and its Member States to significantly increase their efforts to decisively shift the trajectory of Russia’s war against Ukraine; underlines that such a shift depends now almost entirely on Europeans; urges the Member States, therefore, to provide more arms and ammunition to Ukraine; warns, ahead of any negotiations, that if the EU should fail in its support, and if Ukraine were to be forced to surrender, Russia would turn against other countries, including possibly EU Member States; calls on the Council to work with Ukraine to identify a peaceful solution to the war, and to actively engage in implementing Ukraine’s Peace Formula; urges the EU and its Member States, first and foremost, to participate in establishing robust future security guarantees for Ukraine;

    9. Believes that the EU can play a crucial role in identifying the gap between Ukraine’s military capabilities and its needs, after three years of war, as well as in identifying the available defence capabilities of the Member States, with a view to coordinating the ramping up of defence industry production as well as ensuring the constant production of certain equipment in order to respond to foreign aggressions or the specific needs of its strategic partners;

    10. Calls for a significant increase in the financing of military support to Ukraine; condemns the veto imposed by one Member State on the functioning of the European Peace Facility; calls on the Member States to take the decision, together with their G7 partners, to use frozen assets as a basis for a substantial grant and loan to Ukraine, as a legally robust and financially substantial way to maintain and increase Europe’s response to Ukraine’s military needs;

    11. Urges the Council and the Member States to review and strengthen the enforcement of existing sanctions, and to adopt and strictly implement restrictive measures against all entities and countries facilitating the circumvention of sanctions and helping to provide Russia’s military complex with military and dual-use technologies and equipment;

    12. Insists on the paramount importance of cooperation with the Ukrainian defence industry and its integration, in the long term, into the EU’s defence technological and industrial base; recalls the urgency to properly finance the Ukraine instrument under the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP), which is not currently budgeted for;

    13. Strongly believes that the EU must further expand and improve its tailor-made training operations to respond to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, in return, create the conditions for European armed forces to learn lessons and strategic practices from them;

    14. Calls for the EU and its Members States to facilitate the use of CSDP instruments to complement national security tools in the immediate vicinity of the EU’s territory and territorial waters, and to strengthen dual-use and civilian-military cooperation at EU level, based on a whole-of-government approach; reiterates its call for the protection of critical underwater infrastructure and the development of protective countermeasures;

    15. Calls for the EU to develop a comprehensive EU risk assessment to help identify the major cross-sectoral threats and hazards and the concrete risks facing the EU as a whole, building on current sector-specific risk assessment processes;

    16. Insists on the importance of using the upcoming Preparedness Union strategy to put the EU on track towards comprehensive preparedness;

    17. Calls for a principle of ‘preparedness by design’ to be embedded consistently in a cross-cutting way across the EU institutions, bodies, and agencies; insists on the need to develop a mandatory security and preparedness check for future impact assessments and stress-tests of existing legislation; stresses the need to reduce the obstacles in current EU legislation that undermine the efficiency of European defence and security;

    18. Invites the Commission and the Member States to explore the feasibility of an EU preparedness act, setting joint standards and long-term guidelines, to align EU and national efforts wherever possible;

    19. Calls for the EU and its Member States to set up and regularly conduct an EU comprehensive preparedness exercise to test both high-level decision-making and operational coordination, in order to encourage the building of strong horizontal links between actors and across sectors;

    20. Calls for the EU to urgently adapt its tools to new realities by designing an administrative capacity to fast-track procedures during wars or other large-scale crises, and to adopt the appropriate tools;

    21. Considers regular threat analyses, like the one that was first conducted in the Strategic Compass, to be an absolute necessity; considers that the Strategic Compass, the CSDP, the white paper and the European defence industrial strategy should form the basis of a comprehensive vision for European defence;

    22. Recalls that the Strategic Compass provides the EU with necessary propositions; urges the Member States to take urgent decisions to ensure its full implementation; reiterates its call for the Military Planning and Conduct Capability to finally benefit from adequate premises and staff, enhanced command and control, and effective communication and information systems for all CSDP missions and operations; insists on the fact that the Rapid Deployment Capacity has to achieve full operational capability in 2025; strongly believes that more substantial progress must be made in bringing Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) into operation;

    23. Reiterates its call to strengthen EU-NATO cooperation with actions and not only words, including in the domains of information exchange, planning coordination, improved cooperation on their respective military operations, and joint efforts to significantly improve on military mobility initiatives, building on lessons learnt from military assistance to Ukraine;

    24. Invites the Member States to actively participate in a priority ordering mechanism for defence production to help prioritise orders, contracts and the recruitment of employees in emergency situations; underlines that such a mechanism should apply beyond current defence applications to encompass other essential resilience-building infrastructure such as energy, transport and telecommunications;

    25. Calls for the EU, in cooperation with NATO and with the support of the European Defence Agency (EDA), to identify and address the critical defence capability gaps and shortfalls in the EU and focus efforts on European strategic enablers to provide genuine EU added value; notes that in order to address the most extreme military contingencies, the EU must use the same force requirements as those set by NATO for critical military capabilities, particularly for air defence, ammunition, long-range fire capabilities, logistics and enablement;

    26. Urges the EU and its Member States to move from a ‘flow’ approach to their military capabilities, which has prevailed during peacetime, to a ‘stock’ approach, with stockpiles of defence equipment ready for a sustained increase in demand; believes that the Commission should take all possible action to increase trust between Member States and encourage greater exchange and transparency on long-term planning, more proactive measures aimed at securing raw materials, and policies to close gaps in production processes and on the labour market;

    27. Calls for the EU to adopt a global and coherent approach to external aid in all its aspects, with much closer alignment between the common foreign and security policy and the objectives and instruments of the CSDP;

    28. Considers that the CSDP must become the EU’s armed wing in the fight against the hybrid war being waged against it, its Member States and its partners, in particular candidate countries; is deeply worried by the sharp increase in hybrid attacks including sabotage, cyberattacks, information manipulation and interference in elections, with the objective of weakening the EU and candidate countries; calls on the Member States to consider appropriate forms of deterrence and countermeasures, including the use of Article 42(7) TEU; insists on the need to improve the CSDP’s ability to identify, prevent and counter information manipulation aimed at hindering the EU’s external action; reiterates its call to establish an effective horizontal strategic communications strategy adapted to all EU communication channels;

    29. Calls for the creation, under the CSDP, of an EU crisis response air fleet comprising military transport aircraft held at EU level and made available to Member States for EU deployments, transport of equipment or troops (military mobility), or emergency evacuation – the need for which was demonstrated by the capability gap during the withdrawal from Afghanistan – as well as for civilian security missions, based on the model of the European Air Transport Command;

    30. Expects the European External Action Service to carry out comprehensive and uncompromising reviews of CSDP missions and operations taking into account, in particular, the realism of their respective mandates in relation to the resources allocated, the recruitment method for the staff of missions and operations, particularly with regard to the link between the skills required and the different profiles, the rationalisation of resources and the management of missions and operations, the transparency of calls for tender, activities and results obtained, best practice and lessons learned, and difficulties encountered; asks the Council, on the basis of these reviews, to take the decisions required to adapt or abandon ineffective missions and to strengthen the most useful missions; believes that the evaluation and control of CSDP missions and operations must be improved;

    31. Believes that the EU should develop wartime economic cooperation contingency plans with close partners to prepare for mutual support in the case of large-scale security crises involving them directly, and deepen wartime economic dialogues with European and global partners to provide early warning of hard, hybrid, and cyber threats, to foster mutual support planning, protection of critical infrastructure and maritime safety;

    32. Calls for the EU and its Member States, in cooperation with NATO, to remove all unnecessary regulatory obstacles that slow down the speed at which Europe is able to develop its military mobility; believes that the EU has to move from the logic of ‘mobility’ to that of ‘military logistics’; considers that the definition of military mobility should apply to infrastructure that covers all logistical aspects of mobility, including but not limited to logistics hubs, fuel, spare parts, repair capacity and ammunition; stresses the need for significant investments in military mobility infrastructure to enhance cargo airlift capabilities, for increased development of logistical infrastructure such as camps, depots, ports, air, sea and rail platforms, railways, waterways, roads and bridges; insists on the need to adapt regulations with the rapid implementation of the technical arrangement signed under the aegis of the EDA Cross Border Movement Permission, the harmonisation of customs formalities and the preparation of a centralised and reasoned lifting of road and rail traffic standards in the event of a crisis situation;

    33. Believes that, in order to build a favourable ecosystem for the European defence industry, the EU must provide it with a united and clear long-term vision, giving it visibility and ensuring that priority needs are addressed;

    34. Urges the EU to increase the coherence between existing and future EU instruments, in particular between Permanent Structured Cooperation on demand consolidation, and the European Defence Fund (EDF) on programmatic roadmaps, between the European defence industry reinforcement through common procurement act (EDIRPA) on joint procurement, and the Act in support of ammunition production (ASAP) on industrial ramp-up, between the EDIP on identification of dependencies, and the EDF on the resolution of identified dependencies; and within the EDIP itself on the coherence of actions related to the consolidation of demand and supply;

    35. Insists on the importance of EU flagship projects, in the form of European Defence Projects of Common Interest (EDPCI), which are critical to the European defence industry; believes that EDPCIs should be used to support the industrial and technological capacities underpinning major priorities shared by several Member States and in fields such as strategic enablers – particularly in space and European air defence – so as to act on the whole spectrum of threats, develop military mobility, in particular strategic and tactical air transport, deep strike capabilities, drone and anti-drone technologies, missiles and munitions, and artificial intelligence, as well as to develop sovereign infrastructure and critical enablers; emphasises that realism must prevail in view of the sheer number of priorities and the need to mobilise new resources; considers, in that regard, that the EU should focus on rapidly available and proven European technologies that reduce its dependencies and improve its security; calls for the creation of European defence industry champions as an objective to consolidate the EU’s defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB) and increase its global competitiveness; considers, furthermore, that instead of focusing on fair returns, EU defence policies should encourage the growth of European centres of excellence;

    36. Calls on the further development of the EU defence industrial policy to improve existing defence-specific instruments and develop new instruments where necessary, and to optimise the use of non-defence-specific instruments for the purposes of the EDTIB;

    37. Recalls the need to ensure the consistency of EU public policies, which must not generate obligations contradictory to the overall defence objectives, especially in a period of security crisis where the concept of ‘strategic exception’ should be introduced; calls for the creation of a genuine defence environment that supports industrial ramp-up efforts by taking better advantage of the Commission’s existing multi-sectoral instruments, screening, reviewing and, where needed, revising them to ensure that they do not undermine EU defence policy objectives;

    38. Proposes that relevant defence-related entities/activities be allowed access to InvestEU, and other EU funds taking advantage of the EU defence industry as a job creator; insists on the prioritising of defence-related entities/activities as appropriate with the support of the Chips Act, and the Critical Raw Materials Act; believes that simplification efforts announced by the Commission must fully encompass the defence sector;

    39. Insists on the need to ensure geographical coherence by taking stock of the will of the EU and the UK to work together, first and foremost to build security guarantees for Ukraine and to become closer security partners, but also to sign a joint declaration with concrete commitments and structured dialogue to strengthen EU-UK cooperation on the full range of foreign and security challenges the continent faces, the budgetary and regulatory conditions of which remain to be negotiated, and keeping in mind the importance of the EU’s decision-making autonomy;

    40. Calls for the coherence of the support offered to companies to be improved by reducing unnecessary administrative burdens and cutting red tape, and ensuring much easier access to support for small and mid-cap companies;

    41. Calls for greater coherence in governance, as the CSDP must become the instrument of a powerful Europe; considers that this requires a real link in governance between the Member States, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the other European Commissioners; urges the Member States to overcome the complexity of decision-making on European defence; calls for the creation of a Council of defence ministers and the move from unanimity to qualified majority voting for decisions in the European Council, the Council of Ministers and EU agencies such as the EDA, except for those on military operations with an executive mandate; until then, calls for the use of Article 44 TEU and the creation of a cross-sectoral task force on defence in the Commission; calls for increased democratic accountability through enhanced control by Parliament;

    42. Stresses that the creation of a single European defence market is a priority as the fragmentation and lack of competitiveness of the European defence industry have so far hampered the capacity of the EU to take more responsibility as a security provider; recalls that the notion of a ‘defence market’ implies a full recognition of its specificity and an appropriate and consistent application of EU public policies; recalls that this single market should aim for European preference by strictly linking it to territoriality and added-value generated in the EU;

    43. Strongly believes that European preference should be the cornerstone of EU policies related to the European defence market, as a strategic imperative aimed at protecting European know-how and strengthening European defence capabilities on a long-term basis, and to ensure that EU taxpayer money is used to create added value on EU territory;

    44. Calls for the notion of the internal market to be linked to that of territoriality, as defence is driven by Member State policy rather than the market, and as the defence industry is under authorisation to produce and under exemption to sell;

    45. Insists on the need to remove barriers to market entry for defence products across the EU by reviewing the directives on the transfer of defence-related products and defence procurement;

    46. Underlines that the European preference principle must be reflected in EU defence regulations by clear and unambiguous eligibility criteria both for entities and for products;

    47. Calls on the Commission to design a better resourced, more strategic and more efficient successor to the EDF that supports common research and innovation in defence all along the supply chain and lays down the conditions for addressing technological challenges such as advanced persistent threats, artificial intelligence and machine learning, quantum computing, military internet of things, security, supply chain attacks, zero-day exploits and cloud security; calls for the establishment of an EU agency inspired by the American Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), adapted to the EU’s specific characteristics, in order to fund strategic, groundbreaking projects designed to promote European technological and economic superiority;

    48. Is concerned that, without a substantial increase in investment in defence, the EU will not reach its objectives on security and defence, either for military support to Ukraine or to bolster the EU’s common security; highlights that the cost of non-preparedness for most extreme military contingencies would then be much higher than the cost of decisive EU preparedness; recalls that aggregate EU defence spending is inadequate and lacks sufficient focus on innovation; calls for the EU and the Member States to work and agree on the concrete ways and means for short- to long-term massive public and private investments in defence and security; recalls that the Commission has estimated the funding needed at EUR 500 billion over the next 10 years (2025-2034), including EUR 400 billion to strengthen Member States’ defence capabilities and EUR 100 billion to support Ukraine;

    49. Considers that, in the next EU multiannual financial framework (MFF), defence spending lines will have to reflect the new priority of being ‘ready for the most extreme military contingencies’ and include ambitious financing for military mobility, counter-mobility measures and defence industrial capacity building;

    50. Strongly supports the five-point Re-Arm Europe plan proposed by the Commissions President on 4 February 2025, which includes the possibility of triggering the escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact for defence investments in order to allow Member States to increase their defence spending, a new instrument to provide EUR 150 billion of loans to Member States for defence investment, possibilities and incentives for Member States that choose to use cohesion policy programmes to increase defence spending, as well as the mobilisation of private capital through the completion of the capital markets union and the widening of the scope of the European Investment Bank (EIB); urges the Member States to support this plan;

    51. Strongly supports the notion that Member States must increase financing for their defence and security to new levels; notes that some Member States are already increasing their defence spending to 5 % of GDP and insists that the current security environment and multiple, complex and evolving security threats require Member States to spend at least 3 % of GDP on defence;

    52. Insists that urgent needs cannot wait for the next MFF; insists that innovative solutions for finding additional funding must be considered without delay, including:

    (a) re-prioritising existing EU funds,

    (b) investing in the defence sector by making it explicitly eligible under the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund, while leaving the regions and Member States free to decide whether to make it a priority according to local needs;

    (c) making it easier and faster to re-purpose funds from one project to another,

    (d) exploring the possibility of adjusting EU funding criteria to give new prominence to security criteria in allocating spending;

    53. Underlines that a ‘popular loan’ would not only mobilise the European families’ savings, but also unify the 450 million European citizens around the need to improve our collective security; stresses that this popular loan should be organised with the same rules and advantages in all the 27 Member States and could give a common sense of belonging to the nations of the EU;

    54. Is of the opinion that national recovery and resilience plans should be amended to allow for new defence funding;

    55. Recommends the identification of new resources that could require contributions from the Member States as part of a new EU debt programme along the lines of the NextGenerationEU plan, following on from the idea of ‘defence bonds’, to complement the Commission’s Re-Arm Europe plan, if necessary;

    56. Reiterates, in line with the Commission’s Re-Arm Europe plan, its call for the EIB, other international financial institutions and private banks in Europe to invest more actively in the European defence industry, as speeding up security and defence investments in the EU would leverage private funding and have a strong signalling effect as regards other investors and market operators;

    57. Calls on the EIB in particular to re-evaluate its list of excluded activities, to adjust its lending policy to increase the volume of available funding in the field of security and defence, and to investigate the possibility of issuing earmarked debt for funding security and defence projects;

    58. Calls for the development of emergency procedures for projects established in response to major crises or wars whereby the EU, jointly with the EIB, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Council of Europe Development Bank, can enable banks to use faster processes to support projects necessary in crises or wars; calls for the EU also to consider amending the Treaties to allow the use of capital from the European Stability Mechanism for Europe’s war economy;

    59. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Council, the Council, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President of the Commission and competent Commissioners, the EU security and defence agencies and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the white paper on the future of European defence – B10-0144/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    B10‑0144/2025

    European Parliament resolution on the white paper on the future of European defence

    (2025/2565(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the common security and defence policy (CSDP) and the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) of the EU,

