THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
Success with cooperative EU-NATO defence acquisitions photo: © MMU
The MMF Programme is a reference for future defence armament cooperation
by Joachim Weidmann, OCCAR-EA, MMF Programme Manager and Coordinator; Angel Saiz-Padilla, NSPA, MMF Principal Coordinator Officer, and Dion Polman, EDA, Project Officer Aviation, Bonn/Brussels
E
uropean Nations face since long an unpredictable strategic situation. New scenarios require new capabilities in growing numbers, whilst the cost of individual weapons systems is increasing exponentially, stretching to the maximum the funds allocated for defence investments. The multinational organisations devoted to European Defence and Security reacted in support of their Member States launching concepts and initiatives such as “Pooling & Sharing” within the European Union (EU) in 2010, or “Smart Defence” solutions of NATO in 2011 with the intent to optimise the available resources. The Multinational Multi-Role Tanker and Transport Fleet (MMF) serves as a first example.
The genesis of the MMF With the support of NATO, at its 2012 Summit, the European Defence Agency (EDA) took the lead of an initiative to address the shortfall in Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) and strategic capacity in Europe. A Letter of Intent (LoI) signed by 10 European Nations became the genesis of today’s Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF). This was possible thanks to an excellent management. This management structure of the MMF Programme, involves three international organisations: the European Defence Agency (EDA), the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) and the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR). The role of EDA: The political acknowledgement of the shortfall was crucial for the successful launching of the MMF project. The responsibility of NSPA: MMF Nations entrusted NSPA with the responsibility of the ownership, together with its future
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operation and in-service support for the duration of the life cycle of the system. The task for OCCAR: to launch the MMF initiative. NSPA delegated into OCCAR the responsibility for managing the complex contract processes associated with the acquisition of the fleet, the production oversight, its acceptance and the Initial In-Service Support. The MMF represents the best example of a successful answer to cover cost-effective military capability gaps. The response to those urgent calls recommends to join efforts and reach a flexible solution that mitigates the most critical European capability shortages.
Factors of success Being now close to the delivery of the seventh MMF aircraft of the nine currently on contract until 2024, it is of special interest to analyse the main success factors of the MMF Programme that may have applicability in future similar initiatives. The Netherlands decided to step forward in 2016 and assumed the role of lead Nation of the Strategic Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Initiative. With Luxembourg, both Nations combined their requirements for Air to Air refuelling (AAR) and Strategic Transport in a Pooling & Sharing initiative to jointly procure a fleet of MRTT aircraft. The Hague decided to launch the MMF initiative, despite all the uncertainties linked with the management of a new cooperative multi-agency Programme. Germany and Norway joined in 2017, followed by Belgium in 2018 and the Czech Republic in 2019. The six European Allies signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MRTT-MoU) and became members of the MMF Support Partnership with equal membership rights, regardless of their level of participation and funding contribution. The MMF Nations will share the use of a fleet of Airbus A330 MRTTs, as well as their sustainment and operation.