    – having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 42 thereof,

    – having regard to Title III, Article 3 of the Protocol on the concerns of the Irish people on the Treaty of Lisbon,

    – having regard to the announced publication of the white paper on the future of European defence on 19 March 2025,

    – having regard to the Helsinki Accords,

    – having regard to the various European defence projects of recent years,

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas, in line with the Treaties, the CSDP is part of the CFSP and is considered a policy framework through which Member States can develop a European strategic culture of security and defence, address conflicts and crises together, protect the Union and its citizens and strengthen international peace and security;

    B. whereas Article 42(2) TEU states that the Union’s CSDP must be compatible with the common security and defence policy established within the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), under the North Atlantic Treaty;

    C. whereas NATO is largely dominated by the United States, and NATO membership entails a mandatory complementarity and compatibility of European weapons systems with US systems, hence impeding the strategic and operational autonomy of Member States and other European countries;

    D. whereas at the NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008, the US Government pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership against the opinion of several Member States; whereas following the Russian invasion, the United States pushed EU Member States to systematically increase the quantity and quality of arms deliveries to Ukraine;

    E. whereas different Member States have different military and security policies, including policies of military neutrality;

    F. whereas the United States saw windfall benefits from the Ukraine war through an increase of US shale gas exports to the European Union; whereas the US Government now unjustly wishes to control Ukrainian mineral resources and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine with Putin, without involving Ukraine and the European Union;

    G. whereas unlike nuclear weapon states such as India and the People’s Republic of China, NATO and Russia refuse to commit to a ‘no first use’ policy, whereby they would formally refrain from using nuclear weapons, except in retaliation to an attack by an enemy power using weapons of mass destruction;

    H. whereas the US Government has launched a high number of wars and military operations that violated international law and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations; whereas, in light of 2024 advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice, the United States’ ongoing military support for Israel might make it complicit in genocide and illegal occupation; whereas the participation of EU Member States in violations of international law, including in wars of aggression and military invasions contrary to international law against countries such as the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, have undermined global adherence to the principles of international law;

    I. whereas the United States has forwardly deployed new B61-12 gravity bombs on the territory of EU Member States, increasing the risk that these Member States will fall victim to preventive or retaliatory strikes related to US foreign policy;

    J. whereas Russia’s repeated acts of war and aggression, starting with the war against Georgia in 2008, the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ongoing illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as an increasing number of acts of sabotage on critical infrastructure, have been factors in creating and exacerbating tensions;

    K. whereas Article 41(2) TEU prohibits charging expenditure arising from operations with military or defence implications to the Union budget;

    L. whereas the Commission has nevertheless launched several European defence projects over the last few years, including the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), the Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR), the European Defence Fund (EDF), the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA), the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) and, most recently, the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP);

    M. whereas according to 2023 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute figures, EU Member States, together with the United Kingdom, already spend more nominally on defence than all other countries in the world combined, with the exception of the United States;

    N. whereas in April 2021, the Commission estimated that increased cooperation between Member States in the field of security and defence could save between EUR 25 billion and EUR 100 billion every year;

    O. whereas the Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) is planning to shut down more than four out of five of its hubs worldwide, reducing its diplomatic presence from around 100 delegations to 18 hubs;

    P. whereas in 2024, EU leaders agreed to cut EUR 2 billion from the EU’s external action budget in the multiannual financial framework for 2021-2027; whereas several Member States, such as France and Belgium, have also made cuts and reforms to their diplomacy services;

    Q. whereas Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a new common instrument to boost military spending across the EU to unlock up to EUR 800 billion of additional defence spending over the coming years;

    R. whereas even the military spending of the United States, which maintains over 700 military installations in over 70 countries, does not exceed 3.46 % of its GDP;

    S. whereas, nevertheless, the US Government, certain Member States and NATO and Commission officials are pushing for a further massive increase in defence expenditure, from an average of 1.9 % of GDP to 5 %;

    T. whereas even the military-oriented Niinisto Report, entitled ‘Safer Together –Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness’ highlights the fact that threats to the security of European citizens, including increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events, such as megadroughts, floods and heatwaves, and the risk of new pandemics, would require massive investment in public services;

    U. whereas while the Draghi report on the future of European competitiveness highlights the need for massive investment in a variety of sectors, including energy, pharmaceuticals and transport, the Commission has placed seven Member States under an excessive deficit procedure, pushing for harsh austerity and structural reforms in social and public expenses;

    V. whereas a further massive increase in military expenditure will instead lead to cuts in public services, and in social, climate and environmental spending throughout Europe, endangering the social and human security of European citizens;

    W. whereas the Commission is nonetheless considering the suspension of economic governance rules for military expenses;

    X. whereas the Commission has failed to present a fully autonomous assessment of European defence needs and priorities, relying instead on NATO assessments of critical gaps in defence capability;

    Y. whereas Türkiye, a NATO member, illegally occupies 37 % of Cyprus, an EU Member State;

    Z. whereas in international relations theory the ‘security dilemma’ refers to a phenomenon whereby actions, such as arms procurement, taken by a state actor to increase its own security provokes reactions from other states, such as increased arms procurement or preventive attacks, that ultimately lead to a decrease rather than an increase in the original state’s security;

    AA. whereas the 1975 Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, concluded in Helsinki between the United States, Canada, the Soviet Union and all of the countries of Europe, except Albania, played an important role in easing tensions between East and West during the Cold War;

    AB. whereas the Cold War collective security acquis has been systematically undermined by the United States’ withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and the Open Skies Treaty, systematically followed by Russian withdrawals, and by the Russian withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty;

    AC. whereas a new European security architecture will have to apply the principles of peaceful coexistence between countries with different political systems and offer security guarantees to all parties in order to avoid Europe being divided once again into two diametrically opposed blocs;

    Towards a European collective security architecture

    1. Recalls that the Treaties consider the CSDP part of the CFSP; asks, therefore, that any defence initiative at EU level be subordinated to a clear foreign and security policy and strategy for peace on the European continent;

    2. Rejects the militarisation of the EU and any belligerent objectives of the CSDP;

    3. Notes with great concern the diminishing respect for international and humanitarian law by parties all around the world, with Israel, Russia and the United States being flagrant examples; reiterates the need for European independence in shaping foreign and defence policy;

    4. Considers that in light of the United States’ past and ongoing violations of international law and the negative impact of US military interventions on neighbouring regions, the foreign, security and defence policy of the Union and Member States can no longer be aligned with the framework of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO); calls, therefore, on the European Council to start the process of revising the EU Treaties to remove this requirement from the TEU;

    5. Recalls that NATO and the EU are distinct organisations which serve very different purposes and whose membership is not even identical; regrets the conflation of NATO, a military alliance, with the EU;

    6. Is extremely worried by the fact that there are still more than 13 000 nuclear weapons scattered around the world, many of which can be deployed within minutes and could cause the end of humankind; notes with concern that despite a stated commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, NATO’s nuclear member states invested USD 271 billion in nuclear weapons modernisation and maintenance between 2019 and 2023, while in 2023 China and Russia were the second and third largest spenders, with budgets of USD 11.9 billion and USD 8.3 billion respectively;

    7. Believes that NATO’s refusal to commit to a ‘no first use’ policy on nuclear weapons and the forward deployment of US nuclear weapons in Europe increases the risk of Europe becoming a target of nuclear strikes; demands, therefore, the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from the territory of Member States; is deeply concerned about nuclear threats to European security, including veiled warnings about the use of tactical nuclear weapons and Russia’s lowering of its threshold for using nuclear weapons;

    8. Urges the Member States to work on a new long-term collective security architecture for Europe inspired by the principles of the Helsinki process and including the concept of mutual security guarantees; notes that a fundamental aspect of such an approach is respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations and a commitment to international law;

    9. Insists that a new European security architecture apply the principles of peaceful coexistence between countries with different political systems, and offer security guarantees to all parties;

    10. Calls on the Commission, in light of multiple threats ranging from climate-related catastrophes to pandemics, to abandon a narrow focus on military security and develop a policy centred on human security as defined in United Nations General Assembly resolution 66/290, which states that ‘human security is an approach to assist Member States in identifying and addressing widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood and dignity of their people’ and calls for ‘people-centred, comprehensive, context-specific and prevention-oriented responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people’;

    11. Calls on the Commission and Member States to seek inspiration from Austria, which has enshrined neutrality in its constitution, committing not to join military alliances and not to permit the establishment of any foreign military bases on its territory;

    12. Calls on the Commission and Member States to also look to the example set by Ireland, with its tradition of military neutrality; recalls that this tradition includes an active approach towards peace support operations and crisis management, contributions to conflict resolution and peacebuilding, work for human rights and development, and efforts to promote disarmament and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction;

    13. Regrets the attacks on Irish neutrality and recalls that the people of Ireland were guaranteed continued military neutrality, underpinned by a commitment to only undertake operations with a United Nations mandate, ahead of their ratification of the Lisbon Treaty;

    14. Reiterates its call on Türkiye, a NATO member, to withdraw its troops from Cyprus, an EU Member State, and to work constructively towards finding a viable and peaceful solution based on the relevant UN resolutions;

    15. Calls for unanimity voting on defence issues to be maintained within the Council to promote consensus-based solutions that foster much-needed unity;

    Diplomacy as the cornerstone of European security

    16. Believes that diplomacy should remain a cornerstone of EU foreign policy;

    17. Recalls that conflict prevention is paramount to any security and defence strategy; underlines the fact that diplomacy prevents and ends wars, and that every euro invested in conflict prevention saves around EUR 16 later on;

    18. Believes that, given the deteriorating security situation on several fronts and increasing geopolitical tensions, preventive diplomacy requires sustained and enhanced attention; calls, therefore, on the Commission and Member States to immediately reverse the cutbacks made to diplomatic representations;

    19. Believes that its systematic alignment with US foreign policy, most recently with regard to Israeli war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocidal practices against Palestinians, has dramatically reduced the EU’s global diplomatic credibility and therefore worsened its security situation;

    20. Recalls that the participation of EU Member States in illegal military operations and the support for violations of international law abroad gravely endangers the security of EU citizens; urges the Commission and Member States to explore a non-aligned foreign and security policy stance based on the principles of the UN Charter, including peaceful conflict resolution, diplomacy and multilateralism;

    21. Believes that Europe has much to gain from diversifying its relations and maintaining diplomatic connections with as many countries as possible around the world;

    Arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation

    22. Is deeply concerned that world military expenditure continues to rise to new record levels; highlights the fact that an arms race will not create security for European citizens, but instead, in line with the security dilemma, heighten the risk of violent conflict; calls on the Commission to actively promote new arms control treaties;

    23. Recalls that the EU strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction made non-proliferation a central goal of the EU’s CFSP, stating that ‘our objective is to prevent, deter, halt and, where possible, eliminate proliferation of concern worldwide’; calls, therefore, on Member States to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;

    24. Notes that arms exports, also of small and light weapons, can fuel conflict and global terrorism and destabilise entire regions, states and societies, thereby thwarting sustainable development and crisis management efforts; calls on the Commission and Member States to strictly apply Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP of 8 December 2008 defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment in order to avoid a worsening of the security situation in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood;

    25. Calls for the creation of a Directorate-General for Disarmament and Arms Control at the Commission;

    26. Demands an immediate arms embargo against Israel and any other country directly or indirectly involved in armed conflict, except in the case of those that are the victim of invasion by others, in order to stop EU complicity in war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocidal practices, whether perpetrated by Israel or any other country; calls on the Commission and Member States to base their foreign and security policy on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law;

    Defence expenditure

    27. Urges the Commission and Member States to offer full transparency and a critical audit of the current defence expenditure within the Union, detailing why it estimates that European countries would be unable to defend themselves with budgets already vastly superior to those of most of the world’s countries;

    28. Notes with concern that the Commission has presented a new EUR 150 billion common defence fund; believes that an increase in defence spending is not the solution to finding a lasting peace and that cuts in the EU structural funds should not be used for this purpose, given how vital these funds are to the development of local communities across the EU;

    29. Notes that the share of GDP is not an adequate measure for the efficiency and impact of defence expenditure; calls on the Commission and Member States not to enter an arms race through a massive increase in defence budgets at the expense of both human and social security;

    30. Regards the NATO demand for complementarity and compatibility of European weapons systems with US systems as incompatible with European strategic autonomy; regrets that the Commission and the Council have failed to present a detailed assessment of European critical defence capability gaps; calls on both institutions to present such an assessment, including specific priorities, before considering increased defence expenditure; recalls that these should focus on defensive tasks, not on building capacities for military intervention all over the world;

    31. Recalls Commission estimates that increased cooperation between Member States in the field of security and defence could save up to EUR 100 billion every year; calls, in this regard, for inspiration to be drawn from existing intra-European cooperation structures, such as BACA, the Belgian-Dutch Naval cooperation BeNeSam and the Nordic Defence Cooperation, including Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, which have increased the efficiency of the participating nations’ national defence, and to explore common synergies and facilitate efficient common solutions;

    32. Considers that the military cooperation commitments that may be assumed in collective security organisations should be considered in light of strict respect for the UN Charter;

    33. Rejects the allocation of appropriations on the EU budget to the EU’s militarisation; calls for the reallocation of EU budget funds earmarked for the ongoing militarisation of the EU and its programmes to respond to the social and economic needs of citizens and promote cohesion between Member States;

    34. Highlights the fact that there can be neither autonomy nor security without digital sovereignty; calls on the Commission to prioritise the development of a democratic, public-led digital stack that includes digital infrastructure as a service, and universal platforms, such as search engines and foundation AI models, governed by new public institutions with public and civil society representation;

    35. Calls for heightened cooperation between Member States on sectoral issues of critical infrastructure protection, such as submarine cables;

    Defence industry

    36. Recalls that over the past three years, the EU has adopted a number of new initiatives on defence, and that the new Commissioner for Defence and Space believes that an additional investment of EUR 500 billion is needed in the coming decade, though other sources speak of EUR 700 billion;

    37. Recalls that the previous EU programmes have been implemented with a lack of transparency with regard to the application of EU ethical guidelines, and that decision-making is extremely opaque and heavily influenced by arms industry lobbyists;

    38. States that without ethics in investment choices, the EU will contribute to the creation of a more dangerous and lawless world order, where imperialist powers can disregard international law without facing consequences, while countries of the global south are exploited for their resources;

    39. Calls, in addition, for the EU to adopt a policy of transparent, mission-oriented military spending, with more conscious spending at the service of a defined foreign policy to ensure greater efficiency;

    40. Recalls that under Article 41(2) TEU expenditure arising from operations having military or defence implications may not be charged to the EU budget; calls for a strict application of this article; demands a retroactive review of corresponding defence funds and budget lines and for their termination where needed;

    41. Expresses deep concern about the increased subsidies and public support for the military-industrial complex amid record total global military expenditure of USD 2 443 billion in 2023, making 2023 the ninth consecutive year in which military expenditure increased;

    42. Demands that European public money go to European companies and emphasises that public European companies should, by definition, remain in Europe, while private companies can relocate their activities if they so wish;

    43. Observes that leading arms companies have benefited shamelessly from the war in Ukraine; notes that Lockheed Martin alone distributed USD 6.8 billion of cash to shareholders in dividends and share repurchases in 2024; demands that windfall profits be taxed to finance climate adaptation, public health and housing, which are also components of a broader understanding of security;

    44. Considers that the use of public money should systematically correspond to a proportional public return on investment and not finance corporate profit;

    45. Stresses that focusing our resources, notably research and development spending, on the military sector will also slow down the development of other strategic industries with civilian purposes, such as renewable energy or pharmaceuticals;

    46. Adds that military spending does not address any of the major social or environmental challenges, and that, worse still, it reinforces polluting and energy-consuming industrial models, thus increasing pressure on resources and the climate, particularly critical materials;

    47. Believes that a massive increase in purchases of US-made goods would not only be detrimental to the European economy but would equally prolong Europe’s military dependence on the United States, while creating new industrial and technological constraints;

    48. Demands that the defence industry continue to be excluded from qualifying for the sustainability criteria with regard to investment;

    49. Calls for EIB financing to be strictly limited to civilian projects, excluding dual-use items;

    Reprioritising public services and social spending

    50. Is deeply concerned that militarisation, and specifically the ReArm Europe plan, is being used to further attack public services across the EU, which are already facing the suffocating effects of austerity measures imposed by the Commission;

    51. Is appalled by the fact that the Commission is willing to bend fiscal rules such as the Stability and Growth Pact to finance military spending, but considers it impossible to raise spending to fund crumbling public services and support social and economic upward convergence in Member States;

    52. Firmly insists that health, education, green mobility, climate adaptation, climate mitigation, biodiversity, food security and digital transition are elements of human security and should be considered priorities that require investments rather than budgetary cuts;

    53. Calls, in line with the concept of human security, for a reprioritisation of public services and social welfare spending, as well as for investments in fighting climate change, as imperative prerequisites for guaranteeing that people live in a safe and secure environment;

    °

    ° °

    54. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European External Action Service.

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: European Commission and EIB group lay foundations for a new pan-European investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing

    Source: European Investment Bank

    • Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen joins EIB Group President Nadia Calviño to start laying the foundations of a pan-European investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing. This initiative underlines the importance of ensuring more affordable and sustainable housing in a productive economy.
    • At EIB Forum, EIB Group announced upcoming launch of the EIB Action Plan to support housing, which includes a new housing one-stop-shop portal to provide advice and finance to support innovation in the construction sector, build affordable homes and invest in energy efficiency and the renovation of housing stock across Europe. EIB plans investments of around €10 billion over next two years. 
    • EIB Action Plan and one-stop shop portal are key building blocks of the pan-European investment platform that the European Commission and the EIB are working on and that are open to other players such as national promotional banks and international financial institutions.

    The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group are partnering with Europe’s national promotional banks (NPBs) and international financial institutions (IFIs) to develop new financing opportunities for affordable and sustainable housing across Europe. At the EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg today, EIB Group President Nadia Calviño and European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen underlined the importance of tackling one of the most pressing concerns of citizens and governments in the European Union. They advocated a pan-European push that brings together local and national, public and private actors to catalyse finance and urgent action under the Commission’s upcoming European Affordable Housing Plan.

    Their call comes as the EIB Group completes work on an Action Plan for Affordable and Sustainable Housing with planned investments of around €10 billion over the next two years. The EIB Plan will support local and national efforts to build more affordable homes, renovate existing housing stock to be more energy efficient and encourage more sustainable and innovative building materials and equipment. The EIB also launched a housing portal, a one-stop shop to support final beneficiaries to access advice and finance. The EIB Group’s investment aims to deliver 1.5 million new or renovated housing units across Europe. The EIB Action Plan and the portal are key building blocks for the pan-European investment platform, which will be open to other players such as NPBs and IFIs. The Council of European Development Bank has also signalled its interest in participating.

    Speaking at a special event on housing at the EIB Group’s annual Forum titled “Investing in a more Sustainable and Secure Europe”, President Nadia Calviño said: “Being able to afford a comfortable and warm home is a wish that unites every family and every community in Europe. Helping to make that possible for our citizens is a social responsibility and a fiscal challenge. It is also the foundation of any productive economy. That’s why we at the EIB Group and the European Commission are working full speed on a pan-European initiative that will be open for others to join.” 

    In his opening remarks at the EIB Group Forum, Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen said: “Ensuring more affordable and sustainable housing is a pressing issue. The Commission will enable Member States to increase cohesion funds for affordable housing and ensure our state-aid rules better support our goal of achieving more affordable housing. The EU is already mobilising substantial funding, for example via the Recovery and Resilience Facility But we will not stop there. Today we are kicking off the work with the EIB, national promotional banks and international financial institutions towards a pan-European investment platform to attract more public and private funding for housing.  And, together with the European Parliament, we will consult intensively with Member States, cities, regions and all stakeholders to deliver the European Affordable Housing Plan.”

    The lack of affordable housing in Europe, particularly in larger cities, is highlighted as an increasing concern in relation to Europe’s economic growth and productivity in the EIB Group’s investment survey based on feedback from around 13,000 European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  The report, presented this week at the Forum, also notes low productivity and insufficient innovation in the European construction sector, adding to the cost and time of delivering housing projects. At the same time, the cost of energy and the impact of carbon-dioxide emissions are also a concern.  Two-thirds of household energy consumption are used for heating homes and, with 46 million Europeans living in energy poverty, the energy efficiency of Europe’s housing stock is a key focus.

    Working closely with the Commission and its new Task Force for Housing in the context of the European Affordable Housing Plan, as well as Member States, regions, cities and NPBs and IFIs, the EIB Group aims to raise the supply of affordable and sustainable housing in the EU. The approach rests on four pillars, which provide the general framework for the measures described further below:

    • Partnerships with the European Commission and NPBIs/IFIs for easier access to finance and advice, based on complementarity with existing structures and products.
    • EU-wide rollout: widening the regional scope of EIB Group support with an emphasis on EU countries with less mature housing systems and large unmet needs, where an enhanced advisory component will complement financing.
    • Value-chain approach: opening up to new types of housing projects – from innovation in construction to real-estate development to ownership, with policy safeguards.
    • Mobilisation of private sector: expansion of the client base to include private, for-profit promoters

    In July 2024, the EIB Group’s  newly established Housing Task Force organised a kick-off event featuring around 300 public and private stakeholders to discuss scaling up financial support for affordable and sustainable housing throughout the EU. The event was followed by technical meetings in the autumn with stakeholders to help shape a pan-European investment platform alongside the Commission.

    Background information

    The European Commission is already active on housing, with support through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Cohesion Policy Funds, InvestEU, LIFE and Horizon Europe, among others.

    As outlined in the mission letter of Commissioner Jørgensen, the Commission will publish its first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan. The plan will offer technical assistance to cities and Member States and focus on investment and skills needed. The Commission will in particular develop a European Strategy for Housing Construction to support housing supply, establish a pan-European investment platform for affordable and sustainable housing, conduct an analysis of the impact of housing speculation, support Member States to double the planned cohesion policy investments in affordable housing, tackle systemic issues with short-term accommodation rentals and make proposals to tackle the inefficient use of the current housing stock and revise state-aid rules to enable housing support measures, notably for energy efficiency and social housing.

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.  

    The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.    

    All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.    

    Fostering market integration and mobilising investment, the Group supported a record of over €100 billion in new investment for Europe’s energy security in 2024 and mobilised €110 billion in growth capital for startups, scale-ups and European pioneers. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.  

    High-quality, up-to-date photos of our headquarters for media use are available here. 

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Proposals by former Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni on a debt-financed EU Defence Fund and ending the veto on new Eurobonds – E-000874/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000874/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Petra Steger (PfE)

    Former Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni has publicly called for the creation of a debt-financed EU Defence Fund. This would constitute a second step after Commission President von der Leyen already announced that Member States would be allowed greater flexibility in debt reduction to increase military spending. Consequently, according to Gentiloni, the existing veto against new Eurobonds should also be reconsidered. However, this mutualisation of debt rewards poorly performing countries at the expense of the few remaining net contributor countries. This creates a completely wrong incentive for the future – ‘bad economic management pays and is rewarded’. Making this madness permanent would mean the economic deathblow for the net contributor states and would be nothing other than a centralist wealth redistribution programme that would undermine national sovereignty and make the debt and transfer union a reality once and for all.

    • 1.What is the Commission’s assessment of Gentiloni’s proposals, in particular with regard to a debt-financed EU Defence Fund and an end to the veto on new Eurobonds?
    • 2.Can the Commission exclude the use of new debt-financed financial instruments, such as a new debt fund, during the current legislative term?
    • 3.What measures does the Commission intend to take to safeguard the national budgetary autonomy of the Member States and to prevent net contributors, such as Austria, from having to pay for the mistakes of states with irresponsible budgetary policies?

    Submitted: 27.2.2025

    Last updated: 6 March 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Merkley Reintroduce Legislation to Help Recreation and Wildfire Prevention Work in SW Oregon and Near Molalla River

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    March 06, 2025
    Washington D.C.— – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today reintroduced their legislation that would boost recreation opportunities in Southwestern Oregon and on the Molalla River in Clackamas County, while ensuring wildfire prevention work in both regions.
    The senators’ Oregon Recreation Enhancement (ORE) Act would create the Rogue Canyon Recreation Area and the Molalla Recreation Area, expand the Wild Rogue Wilderness Area, and prohibit destructive mining on pristine rivers in Southwestern Oregon.
    “Protecting our beautiful outdoor areas is central to Oregonians’ identities. By acting as good stewards to our public lands, we can both expand jobs in rural communities and preserve precious natural resources,” said Wyden. “This legislation is essential to boosting wildfire prevention and conservation projects that help the fight against the climate crisis.”
    “These areas are among Oregon’s most breathtaking landscapes and are vital in supporting the state’s economy and in addressing climate chaos,” Merkley said. “Protecting these natural areas not only fuels a robust outdoor recreation economy, but is also a part of who we are as Oregonians. It is our responsibility to protect these lands and headwaters from degradation and mining, increasingly intense wildfires, and other damaging impacts. Our lands and waters are our greatest resource, and it’s on us to ensure they are passed down to future generations in good shape.”?
    The ORE Act would make the following three designations:

    Molalla Recreation Area: Establish a 30,000-acre recreation area on the banks of the Molalla River in Clackamas County next to the Table Rock Wilderness Area.

    Rogue Canyon Recreation Area: Establish a 98,000-acre recreation area on the banks of the Rogue River in Southwestern Oregon next to the Wild Rogue Wilderness Area.

    Wild Rogue Wilderness Expansion: Expand the existing Wild Rogue Wilderness Area by about 60,000 acres. The federal land included within this expansion has been identified by federal land managers as land that should be protected and conserved.

    Each of these three proposed recreation and wilderness designations would require forest health, wildfire resiliency, and other wildfire prevention strategies in the region to continue.
    The ORE Act also would permanently prevent irresponsible mining on more than 100,000 acres of Forest Service land near the existing Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. These areas are at the headwaters of several National Wild and Scenic Rivers, and support clean drinking water for thousands of Oregonians. After much public input and local consensus, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management issued a 20-year mineral withdrawal for this area in 2016. 
    A one-pager of the legislation is here.
    “As the owner of a recreation-based business, I appreciate Senator Wyden and Merkley’s leadership in reintroducing the Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act to protect the headwaters of our region’s finest rivers.” said Dave Lacey owner of South Coast Tours in Gold Beach. “My community—and my business—depends on the clean water, salmon, and thriving ecosystems that earn our place its reputation as ‘America’s Wild Rivers Coast.’”
    “Across the State from the Gold Beach to Canby the drinking water for the vast majority of Oregonians comes from our public lands,” said David Moryc of American Rivers. “By championing these common sense, locally supported conservation measures Senators Wyden and Merkley are ensuring that the water we drink will remain clean and low-cost for future generations.”
    “My outfitting business offers four-day rafting trips on the Wild and Scenic Illinois and Rogue Rivers—two of the most extraordinary river experiences in the country. These trips not only provide visitors with unforgettable outdoor adventures but also drive significant economic support to local hotels, restaurants, and shops. The Rogue River watershed is a cornerstone of Southern Oregon’s economy, and preserving its pristine headwaters is essential for the future of these iconic river journeys.” said Zach Collier of Northwest Rafting Company. “I commend Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley for their dedication to protecting Southwest Oregon’s rivers and for championing the Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act to ensure these remarkable waterways remain safeguarded for generations to come.”
    “Our entire team is extremely appreciative of Senator Wyden’s and Merkley’s ongoing efforts to conserve and protect the remarkable wild steelhead and salmon-bearing rivers of southern Oregon,” said Ken Morrish of Fly Water Travel. “As international fly fishing travel experts deeply involved with the world’s premier anadromous fisheries, we know from experience that Southwest Oregon’s rivers are world class and just how worthy of protection they are.”
    “As an outfitter on the Rogue, we believe the river is unmeasurable. Wild rivers are crucial in providing not only healthy communities but also prosperous economics for these communities,” said Kait Bailey of Humble Heron Fly Fishing. “These rivers allow an experience for people to care for the outdoors and pass it on to future generations. The ORE Act will help spread tourism, income for businesses, outdoor school opportunities, family fun filled activities, and most importantly it will help bring people to OREGON. Humble Heron Fly Fishing thanks Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley for standing with their constituents and re-introducing legislation to protect the wild Rogue River.”
    “Southwestern Oregon has an extraordinary cast of National Wild and Scenic Rivers, including the Rogue, the Illinois, and the Smith,” said Tim Palmer, author of Field Guide to Oregon Rivers and America’s Wild and Scenic Rivers. “These are absolutely some of our nation’s finest rivers, and so protecting their headwaters is key to conserving their outstanding values—from crystal clean water, to robust salmon runs, to some of the very best recreation our region has to offer, including swimming, fishing, camping, and boating. I appreciate that Senators Wyden and Merkley have been strong leaders in conserving Oregon’s treasured rivers so that future generations can enjoy the waterways that make our state so special.”
    “Southwest Oregon’s Wild and Scenic rivers are truly national treasures,” said Ann Vileisis, President, Kalmiopsis Audubon Society, Port Orford. “They provide not only clean drinking water for local communities but also salmon runs that draw anglers from afar and many other outstanding recreation opportunities. We are grateful for Senator Wyden’s and Merkley’s leadership and longstanding efforts to conserve and protect the cherished wild rivers of our ‘Wild Rivers Coast.’”
    “The botanically-rich Rough and Ready Creek watershed is truly unique and beloved by all who know it—it’s also the headwaters of the exceptional National Wild and Scenic Illinois and Rogue rivers,” said Barbara Ullian, resident of Grants Pass, Oregon since 1947. “We’re thankful that Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley are working to protect our region’s very special rivers and the clean drinking water they provide to downstream communities.”
    “Growing up in rural Josephine County, I spent a lot of time on the Rogue and Illinois Rivers as a kid, and now my son is enjoying these rivers, too. They are amazing places where people can swim, boat, fish or just sit and watch the beautiful clear waters flow” said Allee Gustafson, Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Central Point. “Rivers are central to the social and economic fabric of rural communities in southern Oregon. Thanks to Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley for their leadership to protect these renowned but threatened watersheds and the amazing outdoor experiences that they provide.”
    The full text of the bill is here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Secure Fair Pay for Truckers Working Overtime

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore)
    March 06, 2025
    Washington D.C.— U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to introduce bipartisan legislation that would ensure truckers are compensated fairly for the hours that they are on the clock, including overtime.
    “Truck drivers are a central part of Oregon’s fast-moving economy, and they should be fairly compensated for their labor,” said Wyden. “I’ve heard throughout my nearly 1100 town halls how rural areas especially need career opportunities for young Oregonians and veterans. I’ll continue to keep my foot on the pedal for initiatives like this to help workers get their fair share and make it easier for small businesses and consumers to send and receive their outstanding Oregon goods.”
    In response to an Executive Order by former President Biden, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a Freight and Logistics Supply Chain Assessment in February 2022, which highlights high turnover rates and compensation issues in the trucking industry. Among its recommendations, the Department called on Congress to repeal the motor carrier provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to allow truckers to earn fair overtime pay.
    The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act would repeal the motor carrier provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which excludes many truckers from overtime protections enjoyed by other workers.
    The legislation was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Mark Takano, D-Calif., and Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J. In addition to Wyden, the legislation is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
    The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act is supported by Teamsters and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
    “The exclusion of truck drivers from federal overtime protections must come to an end,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “The Teamsters Union is proud to support the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, which will right the decades long wrong that serves only to harm drivers to the benefit of their employers.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: US Senate Confirms Troy Edgar as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Senate voted to confirm Troy Edgar as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security by a bipartisan vote of 53-43.

    “Congratulations to Deputy Secretary Edgar on his bipartisan confirmation today. He will be a key player in making America safe again,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “I look forward to working alongside Troy to ensure that the United States, once again, is a beacon of freedom, safety, and security for generations to come.”

    “I want to thank President Trump and the United States Senate for their trust in me. It is an honor to return to the Department,” said Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar. “I look forward to working alongside Secretary Noem and the dedicated men and women of DHS in our critical mission to keep Americans safe.”

    Troy Edgar previously served during President Trump’s first term as Chief Financial Officer and Associate Deputy Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security. In that role, he oversaw financial policy, modernization efforts, and the Department’s $90 billion budget, ensuring funding for critical immigration policies and border wall construction.

    Most recently a Fortune 500 executive, Edgar brings over 30 years of leadership experience in the public and private sectors across finance, supply chain transformation, and technology.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Avon River Ventures Clarifies Forward-Looking Valuation Basis of Edgewater Wireless System Inc’s IP Portfolio

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Las Vegas, Nevada, March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Avon River Ventures LLC, a recognized leader in intellectual property (IP) valuation, structured finance, and asset-backed lending, today provides further clarity on its valuation of Edgewater Wireless Systems Inc. The firm underscores that the valuation was not an appraisal of Edgewater’s current financial standing but rather an assessment of its potential value contingent upon achieving key commercial and operational milestones.

    Valuing early-stage and technology-driven companies requires a forward-looking approach that accounts for commercialization potential, competitive positioning, and scalability. Unlike traditional financial assessments that rely on historical earnings, IP valuations must incorporate projections based on market adoption, monetization potential, and strategic execution.

    A Valuation Built on Market and Cost-Based Assumptions

    “Intellectual property valuation is as much about potential as it is about present-day financials. For early-stage companies with limited or no revenue, the intrinsic value of their IP can only be understood through a structured assessment of future market opportunities,” said Krutarth Shah, CEO of Avon River Ventures, speaking on behalf of the firm’s IP Monetization Division.

    “At Avon River Ventures, we evaluate IP assets through a structured, milestone-driven approach. This means our valuations incorporate assumptions around how the company will commercialize its technology, capture market share, and generate sustainable revenue.

    In the case of Edgewater Wireless, our valuation was not based on the company’s current financials but rather on a projection of its potential worth once key inflection points are met. These include achieving meaningful revenue traction, demonstrating sustained market demand, and successfully scaling operations. If these milestones are achieved, the valuation holds. If they are not, then naturally, the valuation must be reassessed in light of actual performance.”

    Avon River Ventures: A Market Leader in IP Valuation

    Avon River Ventures is widely regarded as a top-tier firm in the field of IP valuation and monetization. The firm’s valuation methodologies are built on rigorous financial modeling, market-based comparables, and proprietary frameworks that align with industry best practices.

    With years of experience and a track record of over $1 billion in IP valuation transactional value, Avon River Ventures has been a trusted partner to institutional investors, private equity firms, technology companies, and M&A professionals, offering investment-grade IP valuations that inform financing, acquisitions, and strategic decision-making. The firm’s expertise spans technology, software, semiconductors, biotech, and other IP-intensive industries, ensuring that clients receive valuation insights grounded in real-world commercialization pathways.

    Avon River Ventures remains committed to delivering independent, data-driven valuations that stand up to the highest levels of scrutiny. As Edgewater Wireless progresses in its commercialization efforts, Avon River Ventures will continue to monitor its trajectory against the milestones outlined in the valuation framework.

    About Avon River Ventures

    Avon River Ventures LLC is a premier corporate credit fund and IP valuation firm specializing in structured finance, asset-backed lending, and securities-based transactions. With a focus on IP monetization, venture financing, and capital markets, Avon River Ventures provides valuation and financial structuring expertise to a global client base, including institutional investors, private equity funds, and technology companies.

    The firm’s approach to IP valuation is recognized and relied upon by top-tier investors, lenders, and M&A professionals, offering a blend of technical rigor and real-world investment insights that help stakeholders make informed financial decisions.

    Learn More

    IP-Backed Financing: https://avonriverventures.com/ip-backed-financing/

    Sell Patents (IP Sale & Monetization): https://avonriverventures.com/sell-patents/

    IP Valuation: https://avonriverventures.com/intellectual-property-ip-valuation/

    Corporate Credit: https://avonriverventures.com/about-us/

    Specialty Lender Financing: https://avonriverventures.com/lender-finance/ 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: PM chairs a high-level meeting to review the progress of Cooperative sector

    Source: Government of India

    PM chairs a high-level meeting to review the progress of Cooperative sector

    PM emphasizes the need for partnerships with global cooperative organizations to expand the Indian cooperative sector

    PM stressed on promoting organic products through cooperative organizations with special focus on export markets

    PM recommends the use of Agristack to expand agriculture and related activities in Cooperative Sector

    PM highlights the importance of integrating UPI with RuPay KCC cards to facilitate financial transactions

    PM proposes introduction of cooperative courses in schools and educational institutions

    National Cooperation Policy 2025 draft discussed in the meeting; it realises the vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samruddhi’

    National Cooperation Policy focuses on accelerating rural economic development, while prioritizing women and youth

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 5:30PM by PIB Delhi

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress of the cooperative sector earlier today at 7 LKM. Discussions were held on promoting “Sahkar Se Samruddhi” bringing transformation through technological advancements in the sector, plans to increase the participation of youth and women in cooperatives, and the various initiatives of the Ministry of Cooperation.

    Prime Minister emphasized the need for partnerships with global cooperative organizations to expand the Indian cooperative sector and stressed promoting organic products through cooperative organizations. He also suggested focusing on export markets and developing a soil testing model through cooperatives to improve agricultural practices. Prime Minister highlighted the importance of integrating UPI with RuPay KCC cards to facilitate financial transactions and emphasized the need for healthy competition among cooperative organizations.

    Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of documenting the assets of cooperative organizations to ensure transparency. He suggested promoting cooperative farming as a more sustainable agricultural model. He recommended the use of digital public infrastructure (Agristack) to expand agriculture and related activities in Cooperative Sector, providing farmers with better access to services. In the context of education, Prime Minister proposed introducing cooperative courses in schools, colleges, and IIMs, as well as promoting successful cooperative organizations to inspire future generations. He further added that young graduates should be encouraged to contribute, and Cooperative organisations should be ranked based on their performance, so as to promote competition and growth simultaneously.

    During the meeting PM was briefed about National Cooperation Policy and key achievements of the Ministry of Cooperation over the past three and a half years. Realising the vision of ‘Sahkar Se Samruddhi’, the Ministry has formulated a draft of the National Cooperation Policy 2025 through an extensive consultation process. The objective of  National Cooperation Policy 2025 policy is to facilitate the systematic and holistic development of the cooperative sector, with a focus on accelerating rural economic development, while prioritizing women and youth. It aims to promote a cooperative-based economic model and establish a robust legal and institutional framework. Furthermore, the policy endeavours to deepen the grassroots impact of cooperatives and significantly enhance the contribution of the cooperative sector to the overall development of the country.

    Since its inception, the Ministry has undertaken 60 initiatives across seven key areas to promote and strengthen the cooperative movement. These initiatives include the digitization of cooperative institutions through the National Cooperative Database and Computerization Projects, as well as the strengthening of Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). Additionally, the Ministry has focused on enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of cooperative sugar mills.

    The Government of India has implemented various schemes for cooperative societies through a “whole of government approach,” integrating over 15 schemes from more than 10 ministries at the PACS level. As a result, there has been diversification in cooperative businesses, additional income generation, increased opportunities for cooperatives, and improved accessibility of government schemes in rural areas. Annual targets have also been set for the formation of these cooperatives. To promote cooperative education, training and research and to provide skilled professionals, a Bill to convert IRMA Anand into “Tribhuvan Cooperative University” and make it an Institution of National Importance has been introduced in the Parliament.

    Prime Minister was briefed on the growth of cooperatives and their vital role across various sectors. Cooperative sector’s contribution to India’s economy, particularly in agriculture, rural development, and economic inclusion was highlighted. During the meeting it was highlighted that presently, one-fifth of the country’s population is associated with the cooperative sector, which includes over 8.2 lakh cooperative institutions spanning more than 30 sectors, with a membership exceeding 30 crore individuals. Cooperatives play a crucial role in several areas of the economy.

    The meeting was attended by Home and Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah; Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani; the Principal Secretary to PM, Dr. P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary-2 to PM Shri Shaktikanta Das; Advisor to PM, Shri Amit Khare and other senior officials.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: HKPF holds 2025 Bank Staff Recognition Ceremony to commend banking industry for combatting deception (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Hong Kong Police Force held the 2025 Bank Staff Recognition Ceremony today (March 6) to commend the banking industry for their exceptional contributions to combatting deception cases. Eighteen banks and nine bank staff received corporate awards and the Spotlight Award respectively. In addition, a total of 368 bank staff were honored with certification for assisting Police in identifying and preventing 425 scam cases in 2024.     Addressing the ceremony, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee, highlighted that global losses due to deception cases exceeded US$2 trillion over the past two years. In Hong Kong, 44 480 deception cases were recorded in 2024, marking an 11.7 per cent increase compared to 2023. This growth rate was significantly lower than the 40 per cent surge seen in previous years. Meanwhile, the total losses slightly decreased by HK$30 million, reflecting the preliminary success of the anti-deception initiatives and multi-stakeholder measures implemented over the past three years.       He pointed out that since the establishment of the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) in 2017, the Police and the banking sector have jointly prevented 1 340 deception cases, arrested 818 scammers and recovered over HK$14 billion in crime proceeds up to December 2024. He added that citizens who fall victim to scams not only lose money but also suffer enduring psychological trauma. He called for continued cross-sector collaboration to combat deception at its origin.     Key initiatives implemented in 2024 in cooperation between the Police and the banking industry include:  (1) Faster Payment System (FPS) High Risk Alert has been extended from the FPS to online banking, counters and automated teller machines, covering major transaction channels. Over 600 000 risk alerts were issued throughout the year.  (2) The “Upstream Scam Intervention” initiative has prevented losses exceeding HK$199 million. The programme, now covering 28 retail banks, proactively engaged potential victims and successfully halted 3 051 deception cases.  (3) In a collaborative effort to combat cross-border money laundering syndicates, the ADCC joined with ten banks to launch an arrest operation codenamed “DEEPATTACK”. It dismantled money laundering syndicates operating in Hong Kong and the Mainland, resulting in 14 arrests, thwarting 103 ongoing deception cases and preventing an additional HK$24 million in losses.(4) The Financial Intelligence Evaluation Sharing Tool (FINEST) platform, introduced by the Police and the banking industry in June 2023, enables real-time sharing of suspicious transaction data and enhances efficiency in detecting fraud and money laundering. With participating banks expanded from five to 10, FINEST has processed over 580 intelligence reports and disrupted cross-border criminal networks and stooge accounts.       Mr Siu emphasised that, Police will continue to work in close collaboration with the banking sector to fortify anti-deception measures, safeguard public assets and uphold Hong Kong’s status as an international financial hub. Gratitude was also expressed to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Hong Kong Association of Banks (HKAB) and industry partners for their unwavering support.       In the ceremony, 11 corporate awards were presented, including Anti-Scam Excellence Award (Gold, Silver, Bronze), Exemplary Efforts in Upstream Scam Intervention Award, Award for Frontline Bank Staff Scam Intervention, Effective Collaboration with Police “Scam Response Team” Award, Effective Publicity and Education Award, Effective Regtech Application Award, and the newly introduced awards: Anti-Money Laundering Excellence Award, Outstanding STR Case Award, Award for Real Time Monitoring, Award for no. of Stooge Account Decrease and Anti-Scam Excellence Award for Digital Banks (Gold, Silver, Bronze), in recognition of banks which assisted Police in the prevention and proactive detection of deception cases (the awardees are listed in the Annex).     The officiating guests also included the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Chow Yat-ming; the Director of Crime and Security, Mr Yip Wan-lung; the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ms Chung Wing-man; the Executive Director of the HKMA, Mr Raymond Chan, and the representative of the HKAB, Mr Stanley Wu. 

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Finance Minister and MoS, Finance launch the New Credit Assessment Model for MSMEs as announced in Union Budget 2024-25

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Union Finance Minister and MoS, Finance launch the New Credit Assessment Model for MSMEs as announced in Union Budget 2024-25

    The Model will leverage digitally fetched and verifiable data to devise automated MSME Loan appraisal for MSMEs

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 4:11PM by PIB Delhi

    In the Post Budget interaction at Vishakhapatnam today, the Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of State, Finance Shri Pankaj Chaudhary launched the New Credit Assessment Model based on the scoring of digital footprints of MSMEs. It was announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 that Public sector banks (PSBs) will build their in-house capability to assess MSMEs for credit, instead of relying on external assessment. PSBs will develop a new credit assessment model, based on the scoring of digital footprints of MSMEs in the economy.

    This credit assessment model will leverage the digitally fetched and verifiable data available in the ecosystem and devise automated journeys for MSME Loan appraisal using objective decisioning for all loan applications and model-based limit assessment for both Existing to Bank (ETB) as well as New to Bank (NTB) MSME borrowers.

    The digital footprints used by the model may include Name and Pan authentication using NSDL, Mobile and email verification using OTP, API fetch of GST data through service providers, Bank Statement Analysis using account aggregator, ITR upload and verification, API enabled commercial and consumer bureau fetch and due diligence using CICs, fraud checks, Hunter checks through APIs, among others.

    The benefits to MSMEs by use of this model includes submission of application from anywhere through online mode, reduced paperwork and Branch visit, instant in-principle sanction through digital mode, seamless processing of credit proposals, end to end straight through process (STP), reduced turnaround time (TAT), Credit decision based on objective data/ Transactional behaviour and credit history, no Physical collateral securities for loans covered under CGTMSE, among others.

    The credit assessment model for MSMEs based on digital footprints is expected to be a significant improvement over the traditional assessment of credit eligibility based only on asset or turnover criteria. That will also cover MSMEs without a formal accounting system.

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India’s AI Revolution

    Source: Government of India (2)

    India’s AI Revolution

    A Roadmap to Viksit Bharat

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 4:09PM by PIB Delhi

    Introduction

    India is undergoing a remarkable transformation in Artificial Intelligence, driven by the visionary leadership of PM Modi. For the first time in India’s history, the government is actively shaping an AI ecosystem where computing power, GPUs, and research opportunities are accessible at an affordable cost.

    Unlike in the past, AI in India is no longer confined to a privileged few or dominated by global tech giants. Through forward-looking policies, the Modi government is empowering students, startups, and innovators with world-class AI infrastructure, fostering a truly level playing field. Initiatives such as the IndiaAI Mission and the establishment of Centres of Excellence for AI are strengthening the country’s AI ecosystem, paving the way for innovation and self-reliance in this critical sector.

    These efforts align with the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, where India aspires to become a global AI powerhouse, leveraging cutting-edge technology for economic growth, governance, and societal progress.

    AI Compute and Semiconductor Infrastructure

    India is rapidly building a strong AI computing and semiconductor infrastructure to support its growing digital economy. With the approval of the IndiaAI Mission in 2024, the government allocated ₹10,300 crore over five years to strengthen AI capabilities. A key focus of this mission is the development of a high-end common computing facility equipped with 18,693 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), making it one of the most extensive AI compute infrastructures globally. This capacity is nearly nine times that of the open-source AI model DeepSeek and about two-thirds of what ChatGPT operates on.

    Here are the key developments:

    • Scaling AI Compute Infrastructure: The initial phase of the mission has already made 10,000 GPUs available, with the remaining units to be added soon. This will enable the creation of indigenous AI solutions tailored to Indian languages and contexts.
    • Opening Access to High-Performance Computing: India has also pioneered the launch of an open GPU marketplace, making high-performance computing accessible to startups, researchers, and students. Unlike many countries where AI infrastructure is controlled by large corporations, this initiative ensures that small players have an opportunity to innovate.
    • Robust GPU Supply Chain: The government has selected 10 companies to supply the GPUs, ensuring a robust and diversified supply chain.
    • Indigenous GPU Capabilities: To further strengthen domestic capabilities, India aims to develop its own GPU within the next three to five years, reducing reliance on imported technology.
    • Affordable Compute Access: A new common compute facility will soon be launched, allowing researchers and startups to access GPU power at a highly subsidised rate of ₹100 per hour, compared to the global cost of $2.5 to $3 per hour.
    • Strengthening Semiconductor Manufacturing: In parallel, India is advancing semiconductor manufacturing, with five semiconductor plants under construction. These developments will not only support AI innovation but also reinforce India’s position in the global electronics sector.

     

    Advancing AI with Open Data and Centres of Excellence (CoE)

    Recognising the importance of data in AI development, the Modi government has launched the IndiaAI Dataset Platform to provide seamless access to high-quality, non-personal datasets. This platform will house the largest collection of anonymised data, empowering Indian startups and researchers to develop advanced AI applications. By ensuring diverse and abundant datasets, this initiative will drive AI-driven solutions across key sectors, enhancing innovation and accuracy.

    • IndiaAI Dataset Platform for Open Data Access: The platform will enable Indian startups and researchers to access a unified repository of high-quality, anonymised datasets, reducing barriers to AI innovation.
    • Boosting AI Model Accuracy with Diverse Data: By providing large-scale, non-personal datasets, the initiative will help reduce biases and improve the reliability of AI applications across domains such as agriculture, weather forecasting, and traffic management.
    • Centres of Excellence: The government has established three AI Centres of Excellence (CoE) in Healthcare, Agriculture, and Sustainable Cities in New Delhi. The Budget 2025 further announced a new CoE for AI in education with an outlay of ₹500 crore, making it the fourth such centre.
    • Skilling for AI-Driven Industries: Plans are in place for five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling, which will equip youth with industry-relevant expertise. These centres will be set up in collaboration with global partners to support the ‘Make for India, Make for the World’ vision in manufacturing and AI innovation.

     

    India’s AI Models & Language Technologies

    The government is facilitating the development of India’s own foundational models, including Large Language Models (LLMs) and problem-specific AI solutions tailored to Indian needs. To foster AI research, multiple Centres of Excellence have also been set up.

    • India’s Foundational Large Language Models: IndiaAI has launched an initiative to develop indigenous foundational AI models, including LLMs and Small Language Models (SLMs), through a call for proposals.
    • Digital India BHASHINI: An AI-led language translation platform designed to enable easy access to the internet and digital services in Indian languages, including voice-based access, and support content creation in Indian languages.
    • BharatGen: The world’s first government-funded multimodal LLM initiative, BharatGen was launched in 2024 in Delhi. It aims to enhance public service delivery and citizen engagement through foundational models in language, speech, and computer vision. BharatGen involves a consortium of AI researchers from premier academic institutions in India.
    • Sarvam-1 AI Model: A large language model optimised for Indian languages, Sarvam-1 has 2 billion parameters and supports ten major Indian languages. It is designed for applications such as language translation, text summarisation, and content generation.
    • Chitralekha: An open-source video transcreation platform developed by AI4Bhārat, Chitralekha enables users to generate and edit audio transcripts in various Indic languages.
    • Hanooman’s Everest 1.0: A multilingual AI system developed by SML, Everest 1.0 supports 35 Indian languages, with plans to expand to 90.

     

    AI Integration with Digital Public Infrastructure

    India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has redefined digital innovation by combining public funding with private sector-led innovation. Platforms like Aadhaar, UPI, and DigiLocker serve as the foundation, while private entities build application-specific solutions on top of them. This model is now being enhanced with AI, integrating intelligent solutions into financial and governance platforms. The global appeal of India’s DPI was evident at the G20 Summit, where several countries expressed interest in adopting similar frameworks. Japan’s patent grant to India’s UPI payment system further underscores its scalability.

    For Mahakumbh 2025, AI-driven DPI solutions played a crucial role in managing the world’s largest human gathering. AI-powered tools monitored real-time railway passenger movement to optimise crowd dispersal in Prayagraj. The Bhashini-powered Kumbh Sah’AI’yak Chatbot enabled voice-based lost-and-found services, real-time translation, and multilingual assistance. Its integration with Indian Railways and UP Police streamlined communication, ensuring swift issue resolution. By leveraging AI with DPI, Mahakumbh 2025 set a global benchmark for tech-enabled, inclusive, and efficient event management.

    AI Talent & Workforce Development

    India’s workforce is at the heart of its digital revolution. The country is adding one Global Capability Center (GCC) every week, reinforcing its status as a preferred destination for global R&D and technological development. However, sustaining this growth will require continuous investment in education and skill development. The government is addressing this challenge by revamping university curricula to include AI, 5G, and semiconductor design, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This ensures that graduates acquire job-ready skills, reducing the transition time between education and employment.

    • AI Talent Pipeline & AI Education: Under the IndiaAI Future Skills initiative, AI education is being expanded across undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. programs. Fellowships are being provided to full-time Ph.D. scholars researching AI in the top 50 NIRF-ranked institutes. To enhance accessibility, Data and AI Labs are being established in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with a model IndiaAI Data Lab already set up at NIELIT Delhi.
    • India Ranks 1st in Global AI Skill Penetration: According to the Stanford AI Index 2024, India ranks first globally in AI skill penetration with a score of 2.8, ahead of the US (2.2) and Germany (1.9). AI talent concentration in India has grown by 263% since 2016, positioning the country as a major AI hub. India also leads in AI Skill Penetration for Women, with a score of 1.7, surpassing the US (1.2) and Israel (0.9).
    • AI Innovation: India has emerged as the fastest-growing developer population globally and ranks second in public generative AI projects on GitHub. The country is home to 16% of the world’s AI talent, showcasing its growing influence in AI innovation and adoption.
    • AI Talent Hubs: The India Skills Report 2024 by Wheebox forecasts that India’s AI industry will reach USD 28.8 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 45%. The AI-skilled workforce has seen a 14-fold increase from 2016 to 2023, making India one of the top five fastest-growing AI talent hubs, alongside Singapore, Finland, Ireland, and Canada. The demand for AI professionals in India is projected to reach 1 million by 2026.

    AI Adoption & Industry Growth

    India’s Generative AI (GenAI) ecosystem has seen remarkable growth, even amid a global downturn. The country’s AI landscape is evolving from experimental use cases to scalable, production-ready solutions, reflecting its growing maturity.

    • Businesses Prioritising AI Investments: According to BCG, 80% of Indian companies consider AI a core strategic priority, surpassing the global average of 75%. Additionally, 69% plan to increase their tech investments in 2025, with one-third allocating over USD 25 million to AI initiatives.
    • GenAI Startup Funding: According to a November 2024 report by National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), Indian GenAI startup funding surged over six times quarter-on-quarter, reaching USD 51 million in Q2FY2025, driven by B2B and agentic AI startups.
    • AI Transforming Workplaces: The Randstad AI & Equity Report 2024 states that seven in 10 Indian employees used AI at work in 2024, up from five in 10 a year earlier, showcasing AI’s rapid integration into workplaces.
    • AI Empowering Small & Medium Businesses (SMBs): AI-driven technologies, such as autonomous agents, are helping SMBs scale efficiently, personalise customer experiences, and optimise operations. According to Salesforce, 78% of Indian SMBs using AI reported revenue growth, while 93% stated AI has contributed to increased revenues.
    • Rapid Expansion of India’s AI Economy: As per the BCG-NASSCOM Report 2024, India’s AI market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 25-35%, reinforcing its potential for innovation and job creation. While AI automates routine tasks, it is simultaneously generating new opportunities in data science, machine learning, and AI-driven applications.
    • AI Startup Support Ecosystem: India hosts 520+ tech incubators and accelerators, ranking third globally in active programs. 42% of these were established in the past five years, catering to the evolving needs of Indian startups. AI-focused accelerators like T-Hub MATH provide crucial mentorship in product development, business strategy, and scaling. In early 2024, MATH supported over 60 startups, with five actively discussing funding, highlighting India’s growing AI startup landscape.

     

    A Pragmatic AI Regulation Approach

    India’s pragmatic AI regulation balances innovation and accountability, steering clear of overregulation that could stifle growth and unchecked market-driven governance that may create monopolies. Instead of relying solely on legislation, India is investing in AI-driven safeguards, funding top universities and IITs to develop solutions for deep fakes, privacy risks, and cybersecurity threats. This techno-legal approach ensures AI remains a force for inclusive growth, fostering an ecosystem where innovation thrives while ethical concerns are proactively addressed.

    Conclusion

    India’s rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, underpinned by strategic government initiatives, have positioned the country as a global AI powerhouse. By expanding AI compute infrastructure, fostering indigenous AI models, enhancing digital public infrastructure, and investing in talent development, India is creating an inclusive and innovation-driven ecosystem. The emphasis on open data, affordable access to high-performance computing, and AI-driven solutions tailored to local needs ensures that the benefits of AI reach businesses, researchers, and citizens alike. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, India’s proactive approach is not only strengthening its digital economy but also paving the way for self-reliance in critical technologies. With a clear vision for the future, India is set to become a leader in AI innovation, shaping the global AI landscape in the years to come.

    Source: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

    Click to see in PDF

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: “M” Mark status awarded to LIV Golf Hong Kong 2025 and 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    “M” Mark status awarded to LIV Golf Hong Kong 2025 and 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens
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    The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee:     The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded “M” Mark status to LIV Golf Hong Kong 2025 (March 7 to 9) and the 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens (March 28 to 30).     The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr Wilfred Ng, said today (March 6), “LIV Golf returns to Hong Kong this year and will take place at the Fanling Golf Course of the Hong Kong Golf Club, which fully demonstrates Hong Kong’s strength in hosting international sports events. As for the Hong Kong Sevens, it has been moved to the 50 000-seat Kai Tak Stadium this year for the very first time. These two events not only highlight Hong Kong’s status as a hub for major international sports events but also contribute to Hong Kong’s event economy.”     ???The “M” Mark System aims to encourage and help local National Sports Associations and private or non-government organisations to organise more major international sports events and nurture them into sustainable undertakings. Sports events meeting the assessment criteria will be considered for “M” Mark status by the MSEC. Funding support will also be provided to some events.     For details of “M” Mark events, please visit www.mevents.org.hk.

    Ends/Thursday, March 6, 2025Issued at HKT 19:46

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: HKETO, Brussels celebrates Chinese New Year in Madrid and Barcelona (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    HKETO, Brussels celebrates Chinese New Year in Madrid and Barcelona (with photos)
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    The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) hosted Chinese New Year receptions in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, on March 3 and 4 (Spanish time) respectively, concluding the series of celebration for the Year of the Snake.     The reception in Barcelona was officiated by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, who led a delegation of representatives from Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) sector to attend the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025 in Barcelona. The visit aimsto strengthen ties and co-operation between Hong Kong and Spain in the field of I&T, promote Hong Kong’s I&T advantages, and explore overseas business opportunities for Hong Kong’s I&T sector.     At the reception, the Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Yung, highlighted in her welcoming remarks that under “one country”, Hong Kong has convenient and often priority access to the huge Mainland market, while maintaining the qualities of an international city under “two systems”.      “These distinct advantages are recognised in the latest international ranking, in which Hong Kong is ranked among the world’s top three international financial centres,” Ms Yung added.     At the reception in Madrid, HKETO, Brussels took the opportunity to showcase Hong Kong’s unique East-meets-West culture by staging a music performance featuring two Hong Kong flutists and one German cellist, who performed both classical Chinese and Spanish music, as well as contemporary Hong Kong pop.     The two receptions in Madrid and Barcelona attracted over 200 guests from the sectors of government, business, culture, academia and media in Spain. They were co-organised with Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and with the support of the Spain Hong Kong Business Association.     The MWC is one of the world’s leading technology fairs where tens of thousands of technology experts and companies gather. This year, the Hong Kong delegation include heads of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC), Cyberport, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, and the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute, as well as representatives of 24 Hong Kong I&T enterprises and institutions. The HKSTPC and the HKTDC co-ordinate the participation of the I&T representatives in the Hong Kong Tech Pavilion at the MWC.

    Ends/Thursday, March 6, 2025Issued at HKT 20:47

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  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: HKSAR Government spokesman’s response to media enquiries

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    HKSAR Government spokesman’s response to media enquiries
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    In response to media enquiries on the report issued by S&P yesterday (March 5) on Hong Kong’s banks and property market, a spokesman for the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) gave a reply as follows:           We disagree with the observation that there is an oversupply of residential properties. The vacancy rate of private flats was 4.5 per cent at end-2024, on par with the long-term average of the previous 20 years (2004-2023). Flat rentals also sustained a solid increase. These data show that housing demand is currently keen.           Benefiting from the general downtrend in interest rates, continued economic growth, and more talents arriving in Hong Kong, the residential property market should see stable development this year. The Government will continue to closely monitor market developments and strive to maintain the steady development of the residential property market in a prudent and pragmatic manner.           As for non-residential properties, the Government has already rolled out measures to stabilise the market. Having considered the high vacancy rate of offices in recent years and the relatively ample supply in the next few years, the Government will not roll out any commercial sites for sale in the coming year, so as to allow the market to absorb the existing supply. The Government will also consider rezoning some of the commercial sites, which are expected to be available for sale in the next few years, into residential use and allowing greater flexibility of land use.           Property lending for the Hong Kong banking system amounted to HK$3.4 trillion as of end-December 2024, accounting for about one-third of the total loans. Among the property-related lending, 56 per cent were residential mortgage loans, while the remaining 44 per cent were loans for local property development and investment. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) closely monitors the robust development of the banking system. Notwithstanding the uncertainties in the global macroeconomic environment, the credit quality and risks of the banking sector remain manageable.           For residential mortgage loans (RMLs), as of end-January 2025, the overall delinquency ratio of mortgage loans was only 0.12 per cent while the delinquency ratio of RMLs in negative equity remained stable at 0.15 per cent as of end-December 2024, showing that the vast majority of mortgage borrowers are able to repay their loans on time. Under the HKMA’s countercyclical macroprudential measures, Hong Kong’s property market has remained stable, with an average loan-to-value ratio of 60 per cent and a low debt-servicing ratio of around 40 per cent. Following the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts, major banks in Hong Kong have lowered their best lending rates by a total of 0.625 per cent over the past year, resulting in lower mortgage rates. Residential property prices in Hong Kong have shown signs of stabilising in recent months, and the report by S&P on March 5 2025 also expects Hong Kong’s property prices to stabilise in 2025.           For local property development and investment loans, we agree with S&P’s view that Hong Kong banks are able to manage the strains arising from the commercial real estate (CRE) sector:

    A significant portion of Hong Kong banks’ exposures to local property development and investment loans are to the larger players with relatively good financial health. As for the exposures to local small and medium-sized property developers and investors, including some with weaker financial conditions or higher debt-to-equity ratios, banks have already taken credit risk mitigating measures early on and most of these loans are secured.
    Overall, credit risks associated with local property development and investment loans are manageable and there is no concentration of risks at individual borrower level and banks have also undertaken credit risk mitigation measures.
    Although the banking system’s classified loan ratio has gradually edged up to the long-term average level of about 2 per cent, the overall asset quality of the banking system is manageable and provisions remain sufficient. As of end-December 2024, the provision coverage ratio (i.e., the total of general and specific provisions as a percentage of non-performing loans) was around 65 per cent. Taking into account and deducting the market value of collateral from the non-performing loans, the provision coverage ratio would be around 145 per cent.

    As for the small- and medium-sized banks mentioned in S&P’s report, they have also been taking appropriate credit risk mitigation measures, such as collateralisation, in accordance with the HKMA’s guidelines. In addition, banks in Hong Kong have strong capital positions (with a total capital adequacy ratio of 21.8 per cent as of end-December 2024) and good profitability to withstand the extreme scenario of large volatility in property prices.

    Ends/Thursday, March 6, 2025Issued at HKT 22:14

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  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Seeks Commercial Partner for Robots Aboard Space Station

    Source: NASA

    As NASA continues to enable a sustainable, cost-effective commercial space economy, the agency is seeking partnership proposals for the operations, sustaining engineering, and utilization of Astrobee, a free-flying robotic system aboard the International Space Station.
    The Announcement for Partnership Proposal contains instructions and criteria for transferring responsibility of the Astrobee system to a commercial provider. Submissions are due to NASA by Friday, March 21.
    Astrobee has operated aboard the space station since 2019, working autonomously or managed by flight controllers or researchers on the ground. Technology like the Astrobee system can help astronauts with routine duties, like inventory or documentation, freeing up time for complex work and additional experiments.
    The Astrobee system includes three cube-shaped robots aboard the space station, software, and a docking station for recharging. On the ground, three robots function as flight spares and are used for software and maintenance testing. The system is an important technology demonstration and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics outreach platform.
    The robots can fly freely through the station’s microgravity environment, with cameras and sensors to help guide them. Their perching arms can grasp station handrails or grab and hold items. Past experiments involving the Astrobee robots include testing mechanical adhesive technology, mapping the station, and identifying potential life support system issues.
    “Astrobee has been a beacon for robotic and autonomous research in space for many years, working with academia and industry partners across our country and internationally,” said Eugene Tu, center director at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, which led the Astrobee project. “We’re excited about the opportunity to continue this mission with a commercial partner.”
    As part of the agreement, the commercial partner will provide ground-based testing, equipment, and lab space as needed. The partner will be responsible for the Astrobee system through the end of the space station’s operational life. The commercial partner also will provide milestone objectives and ensure the continued development of Astrobee technology to support the future of commercial space.
    The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation that enables research not possible on Earth. For more than 24 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, through which astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time. The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth orbit economy and NASA’s next great leaps in exploration, including missions to the Moon under Artemis and, ultimately, human exploration of Mars. 
    Learn more about the International Space Station, its research, and its crew, at: 
    https://www.nasa.gov/station
    Learn more about NASA Ames’ world-class research and development in aeronautics, science, and exploration technology at: 
    https://www.nasa.gov/ames
    -end-
    Tara FriesenAmes Research Center, Silicon Valley650-604-4789tara.l.friesen@nasa.gov
    Request for Proposals
    https://sam.gov/opp/ad273ca16c3a4068902797f07df543be/view

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 03.06.2025 Senate Approves Coast Guard Authorization Act Unanimously

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), introduced the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, and it passed the Senate by unanimous consent. The bipartisan measure was agreed to at the end of last year by leaders of both the Senate Commerce Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but the session ended before final passage could occur. The bill authorizes funding to strengthen the Coast Guard’s ability to protect our borders, facilitate maritime commerce, unleash American energy, bolster deterrence efforts, and improve support for Coast Guard personnel and their families.
    Sen. Cruz delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025:
    “The United States Coast Guard is essential to protecting our Nation’s maritime borders from threats like illegal drugs, illegal immigration, and transnational crime.  The Coast Guard saves American lives and ensures that commerce flows smoothly at our ports.  
    “The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 is bipartisan legislation that Senator Cantwell and I negotiated and agreed to with House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen.  It authorizes funding to bolster the Coast Guard’s critical missions of border security, facilitating maritime commerce, and enforcing the rule of law in domestic and international waters.
    “I want to draw attention to several key provisions in this bill.
    “Last year, the Coast Guard seized over 106 metric tons of cocaine.  Unfortunately, cartels are now using technology like miniature, remote-controlled drone ships to smuggle drugs across our maritime border.  Without this legislation, the Coast Guard would remain unable to prosecute criminals using these remote-controlled, autonomous vessels.  
    “The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 expands the Coast Guard’s and Customs and Border Protection’s use of cutting-edge tools like Tactical Maritime Surveillance Systems, which are blimp-based radar systems—to find and interdict drug runners, poachers, and human traffickers at the Texas-Mexico border in the Gulf of America, in San Diego, Key West, and San Juan Puerto Rico.  
    “I ask my colleagues to stand with me and support President Trump’s vision of protecting our borders from drugs and illegal immigrants and of building ships to revitalize the Coast Guard’s fleet.  I urge my colleagues to support the Coast Guard Authorization Act.”
    Read the bill text here.
    BACKGROUND
    The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 makes several enhancements to the Coast Guard’s operations by:

    Expanding efforts to interdict and prosecute illicit drug trafficking. The Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act will now ensure the United States can prosecute drug traffickers who utilize remote-controlled or autonomous vessels to smuggle illegal narcotics.

    Protecting personnel from illicit drug exposure. All Coast Guard installations will be required to maintain a supply of medication to treat opioid overdoses, including fentanyl.

    Upgrading icebreaker fleet. The bill directs the Coast Guard to establish a replacement plan for aging icebreaking tug fleets and expedite the delivery of new icebreakers.

    Addressing grossly negligent operations of vessels. With the steady rise of vessel traffic on U.S. waterways, individuals who operate a vessel in a grossly negligent manner and cause serious bodily injury will be held accountable with appropriate criminal penalties.

    Mapping Arctic maritime routes. The Arctic Circle has strategic economic and military significance for the United States. This provision would promote American interests in the region and improve emergency response capabilities and infrastructure needed to support vessel traffic.

    Increasing the Coast Guard’s deterrence capabilities. With increased instances of illegal fishing operations and illicit drug trafficking in the South China Sea, it is critical that the United States Coast Guard and Taiwan Coast Guard Administration conduct joint and integrated maritime operational and leadership training to combat violations of maritime law and threats to our national security.

    Improving the livelihoods of Coast Guard families. The Coast Guard will grant a cash allowance to pregnant officers to purchase maternity-related uniform items, allow the Coast Guard to acquire more housing, and identify Coast Guard duty locations in which there is a misalignment between the basic allowance for housing and prevailing housing costs.

    Refining procedures to prevent and respond to sexual assaults. The Coast Guard will establish confidential reporting for sexual harassment, strengthen protective orders for victims, and provide access to the Department of Defense’s Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database. The bill also overhauls the transfer process for victims and allows victims of sex-related offenses to request temporary separation.

    Requiring the Coast Guard Academy to study its safety infrastructure. The Coast Guard Academy will be required to modify policy related to sexual assault matters, install electronic locking mechanisms to secure cadet rooms and common spaces, and update the Academy’s Board of Visitors to ensure better Congressional oversight and engagement.

    Adding units to the Coast Guard’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program. The bill will increase the number of units from 14 to 20 to better recruit and retain a robust and well-qualified Coast Guard officer corps.

    With about 2,000 Coast Guard personnel stationed in Texas, the Service’s men and women have contributed significantly to Texas’s border security and economy. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 will specifically help Texans by:

    Allowing the Coast Guard to use a proven, performance-driven approach for inspecting foreign flag tank vessels.An overwhelming majority of the Coast Guard’s gas carrier compliance exams are conducted in Texas. Performance-driven examinations will allow the Coast Guard to work more efficiently and advance President Trump’s direction to ‘Unleash American Energy.’

    Establishing safety zones for space activities and offshore energy development activities. Texas is home to a robust commercial space and energy industry, and this authority allows the Coast Guard to establish safety zones in support of space launches and recovery, as well as offshore energy development activities, ensuring more job growth and greater energy security.

    Streamlining the process of data sharing between the Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.Tactical maritime surveillance systems (TMSS) at the Coast Guard Station on South Padre Island will be used for the purposes of data integration and information sharing with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to aid in the detection and interdiction of illegal aliens and fish poachers.

    Upgrading Coast Guard facilities to support border security operations and future aviation missions. The bill specifically requires studies on improving Texas-based Coast Guard Stations on South Padre Island, Port Aransas, and Port O’Connor, as well as the Coast Guard Air Station in Corpus Christi.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: €10 million EIB Global and WHO initiative to strengthen public health across Lebanon

    Source: European Investment Bank

    EIB

    • The European Investment Bank and the World Health Organization signed the agreement today at the EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg
    • Lebanon’s health system is under significant economic and financial strain.
    • The donor-funded initiative will re-establish Lebanon’s Central Public Health Laboratory and prioritise medication provision and healthcare support to over 50,000 people with chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and cancer.

    The European Investment Bank (EIB Global) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have formally launched a €10 million grant support to boost health resilience across Lebanon, including combating medicine scarcity and fragmented laboratory services.

    The cooperation was signed at the EIB Forum in Luxembourg by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and EIB Vice President Thomas Östros and will support the re-establishment of the Central Public Health Laboratory in Lebanon crucial for enhancing the detection capacity for emerging infectious diseases. It will test for emergency infectious diseases, promptly confirming potential pathogens to prevent outbreaks, which will be especially relevant among vulnerable displaced populations and refugees. The CPHL will also test all blood donations to ensure safe transfusions.

    Today’s agreement will also unlock provision of essential medicines and expert support to primary healthcare centres across Lebanon. This will enable public healthcare centres to restore services, including reproductive health and prevention of gender-based violence, addressing specific gender gaps in services.

    EIB Group President Nadia Calviño said, “Strategic partnerships and win-win solutions are more important than ever in these challenging times. This important European Union financing for Lebanon’s public health system is also the fruit of our good cooperation with our fellow multilateral institutions and the excellent partnership with the World Health Organisation whose expertise on the ground is vital to deliver projects like this one.”

    WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros said: “This initiative comes at a critical time for Lebanon and will make a real difference in strengthening Lebanon’s capacity to detect and respond rapidly to health emergencies, and in expanding access to lifesaving medicines. It’s a perfect example of the impact that WHO, EIB and other multilateral development banks aim to have around the world through the Health Impact Investment Platform.”

    “We are grateful for the EIB and WHO’s support for Lebanon’s health sector. This initiative will help us address critical needs, improve the quality of care, and build a more resilient health system for people living across Lebanon,” said Ambassador of Lebanon to Belgium and Luxembourg Fadi Hajali.

    “This joint initiative by the European Investment Bank and implemented by WHO is a crucial step towards strengthening Lebanon’s health system and ensuring that vital services reach the most vulnerable. By supporting the re-establishment of the central public health laboratory and bolstering primary healthcare centres, we are addressing immediate needs and building long-term resilience. This initiative is a prime example of the Team Europe approach, aligning with the European Union’s priorities in Lebanon and complementing our existing support for the health sector, particularly in ensuring access to essential medicines,” said Sandra De Waele, Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon.

    The grant is provided by the donor-financed EIB’s Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI) Fund, supported by EU member states

    This project in Lebanon builds on previous projects co-managed by WHO and the EIB in Palestine, Rwanda and Angola.  It paves the way for the operational launch of the Health Investment Platform- a unique financing approach that has seen several multilateral development banks, including the Islamic Development Bank and African Development Bank join the EIB and WHO to provide a targeted and strategic approach to primary health care financing. 

    Lebanon’s health system is under significant strain due to a severe economic and financial collapse, compounded by multiple crises, including conflict in southern Lebanon, the Beirut port explosion, the Syrian conflict and a cholera epidemic. Humanitarian challenges continue to escalate, making the population increasingly vulnerable.

    The initiative will prioritise medication provision and healthcare support, including supporting over 50,000 people with chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and cancer. Vulnerable populations, including those affected by the current conflict, Syrian refugees, and others will benefit from this initiative. Lebanon hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees and around 200,000 Palestinian refugees, constituting about one-third of the total Lebanese population. In addition, in 2025, the number of displaced people within Lebanon has risen to over 950,000.

    The initiative will be implemented by the World Health Organization and is fully endorsed by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health. The initiative will contribute to the Ministry of Public Health’s strategy to strengthen the health services among vulnerable populations, including those affected by the current conflict.

    Background information

    About EIB Global

    The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives.  

    EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner of Global Gateway. We aim to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027 — around one-third of the overall target of this EU initiative. Within Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the EIB Group closer to people, companies and institutions through our offices across the world. 

    About the Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI) Fund

    The Economic Resilience Initiative (ERI) Fund, which backs this grant, was established by the EIB in 2017 to channel donors resources to impactful projects in the Southern Neighbourhood and Western Balkans to address the challenges posed by forced displacement and migration. The ERI Fund donors are Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

    Lebanon WHO Health Resilience Initiative
    €10 million EIB Global and WHO initiative to strengthen public health across Lebanon
    ©EIB
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    Lebanon WHO Health Resilience Initiative
    €10 million EIB Global and WHO initiative to strengthen public health across Lebanon
    ©EIB
    Download original

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Premier announces new measures to defend B.C. from Trump tariffs

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    Premier David Eby has announced new tariff-response measures with the intention of bringing forward legislation that will defend British Columbians, workers and businesses from U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods and energy.

    “The White House started a trade war we didn’t want, and we must answer with strength,” Premier Eby said. “We are responding to this unprecedented attack with several targeted measures and in the coming weeks we will arm ourselves with even more tools as next steps to fend off a sustained economic aggression.”

    The B.C. government intends to introduce tariff-response legislation in the coming days that will give the Province new tools to defend B.C. jobs and businesses and respond swiftly and nimbly to emerging challenges brought on by Trump’s trade war. This would enable a range of responses, including the ability to remove interprovincial trade barriers, mandating that low-carbon fuels added to gasoline and diesel be produced in Canada, and allowing B.C. to apply tolls/fees to U.S. commercial vehicles using B.C. infrastructure to travel to Alaska.

    “The tariffs imposed by Trump are a profound mistake and are hurting families on both sides of the border,” Premier Eby said. “My team will continue to work hard every day to defend British Columbians through this and come out stronger on the other side. Every option is on the table.”

    The Province’s initial response to tariffs includes directing the BC Liquor Distribution Branch to immediately stop buying American liquor from “red” states and remove red-state brands from the shelves of public liquor stores. The B.C. government and Crown corporations have also been directed to buy Canadian goods and services first.

    The counter-measures are a first step and part of a Team Canada approach that includes 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of imported U.S. products imposed by the federal government, as well as additional measures from other provinces and territories.

    First ministers have also agreed to take meaningful action to reduce barriers to internal trade and labour mobility by June 1, 2025. The B.C. government’s plan to fight back against the tariffs and defend British Columbians includes:

    1. responding to U.S. tariffs with tough counter-actions and outreach to American decision-makers;
    2. strengthening B.C.’s economy by expediting projects and supporting industry and workers; and
    3. diversifying trade markets for B.C. products so British Columbia is less reliant on U.S. markets and customers, including by breaking down domestic trade barriers.

    As part of this approach, B.C. is moving full steam ahead on new actions to seize economic opportunities and find new trade markets to reduce B.C.’s reliance on the U.S.

    The Province is accelerating approvals and permits on major projects that are ready to move forward to create good jobs and support B.C.’s economy in the face of tariffs. The initial list of projects is valued at $20 billion in investment and is expected to create 8,000 family-supporting jobs, especially in rural and remote communities.

    To support B.C.’s strong tariff response and ensure actions are swift, responsive and co-ordinated, Premier Eby has established a trade and economic security task force to bring together business, labour and Indigenous leadership. A new task force on agriculture and the food economy will help ensure B.C.’s food supply and food economy continue to grow in the face of tariffs, a B.C. softwood advisory council is developing a diplomatic and trade strategy to fight for B.C.’s interests in the ongoing softwood lumber dispute, and a new cabinet committee is co-ordinating the whole-of-government approach the Province is taking.

    Quick Facts:

    • Estimates indicate 25% tariffs on Canadian mineral exports will cost American companies more than US$11 billion and have a profound effect on the U.S. defence industry, energy production and manufacturing.  
    • The share of B.C.’s goods exports to the U.S. dropped to 52.8% in 2024, compared to 65.8% in 2000. At the same time, B.C. has expanded its trade relationships with key Asian markets, including China and South Korea.
    • In comparison, approximately 88% of Alberta’s goods exports and an average of 76.1% of Ontario and Quebec’s goods exports went to the U.S. in 2024. This places B.C. in a relatively better position than other provinces when it comes to mitigating the impacts of U.S. tariffs. However, the impact would still be significant.
    • Some sectors are more reliant on the U.S. for exports. For example, in 2024, B.C. exported all its natural gas and electricity and 74.8% of its softwood lumber to the U.S.
    • For goods coming into B.C., U.S. imports make up 34.5% of total incoming trade, including machinery and equipment, agriculture and food, as well as energy products

    Learn More:

    To learn more about B.C.’s response to unjustified U.S. tariffs, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/tariffs

    To read the First Ministers March 5, 2025, statement on reducing interprovincial trade barriers, visit: https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2025/03/05/first-ministers-statement-eliminating-internal-trade-barriers

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses Republic Plenary Summit 2025

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addresses Republic Plenary Summit 2025

    India’s achievements and successes have sparked a new wave of hope across the globe: PM

    India is driving global growth today: PM

    Today’s India thinks big, sets ambitious targets and delivers remarkable results: PM

    We launched the SVAMITVA Scheme to grant property rights to rural households in India: PM

    Youth is the X-Factor of today’s India, where X stands for Experimentation, Excellence, and Expansion: PM

    In the past decade, we have transformed impact-less administration into impactful governance: PM

    Earlier, construction of houses was government-driven, but we have transformed it into an owner-driven approach: PM

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:08PM by PIB Delhi

    The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participated in the Republic Plenary Summit 2025 in the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi today. Addressing the gathering, he congratulated Republic TV for its innovative approach for involving youth at the grassroots level and organizing a significant hackathon competition. He remarked that when the nation’s youth get involved in the national discourse, it brings novelty to ideas and fills the entire environment with their energy. He emphasized that this energy was being felt at the summit. He further stated that the involvement of youth helps break all barriers and go beyond boundaries, making every goal achievable and every destination reachable. He appreciated Republic TV for working on a new concept for this summit and extended his best wishes for its success. Shri Modi reiterated his idea of bringing one lakh youth without any political background to the politics of India

    “World is now recognizing this century as India’s century and India’s achievements and successes have sparked new hope globally”, highlighted Shri Modi. He stated that India, once perceived as a nation that would sink itself and others, is now driving global growth. He added that the direction of India’s future is evident from the work and accomplishments of today, pointing out that even 65 years after independence, India was the world’s eleventh-largest economy. However, in the past decade, India has become the fifth-largest economy and is now rapidly moving towards becoming the third-largest economy in the world. 

    Recalling the situation 18 years ago, in 2007, when India’s annual GDP reached US $1 trillion, the Prime Minister highlighted that back then, the economic activity in India for an entire year was US $1 trillion. He added that today, the same amount of economic activity is happening in just one quarter, which demonstrates the rapid pace at which India is progressing. He provided examples to show the significant changes and results achieved in the past decade, highlighting that in the last 10 years, India has successfully lifted 25 crore people out of poverty, a number greater than the population of many countries. Shri Modi also reminded the audience of the time when only 15 paise out of one rupee sent by the government reached the poor, with 85 paise lost to corruption. In contrast, over the past decade, more than ₹42 lakh crore have been transferred directly to the accounts of the poor through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), ensuring that the entire amount reaches the beneficiaries.

    Underlining that 10 years ago, India lagged behind in solar energy, the Prime Minister remarked, “today, India is among the top 5 countries in solar energy capacity, having increased it 30 times, while solar module manufacturing has also seen a 30-fold increase”. He also stated that 10 years ago, even children’s toys like Holi water guns were imported, while today, India’s toy exports have tripled. He also pointed out that 10 years ago, India imported rifles for its army, but in the past decade, India’s defense exports have increased 20 times.

    Prime Minister further highlighted that in the past 10 years, India has become the world’s second-largest steel producer, the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer, and the third-largest startup ecosystem. He remarked that in the same period, India’s capital expenditure on infrastructure has increased fivefold and the number of airports in the country has doubled, and the number of operational AIIMS has tripled. He further emphasized that in the past decade, the number of medical colleges and medical seats has nearly doubled.

    “Today’s India thinks big, sets ambitious targets, and achieves significant results”, emphasised the Prime Minister, remarking that this is happening because the nation’s mindset has changed, and India is moving forward with great aspirations. He highlighted that previously, the mindset was to accept the status quo, but now, people know who can deliver results. He cited examples of how the aspirations of the people have evolved, from requesting drought relief work to demanding Vande Bharat connectivity and international airports. He pointed out that the previous dispensations had crushed the aspirations of the people, leading them to lower their expectations. However, today, the situation and mindset have changed rapidly, and people are now driven by the goal of a Viksit Bharat. 

    Underscoring that the strength of any society or nation increases when barriers and obstacles are removed for its citizens, Shri Modi said that this enhances the capabilities of the citizens, making even the sky seem small. He pointed out that the Government is continuously removing the obstacles placed by previous administrations and cited the example of the space sector, where earlier everything was under ISRO’s purview. While ISRO did commendable work, the potential of space science and entrepreneurship in the country was not fully utilized. He remarked that the space sector has now been opened up for young innovators, resulting in the creation of over 250 space startups in the country. These startups are now developing rockets like Vikram-S and Agnibaan, he added. The Prime Minister also mentioned the mapping sector, where previously government permission was required to create maps in India. This restriction has been removed, and today, geospatial mapping data is paving the way for new startups. Pointing out that the nuclear energy sector was previously under government control with various restrictions, the Prime Minister said that this year’s budget has announced the opening of this sector to the private sector, paving the way for adding 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by 2047. 

    Prime Minister emphasized that there was over ₹100 lakh crore of untapped economic potential in India’s villages and that this potential was present in the form of houses in villages, which lacked legal documents and proper mapping, preventing villagers from availing bank loans. He pointed out that this issue is not unique to India, as many large countries also lack property rights for their citizens. International organizations state that countries providing property rights to their citizens see a significant boost in GDP, he added. “The Swamitva Scheme has been launched to provide property rights for village houses in India and drones are being used to survey and map each house in villages”, remarked the Prime Minister, emphasising that property cards are being distributed across the country, with over 2 crore property cards already issued. He pointed out that the lack of property cards previously led to numerous disputes and court cases in villages, which have now been resolved. He further stated that villagers are now able to obtain bank loans using these property cards, enabling them to start businesses and pursue self-employment.

    Adding that the biggest beneficiaries of the examples he provided were the youth of the country, Shri Modi said, “youth are the largest stakeholders in a Viksit Bharat and the X-Factor of today’s India, where X stands for Experimentation, Excellence, and Expansion”. He explained that the youth have created new paths by moving beyond old methods, set global benchmarks, and scaled up innovations for 140 crore Indians. He pointed out that the youth could provide solutions to the country’s major problems, but this potential was not utilized earlier. The Prime Minister mentioned that the government now organizes the Smart India Hackathon every year, with 10 lakh youth participating so far. He remarked that various ministries and departments have presented numerous problem statements related to governance to these young participants, who have developed around 2,500 solutions. He expressed his happiness that the hackathon culture was being promoted further by Republic TV too. 

    “In the past decade, the country has experienced new-age governance, transforming impact-less administration into impactful governance”, stated the Prime Minister. He added that people often say they are benefiting from government schemes for the first time, even though these schemes existed before. The difference now is the ensured last-mile delivery, he said. Emphasising that previously, houses for the poor were sanctioned on paper, but now, houses are being built on the ground, Shri Modi remarked that the entire process of house construction was government-driven, deciding the design and materials. However, the government has now made it owner-driven, transferring money to the beneficiary’s account, allowing them to decide the house’s design, he mentioned. The Prime Minister said that competitions were held across the country for house designs, involving public participation, which improved the quality and speed of house construction. He highlighted that earlier, incomplete houses were handed over, but now, the government is providing dream homes for the poor, complete with water connections, gas connections under the Ujjwala scheme, and electricity connections under the Saubhagya scheme. “We have not just built four walls but have brought life to these homes”, he added.

    Stressing the importance of national security for a country’s development, the Prime Minister underlined the significant work done in the past decade to enhance security. He recalled that earlier, serial bomb blast breaking news and special programs on sleeper cell networks were common on TV, but today, such incidents are absent from both TV screens and Indian soil. He remarked that Naxalism is now on its last breath, with the number of affected districts reduced from over a hundred to less than two dozen. This was achieved by working with a “nation first” spirit and bringing governance to the grassroots level in these areas, he added. Shri Modi highlighted the construction of thousands of kilometers of roads, schools, hospitals, and the reach of 4G mobile networks in these districts and the results are evident for all to see.

    Shri Modi highlighted that decisive government actions have cleared Naxalism from the jungles, but it is now spreading to urban centers. He remarked that Urban Naxals have rapidly infiltrated political parties that were once opposed to them and inspired by Gandhian ideology, rooted in India’s heritage. He said that the voices and language of Urban Naxals are now heard within these political parties, indicating their deep-rooted presence, and warned that Urban Naxals are staunch opponents of India’s development and heritage. He acknowledged Shri Arnab Goswami’s efforts in exposing Urban Naxals and stressed that both development and strengthening heritage are essential for a developed India, urging caution against Urban Naxals.

    “Today’s India is reaching new heights by facing every challenge”, said Shri Modi, expressing confidence that the Republic TV network will continue to elevate journalism with a “nation first” spirit. He concluded by saying that Republic TV’s journalism will continue to catalyze the aspirations of a developed India. 

     

     

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: National Debate Needed To Address The Shift From Democracy To ‘Emocracy’—Emotion-Driven Policies Threaten Good Governance, Says VP

    Source: Government of India (2)

    National Debate Needed To Address The Shift From Democracy To ‘Emocracy’—Emotion-Driven Policies Threaten Good Governance, Says VP

    Excessive Spending On Electoral Promises Reduces The State’s Ability To Invest In Infrastructure, Says VP

    Election Is Important In Democracy But Not The End Of It, Cautions VP

    Good Governance Demands Fiscal Prudence, Not Short-Term Populism, Says VP

    Historically, Populism Is Bad Economics; Once A Leader Gets Attached To Populism, It Is Difficult To Get Out Of The Crisis, Warns VP

    Leadership Is Not A Pedestal But A Pilgrimage Of Service, Says VP

    True Leadership Empowers People To Empower Themselves, Not Just Momentarily, Says VP

    Vice-President Delivers Inaugural Address At The First ‘Murli Deora Memorial Dialogues’ On The Theme ‘Leadership And Governance’ In Mumbai

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 10:08PM by PIB Delhi

    The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, today called for a national debate on the shift from democracy to ‘Emocracy, saying, “National debate is required so that we take note of shift from Democracy to Emocracy. Emotion-driven policies, emotion-driven debates, discourses threaten good governance. Historically, populism is bad economics. And once a leader gets attached to populism it is difficult to get out of the crisis. The central factor must be the good of the people, the largest good of the people, the lasting good of the people. Empower people to empower themselves rather than empower them momentarily because that affects their productivity.”

    Delivering the inaugural address at the first ‘Murli Deora Memorial Dialogues’ on the theme ‘Leadership and Governance’ in Mumbai, Maharashtra today, Shri Dhankhar expressed deep concern over the emergence of appeasement politics and placatory strategies across the political spectrum, saying, ” There is emergence of a new strategy, and the strategy is of appeasement or being placatory. If there is excessive spending on electoral promises, then the state’s ability to invest in infrastructure is correspondingly reduced. This is detrimental to the growth scenario. Election is important in democracy but not the end of it. I would call upon the leadership of all political parties in the interest of democratic values to generate a consensus that engaging in such electoral promises, which can be performed only at the cost of CAPEX expenditure of the state, must be reviewed. Some governments that took recourse to this appeasement and placatory mechanisms are finding it very difficult to sustain in power.”

    He clarified that affirmative action for marginalized communities is distinct from appeasement politics, stating, “I should not be misunderstood, ladies and gentlemen, because while the Indian Constitution has given us the right of equality, it does provide in Article 14, 15, and 16 an acceptable category of affirmative governance—affirmative action, the reservation for SC, ST, for those who are in the economically weaker section. That is sanctified. There are exceptional situations for rural India, for the farmer, where affirmative steps are required to be taken. But this is very distinct from the other aspects I was talking about. This is not placatory or appeasing. It is justifiable economic policy. And therefore, it is good leadership that can take a call on where to draw the line in the fiscal sense in the matter of political foresight and leadership spine.”

    Highlighting demographic challenges and illegal migration, Shri Dhankhar said, “The Nation houses millions of illegal migrants causing a demographic upheaval. Millions of illegal migrants are in this country making a huge demand on our health services, education services. They are depriving our people of employment opportunities. Such elements have alarmingly secured electoral relevance in some areas and their securing electoral relevance is shaping the essence of our democracy. Emerging dangers can be evaluated through historical reference where nations were swept of their ethnic identity by similar demographic invasions.”
    Expressing deep concern over mass conversions through allurements, the Vice-President remarked, “This malaise, far more severe than COVID, is aggravatingly intersected with conversions through allurements, with vulnerable sections trying to be trapped. The marginalized, the tribal, the weaker become easy prey to these temptations and allurements. Faith is your own. Faith is dictated by conscience. The Indian Constitution gives freedom of faith. But if this faith is held hostage by temptations, it is, according to me, defacing freedom of faith.”

    Shri Dhankhar asserted that the sovereignty of ‘We the People’ must not be diluted, “Bharat, home to one-sixth of humanity, is the oldest, largest, most vibrant, and functional democracy. Bharat is the only nation in the world that has constitutionally structured democratic institutions from the village to the national level. Our Constitution’s Preamble indicates ‘We the People’ as the foundational source and premise of governance. Preamble of the Constitution also reveals the purpose of governance as Justice, Equality, and Fraternity for all. We must appreciate the contours of ‘We the People’—the ultimate repository of sovereignty. A sovereignty that we cannot afford to dilute or to be taken away.”

    Honoring the late Murli Deora, the Vice-President described him as one of the finest public figures in politics, “Murli Deora was one of the finest public figures in politics, who nurtured all his life friendships. He bridged the differences and was loved by all. In his life, he missed one thing—he had no adversaries. That was his stature. Murali bhai, as fondly reminisced by his peers, exemplified public spirit and dedication to worthy societal causes.”

    The Vice-President praised Murli Deora’s pioneering role in securing a ban on smoking in public places, stating, “Murli Deora will always be remembered for his proactive efforts to save the country from the hazards of smoking. He approached the highest court of the land and sought affirmative intervention to secure a ban on smoking in public places.”

    Concluding his address, Shri Dhankhar described Murli Deora’s life as a testament to leadership as a journey of service, “Life of Murli Deora Ji was a testament to the idea of leadership—that this idea is not a pedestal but a pilgrimage, a journey of service to the last, the least, and the lonely.”

    Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan, Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Milind Deora, MP Rajya Sabha & Senior Kotak
    Representative, Shri Raghavendra Singh, President, Kotak Mahindra Bank and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Consultation Meet with Industry associations for ‘Engaging Dialogue on Entity Locker’ held at MeitY

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 8:00PM by PIB Delhi

    A consultation meeting to invite suggestions and inputs from industry bodies and partner organisations for Entity Locker was held at Electronics Niketan on March 6, 2025. The meeting was chaired by Shri Nand Kumarum, President & CEO, Nation E-Governance Mission (NeGD); MD & CEO Digital India Corporation, and CEO, MyGov.

    Participants included senior officials from various chambers and national boards such as FICCI, CII, Indian Banks Association, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Institute of Cost Accountants of India, India SME Forum, PHDCCI, Federation of Indian Export Organisations, SEBI, NASSCOM, Data Security Council of India, and government enterprises viz. Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Rail India Technical and Economic Service, and Engineering Projects India Ltd. etc.

    The meeting aimed to apprise the members about Entity Locker’s process flow and encourage them to promote its usage among associated entities. Feedback and suggestions to incorporate additional features and functions were also collected and the team at National e-Governance Division (NeGD) welcomed a stream of dialogues for continous improvements and better onboarding experience for all kinds of entities, including private players in the buinsess/financial ecosystem.

    Shri Nand Kumarum emphasised on the need for organisations to develop relevant use cases pertaining to the document interactions and exchange mechanism followed in their respective companies/organisations. He highlighted that Entity Locker provides secure data storage for important documents of business entities and the like, thus leading to ‘Ease of Doing Buisness’, and this along with the free 10 GB storage being provided by the Government is a big incentive for all organisations to onboard themselves and their allied partners on this platform.

    Several questions were raised regarding document visibility and sharing access, API integration, extendable storage facility, option to group users, and the verification protocol to be followed for Aadhaar & other licenses.

    All the current challenges, specific onboarding issues being faced, and concerns or problems and need regarding particular integration requirements were duly noted by the team and responded to. These will be formally allayed and worked upon once the participating members send back their replies addressing the same.

    About Entity Locker

    Entity Locker is a secure, cloud-based solution that simplifies the storage, sharing, and verification of documents for a wide range of entities, including large organisations, corporations, micro, small, and medium Enterprises (MSMEs), trusts, startups and societies. The platform is a critical component of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, aligning with the vision of the Union Budget 2024-25 for enhanced digital governance and ease of doing business.

    As a part of the Digital India Programme, Entity Locker exemplifies the innovative use of technology to solve complex administrative challenges and promote economic growth. Its phased implementation will see gradual integration with more government platforms and agencies.

    Businesses, regulators and other stakeholders are encouraged to adopt this transformative digital solution to enhance operational efficiency and compliance.

    Visit Entity Locker: https://entity.digilocker.gov.in/

    For further details, contact: partners@digitallocker.gov.in

    ********

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Dr. Jitendra Singh Flags Off CSIR’s E-Tractor roadshow from Jammu, to ahead for Kanyakumari , Covering the entire country:

    Source: Government of India

    Dr. Jitendra Singh Flags Off CSIR’s E-Tractor roadshow from Jammu, to ahead for Kanyakumari , Covering the entire country:

    The Minister Highlights India’s Push for Sustainable Farming, inaugurates E-Tiller of CSIR-CMERI at CSIR-IIIM Chatha Farm

    Ease of Agriculture, Cost Savings, Green Energy—Dr. Jitendra Singh on CSIR’s Agriculture Innovations

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 7:44PM by PIB Delhi

     

    JAMMU, March 6 : Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh today flagged off the CSIR-developed e-Tractor roadshow from Jammu, which will ahead for Kanyakumari, covering the entire country.

    This marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards sustainable and technology-driven agriculture. The e-tractor, which was initially launched in Delhi, has been put on a nationwide roadshow to raise awareness about eco-friendly and cost-effective solutions in farming. After its stop in Jammu, the e-tractor will travel across various regions before reaching its final destination in Kanyakumari.The Minister has also inaugurated and E-Tiller developed by CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), Durgapur, a constituent lab.

    Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Dr. Jitendra Singh underscored the importance of innovation in agriculture and how CSIR’s technology will contribute to the ease of farming, reducing operational costs and promoting sustainability. “This e-tractor is not just an advanced technological intervention but a step towards ensuring affordable and environment-friendly farming solutions. It reflects our commitment to integrating innovation with agriculture, benefiting both farmers and agri-startups,” he stated.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted that the e-tractor aligns with the government’s broader vision of promoting green energy and self-reliance in agriculture. He pointed out that while traditional farming practices rely on expensive fossil fuels, the electric tractor offers a viable alternative that significantly reduces carbon emissions and operating expenses. “By adopting this technology, farmers will not only reduce their fuel costs but also contribute to environmental conservation. The roadshow will allow farmers across the country to witness firsthand how this new technology can transform agriculture,” he added.

    The Minister further emphasized that CSIR’s initiatives are aimed at bridging the technological divide in Indian farming by bringing scientific innovations directly to the grassroots. “CSIR has been actively working on technologies that enhance efficiency and productivity in the agricultural sector. The e-tractor is an example of how research-driven innovations can be commercialized for widespread adoption,” he said.

    In his address, Dr. Jitendra Singh also spoke about the government’s concerted efforts to promote agricultural entrepreneurship through policies that support agri-startups, rural youth, and women entrepreneurs. He reiterated that the government’s Bio-E3 policy—Biotechnology for Environment, Economy, and Employment—is ensuring that scientific advancements translate into economic opportunities for farmers. “The government is providing comprehensive support, from technological assistance to financial aid, to ensure that our farmers and startups can seamlessly adopt modern solutions. The Mudra loan scheme, for example, has empowered thousands of entrepreneurs, including women-led businesses in agriculture,” he added.

    The e-tractor roadshow is expected to generate significant interest among farmers, agri-startups, and policymakers as it moves from Jammu to Kanyakumari. Through this initiative, CSIR aims to showcase how clean-energy solutions can revolutionize Indian agriculture, making it more sustainable, cost-effective, and accessible to a larger segment of the farming community.

    The Minister also stressed that with increasing awareness and government support, India is witnessing a transformation in its agricultural landscape. He cited examples of successful agritech interventions such as drone-assisted farming, soil health cards, and high-value crops like lavender, which are creating new income avenues for farmers.

    On the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh also inaugurated the Agro-Soil Research Laboratory at CSIR-IIIM Chatha Farm in which a group of Scientists and researchers would work on Soil testing, agrotechnology development and plant testing.

    As the e-tractor makes its journey across the country, the roadshow will serve as an opportunity for direct farmer engagement, demonstrating the tangible benefits of adopting sustainable farming practices. “The roadshow is not just a demonstration—it is an invitation for farmers to be part of India’s agricultural revolution. By embracing new technologies, they can enhance productivity while also protecting the environment,” Dr. Jitendra Singh concluded.

    Director CSIR-IIIM Dr Zabeer Ahmed and Director CSIR Durgapur Dr Murmu were present on the occasion.

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh says, while India’s Bioeconomy grew more than 10 times in last 10 years, the biotech potential of Himalayan territories, particularly their agri-biotech potential, remains still under-explored.

    Source: Government of India

    Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh says, while India’s Bioeconomy grew more than 10 times in last 10 years, the biotech potential of Himalayan territories, particularly their agri-biotech potential, remains still under-explored.

    Highlights Agri-Biotech Potential in J&K, Credits Prime Minister Modi for India’s Bio-Economy Growth

    India’s biotech economy, which soared from a $10 billion valuation in 2014 to over $130 billion in 2024, is set to reach a massive $300 billion by 2030,

    Jammu & Kashmir: A Hub for Agricultural Biotechnology and Innovation

    DBT’s Budget from 1485crores in 2013-14 to 3447 crores in 2025-26 almost marking 130% increase.

    India’s Bio-Economy Set to Soar to $300 Billion by 2030, Says Dr. Jitendra Singh

    Posted On: 06 MAR 2025 7:41PM by PIB Delhi

    JAMMU, March 6 : Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said here today that while India’s Bioeconomy grew more than 10 times in last 10 years, the biotech potential of Himalayan territories including Jammu & Kashmir, particularly their agri-biotech potential remains still under-explored.

    India’s biotech economy, which soared from a $10 billion valuation in 2014 to over $130 billion in 2024, is set to reach a massive $300 billion by 2030, according to Dr. Jitendra Singh’s projections. He highlighted the ongoing Bio-revolution in India, comparing it to the IT revolution in the West and underscoring the importance of India’s rich natural and biodiversity resources in fueling this transformation. He underscored the rise in DBT’s Budget from 1,485 crores in 2013-14 to 3,447 crores in 2025-26 almost marking 130% increase.

     

    The Minister underscored the transformative potential of Agri-Biotechnology J&K, with a special focus on the success of initiatives like the Aroma Mission and the floriculture revolution. He further highlighted India’s remarkable growth in biotechnology, positioning the country as a global leader in the field.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh was speaking at the PBBCON-2025, International and National Conference on “Emerging Innovations in Biochemistry and Biotechnology for Holistic Development of Agriculture” conference, in Jammu coinciding with the celebrations of India’s scientific achievements. He lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call during the Mann Ki Baat for the nation to celebrate the day with festive fervor, a call echoed across Indian embassies worldwide.

    The Union Minister emphasized how Agri-Biotech initiatives such as the Aroma Mission and the floriculture revolution have been instrumental in boosting J&K’s agricultural economy. These programs have helped local farmers cultivate aromatic plants and flowers, creating a thriving industry for essential oils and floriculture products. Dr. Singh praised the region’s favorable climate and how biotechnological innovations are reshaping traditional agriculture into a lucrative startUp industry.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh also shared some key highlights from India’s biotech sector in 2024, including the development of the world’s first HPV vaccine, a breakthrough indigenous antibiotic ‘Nafithromycin’, and the pioneering gene therapy experiment for Hemophilia. He attributed these achievements to the Mission Suraksha initiative, which facilitated the creation of indigenous DNA-based vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The world’s largest vaccination drive was one of India’s proudest moments.

    India is now ranked third in the Asia-Pacific region and 12th globally in terms of biomanufacturing, a fact Dr. Singh proudly highlighted. He noted the New BioE3 Policy, launched under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, which places a special focus on biomanufacturing and bio-foundries, marking a new era for India’s biotechnology sector.

    The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (NRF), allocated ₹50,000 crores in the 2024 budget, is set to foster innovation, with a 60% contribution from the private sector. This will play a crucial role in nurturing India’s growing deep-tech and biotech startup ecosystem, which has seen exponential growth—from just 50 biotech startups in 2014 to nearly 9,000 today.

    Reflecting on the past decade of India’s scientific journey, Dr. Singh noted the rise of India as the third-largest startup ecosystem globally, driven by youth-led innovation. He mentioned that 5352 Indian Scientific Minds now feature in the Top 2% globally, underscoring India’s rise as a global hub for talent and innovation.

    India’s progress in the Global Innovation Index has been remarkable, jumping from 80th in 2014 to 39th in 2024, further solidifying its place among the world’s most innovative nations. Dr. Singh credited Prime Minister Modi for starting the “Start Up India, Stand Up India” movement, empowering young entrepreneurs to transform India’s economy.

    In addition to biotechnology, Dr. Singh also touched upon India’s growing prominence in nuclear energy. Once met with skepticism, India’s nuclear energy program is now recognized globally for its peaceful and sustainable ambitions. India has set an ambitious target of 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2047.This vision is reshaping global climate strategies, with India’s nuclear policy, envisioned by Homi Bhabha, now seen as a model for responsible energy development.

    Dr. Jitendra Singh concluded by urging the youth of J&K to prepare for the region’s crucial role in India’s growth story, emphasizing that J&K, with institutions like SKUAST University, can be at the forefront of driving innovation in Agri-Biotech and other emerging sectors. He encouraged young minds to leverage the opportunities created by India’s expanding biotech sector and global scientific leadership.

    Earlier Vice Chancellor SKUAST Prof B.N. Tripathi and President National Society of Biochemistry & Biotechnology in Agriculture Dr Sharma also addressed the audience.

    ****

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘Orgasms are a marvellous happiness’. Shere Hite gave voice to female sexuality in a landmark book – but the backlash was fierce

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Camilla Nelson, Associate Professor in Media and Journalism, University of Notre Dame Australia

    Owen Franken/Corbis via Getty Images

    In our feminist classics series we revisit influential works.

    Shere Hite’s The Hite Report was quickly dubbed a “sexual revolution in 600 pages”. It did something nobody had considered worth doing: investigating women’s sexuality by asking them to share their thoughts and feelings, then relaying those reflections to readers in women’s own words.

    This might not sound unusual today. But in 1976, it was incendiary.

    Based on a survey of 3,000 women distributed by the New York Chapter of the National Organisation for Women (the feminist group co-founded by Betty Friedan), more than 75% of the book comprises narrative responses to open ended survey questions.

    It includes a plethora of startlingly frank – for its time – and explicitly detailed opinions, anecdotes, complaints and criticisms about sex, masturbation and orgasm. The book is an extraordinarily rich cultural artefact in the archive of human intimacy.

    Unsurprisingly, the women who responded to Hite’s survey thoroughly enjoyed sex. “Orgasm is the ultimate pleasure – which women often deny themselves, but men never do,” claimed one. “Orgasms are a marvellous happiness”, added another. “Orgasm cancels out rage and longing for at least 48 hours,” said yet another.

    But it was the manner in which Hite’s respondents got their orgasms that made the book a scandal. “I think masturbation is essential to one’s health,” said one respondent. “[A]s I learned in my marriage – a partner is not always good sexually, though he may be wonderful in other ways.”

    Masturbation is better than “bad sex with an incompatible partner”, explained another respondent. “The only way I can have an orgasm is by masturbating,” said another.

    ‘A complex nature’

    The Hite Report did not attempt to define a sexual norm, or produce a representative survey sample, or pretend its data could be generalised to an entire population. But it did contain some statistical findings.

    The most significant of these – the source of the book’s notoriety – was that only 30% of women surveyed reported being able to regularly or reliably reach orgasm through heterosexual intercourse. And yet, 80% reported they could easily and regularly reach orgasm through clitoral stimulation, which was frequently obtained through masturbation, either alone, or with their partner.

    In her preface Hite argued that the canonical sexological works of the past 100 years – including the works of Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and William Masters and Virginia Johnson – had constructed female sexuality “as essentially a response to male sexuality and intercourse”. She set out to demonstrate that “female sexuality might have a complex nature of its own”.

    Hite argued sex was a cultural institution, not a biological one. Historically, men had defined sex in terms of their own needs and preferences, then mandated their preferences as biological.

    Freud, for example, knew female orgasm could be reliably obtained through clitoral stimulation, but defined clitoral orgasm as an “immature orgasm” and orgasm arising from heterosexual intercourse as a “mature orgasm”. He then labelled women who could not achieve orgasm in the required way “frigid” and “hysterical”.

    The Hite Report is organised into eight chapters or themes, starting with “Masturbation”, followed by “Orgasm”, “Intercourse”, “Clitoral Stimulation”, “Lesbianism”, “Sexual Slavery”, “The Sexual Revolution” and “Older Women”. In a concluding chapter, Hite reflects on the issues raised by survey participants.

    In the chapter “Lesbianism”, a significant number of heterosexual-identified women confess same sex attraction, or else identify as bisexual. They also describe lesbian sexuality as “more variable”, and the “physical actions more mutual”.

    “The basic difference with a woman is that there’s no end,” claimed one respondent, “[…] it’s like a circle, it goes on and on.”

    “Lesbianism” sits in stark contrast to the chapter on “Sexual Slavery”, where Hite seeks to investigate why women pursue unequal sexual relationships, especially where respondents claim to receive little or no sexual pleasure.

    “Having a man love me and want to have sex with me is necessary to my happiness,” claimed one respondent. “Sex makes me feel I am a woman to my husband instead of just a live-in maid,” added another.

    “I’ve never heard a word of praise from my husband in 21 years except while having intercourse,” claimed yet another. “While I resent this, I still love him […] ”

    Wildly successful

    Many women applauded the book. Author Erica Jong, writing in The New York Times, called it a “revelation”. Others warned of a possible male backlash. “It seems that women are finally reporting the facts of their own sex,” wrote journalist Ellen Willis in the Washington Post, “and men are putting on the earmuffs of fear and retreating to deeper fantasies.”

    This backlash was not long in coming. Playboy apocryphally dubbed it “The Hate Report”, a label regularly recycled in media outlets around the world, including by female journalists. One male journalist, writing in the Miami Herald, argued women could not be regarded as truthful or reliable witnesses to their own lives. “What annoys me about The Hite Report,” he wrote, “is its smug assumption that just because women made these comments, they’re true”.

    Despite – or perhaps because of – this controversy, the book was wildly successful. It was translated into ten different languages – including French, Spanish, German, Italian, Hebrew and Japanese – and sold over 2 million copies within the first 12 months.

    It remains the 30th bestselling book of all time, with 50 million copies sold in 45 countries, including two recently translated editions in China, where it sparked conversations among intellectuals interested in formerly taboo western culture.

    Faking orgasms

    Born in smalltown Missouri, Hite gained a masters degree in social history and in 1967 moved to New York to enrol in a PhD program at Columbia University. She left when conservative faculty members refused to allow her to complete her dissertation on female sexuality. Hite worked as a model to pay her tuition fees. She joined the National Organisation for Women when they protested the sexism of the Olivetti advertising campaigns, after Hite was cast as an “Olivetti girl” for the typewriter company.

    Increasingly tagged as a “man-basher” after the publication of her book, Hite’s public persona was conventionally, almost theatrically feminine. She revelled in a contemporary Baroque aesthetic; a mirage of red lipstick, froufrou dresses, pancake-style makeup and tousled orange or platinum curls. And she spoke about sex in explicit detail, in a voice that was earnest, articulate and unembarrassed.

    Hite did not “discover” the clitoral orgasm. Instead, by centring women’s experiences, and taking their reflections seriously, her work threw into question centuries of sexological studies. These studies had either pathologised normal female sexual functioning or else insisted any pleasure women derived from sex had to be a by-product of conventional heterosexual intercourse.

    Even Masters and Johnson, who, in their reports from 1966 onwards, clinically proved all female orgasms were the result of clitoral stimulation, had insisted on the centrality of coitus.

    As Hite told television show host Geraldo in 1977,

    Masters and Johnson made a tremendous step forward in that they studied, and showed clinically, for the first time, that all orgasms are caused by clitoral stimulation, and we really have them to thank for that. However, when they described how it’s done – the thrusting of the penis causes the vaginal lips to move, which causes the skin that’s connected to the clitoris to move, which causes the glands to move over the clitoris, which supposedly gives you orgasm. But that doesn’t work for most women.

    And yet, although the participants in Hite’s study were overwhelmingly educated and politically progressive, many confessed they felt compelled to fake an orgasm during intercourse to please a man.

    “I ‘perform’ and boost his ego and confidence,” claimed one. “I do not like to think of myself as a performer but I feel judged and also judge myself when I don’t have an orgasm.” “[M]en do expect it, so I often force myself […],” said another.

    Participants also claimed how a woman was seen to orgasm mattered. “I don’t show the signs you’re supposed to,” worried one. “They think because I don’t pant, scream and claw I haven’t had one,” said another. “I used to go out of my way to offer all the mythical Hollywood signs,” revealed another.

    One participant even suggested the whole issue of sex was so politically fraught that, “Maybe sex would be better if we’d never heard of orgasm”.

    Respondents also told Hite the “sexual revolution” of the 1960s and 1970s had intensified, rather than reduced, gender prejudices and double standards.

    Sexual violence

    Another breathtaking aspect of the book is the way participants’ answers are shot through with sexual violence. On the issue of sexual coercion, for example, one participant replied, “I’m not supposed to say ‘no’ since I’m legally married”.

    On a question about the use of force in sex, another replied, “Only with my husband.” (In 1976, marital rape was legal and “acceptable” in most western nations.)

    Rape myths are also common. “I define as rape someone you don’t know who attacks you,” said one respondent. “I never defined it as […] someone you know. If you define rape that way, every woman has been raped over and over.”

    Another suggested rape wasn’t rape if a victim gave up fighting. “He really raped me, but not in the legal way. I couldn’t prevent him, in other words.”

    Hite identified toxic gender stereotypes as the major driver of sexual violence, especially the belief that “a man’s need for ‘sex’ is a strong and urgent ‘drive’” which women were obligated to satisfy. “Women aren’t always free to not have sex,” explained one respondent.

    Archival insights

    The Hite archive is housed in the Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. It comprises over 250 filing boxes and folios, occupying more than 30 metres of shelf space. Most of the material relates to Hite’s public career as a sex researcher, with a small scattering of personal papers.

    I was at Harvard doing research for a book on Hite’s contemporary Andrea Dworkin. Although the two feminists exist as polar opposites in the public imagination, they thoroughly agreed with one another, and enjoyed a supportive working relationship. And so I wanted to take a look.

    Among the publishing agreements, speaking invitations, publicity material and the copies of the edited and revised questionnaires that formed the basis of the 1976 report – which are printed in vermillion – an occasional note flips out.

    One, a seemingly unpublished open letter titled “Dear Women”, bears the traces of the intense, frequently misogynistic and overtly hostile media scrutiny that marked Hite’s wild catapult to fame.

    “Sometimes I feel I am dying here in the midst of all this,” she writes, “without the support of anyone”.

    Another, scrawled in a flamboyant purple felt tip pen in the midst of her 1977 book tour of France, reads, “I know that I have done something good – but somehow I feel evil […] When did that start?”

    There are also letters from readers. One, sent from Milan in the wake of the controversy that accompanied the Italian edition of the book, bears the typewritten subject line “Personal”. It reads:

    Dear Ms Hite,
    I am 43 years old and have never written a fan letter in my life until today. But I feel a moral obligation to tell you that your ‘Report’ has rehabilitated me in my own eyes. After years of thinking there was something wrong with me, your book has shown me I’m normal.

    Hite’s “Dear Women” letter describes the extraordinary challenges, including the financial challenges, she faced both before and after the book was published.

    Macmillan, after purchasing the rights to the book, went cold on the project when the commissioning editor resigned or, as Hite phrases it, “quit/was fired depending on your point of view”. The publisher made no plan to promote the book and assigned a 22-year-old man to answer any media queries.

    Hite decided to step in, when, working in the publisher’s offices late one evening, she found a letter from her male publicist declining an invitation to discuss The Hite Report on TV as “he thought my book/subject might be too ‘ticklish’ for television”.

    Hite’s contract with Macmillan gave her little or no control over international editions of the book (and severely limited the income she could take from royalties, before it was ruled unconscionable by a court). In 1978, she “flew around the world twice” attempting to stop the book from being sensationalised.

    In France, the publisher had promised Hite a plain print cover, but was overruled by an all-male advertising department who “printed a cover with a nude woman”. In the second printing, the publisher agreed to revert to plain text.

    In Israel, entire sections of the first edition text were censored. Protests by local journalists led to the publisher engaging an Israeli feminist to re-translate the work.

    In Japan, the male translator produced a translation that was “so embarrassed and vague that it made absolutely no sense”. But on this occasion, a sympathetic female editor stepped in to rewrite entire sections of the manuscript.

    Hite’s Australian reception ranked among the most hostile. Her research assistant described the trip as “hideous”, alleging Hite had “never before encountered” such “vicious attitudes” as those exhibited by male journalists.

    Hite’s research assistant revealed in a separate letter that Hite’s doctors had “absolutely forbid her to do anything but rest for the next few months” after the Australian trip.

    Later life

    In her preface, Hite writes that she hoped to start a conversation through which men and women might “begin to devise more kind, generous, and personal ways of relating”.

    Sadly, this was not what happened. Hite went on to release four major reports on human sexuality, including a report on male sexuality, one on women and love, and one on the family. Then in 1996, she revoked her US citizenship and moved to Germany, saying the media’s hostility towards her made it impossible to continue working.

    Living in Germany, and later in Paris and London, she published her autobiography, The Hite Report on Shere Hite, and The Hite Reader, containing a selection of her published work. She died in 2020, aged 77.

    What marks the Hite Report as an artefact from another era is less the peculiar patois of the “Age of Aquarius”, than the way in which Hite’s respondents so often defined their identities through their husband’s, whether as a wife, former wife, or woman destined to be a wife. “Wifedom” is the default state.

    Equally, what makes the book disturbing, is the reality of sexual violence and coercion that lurks in so many answers, even when respondents are not being questioned about violence or coercion directly.

    With shocked recognition, the reader realises society has not changed nearly as much as some would like to think. The fact it has changed at all is partly due to the second sexual revolution ignited by Hite’s work.

    Camilla Nelson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. ‘Orgasms are a marvellous happiness’. Shere Hite gave voice to female sexuality in a landmark book – but the backlash was fierce – https://theconversation.com/orgasms-are-a-marvellous-happiness-shere-hite-gave-voice-to-female-sexuality-in-a-landmark-book-but-the-backlash-was-fierce-246150

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven Meets With North Dakota’s U.S. Senate Youth Program Delegates

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
    03.06.25
    WASHINGTON — Senator John Hoeven this week met with Martin Bergstedt, a senior at Enderlin High School, and Cady Wang, a senior at Davies High School in Fargo, who were chosen to represent North Dakota as delegates to the 63rd annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). The program brings students from across the country to Washington, D.C. to meet with senators, the president, a Supreme Court Justice and cabinet officials.  
    “We congratulate Martin and Cady on being selected as North Dakota’s Senate Youth Program delegates and commend their dedication to academics and community service,” said Hoeven. “This prestigious, merit-based program offers students a unique opportunity to learn about the federal government while also providing scholarships to support their education.”
    Martin Bergstedt
    Martin Bergstedt, a senior at Enderlin High School, is president of the Future Business Leaders of America chapter. He also serves as FCCLA vice president, a National Honor Society member, yearbook editor and pep club leader. A National Merit semifinalist and accomplished speaker, he is a three-time state champion and two-time national qualifier in Speech and Debate. Actively involved in the Enderlin Endowment Fund, he plans to pursue a career in corporate finance.
    Cady Wang
    Cady Wang, a senior at Davies High School in Fargo, advises the North Dakota Health and Human Services Youth Advisory Board, representing nearly 200,000 youth statewide. She promotes health care equipment recycling and supports True Friends summer camp for individuals with disabilities. As a Research Science Institute participant, she now interns at North Dakota State University, working with local farms on sustainable agriculture. She plans to study environmental engineering and public policy at MIT, followed by a master’s in public policy focused on climate change and sustainability.
    About USSYP
    Created in 1962 by Senate Resolution 324, the USSYP has been sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundations since the program’s inception. Senate testimony states that the impetus for the program is “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, learn the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and emphasize the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.” 
    Each year, this competitive, merit-based program brings 104 of the most outstanding high school students — two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity — to Washington, D.C. for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and those who lead it. The program’s mission is to help instill within each student delegate a more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service. 
    In addition to the program week, the Hearst Foundations provides each student with a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs. Transportation and all expenses for Washington Week are also provided by The Hearst Foundations because, as stipulated in S.Res.324, no government funds are utilized.
    The chief educational officer in each state selects the delegates after nomination by teachers and principals. This year’s delegates were designated by Kirsten Baesler, North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction.

    MIL OSI USA News –