Latest news with #defenceindustry
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
EU will propose more flexibility for defence procurement, commissioner says
BRUSSELS, June 10 (Reuters) - The European Commission will propose next week to give governments more flexibility on defence procurement and make access to European funding easier, European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said on Tuesday. "Without this simplification, nothing else in defence readiness will be possible to achieve," Kubilius told a conference in Brussels. "Putin will not wait for us to get our paperwork in order," he added. The European defence industry has raised concerns about EU red tape and delays in accessing funds. The proposal, expected to be presented on June 17, will aim to address some of these complaints. "We intend to give more flexibility to member states in common procurements, more flexibility on framework agreements, and we intend to facilitate innovation procurement," he said, adding that the Commission also wants to make access to the bloc's defence fund "easier". The commissioner said it would also be important to look at other rules that impact defence, pointing to permits, reporting obligations, competition rules and sustainable finance. Kubilius said the Commission will propose simplifying a directive on defence procurement and a directive on intra-EU transfers of defence products.
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Secret military AI project was ‘best in world'... then MoD shut it down
Defence chiefs scrapped a pioneering artificial intelligence initiative despite the Government unveiling plans to invest billions of pounds in new technology, The Telegraph can disclose. The project, which was based at the secretive Porton Down military research facility in Wiltshire, was abandoned in March in what defence sources called a 'spectacular own goal'. The decision was taken despite Sir Keir Starmer announcing that defence spending would rise from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent from 2027. The funding cut had knock-on impacts for two notable projects: One creating a new tool to better recognise so-called ' deep fakes ' and another connecting AI censors on different pieces of military equipment. The Strategic Defence Review, which was published on Monday, makes a string of pledges about investment and underlines the importance of AI in future battlefields. However, there is no commitment to restart the Porton Down AI program. Industry figures involved in the work were briefed on the decision in March. Government scientists working on the programme were said to be taken aback when it was closed. One defence source familiar with the research said: 'The work has just ground to a halt. It has been the most spectacular own goal I've seen in all my time working in defence. 'We were world-leading at something. We were going to be the first country to have this type of technology. And, for absolutely unexplained reasons, the research has been scrapped. 'I do think it has been more cock-up than conspiracy. Ministers have made the decision to axe funding but I don't think they properly knew the impact it would have.' Wider defence investment in AI continues. AI-enabled weaponry and machinery will be purchased. A new Defence Innovation Agency is also being set up, though specifics remain unclear. But critics of the decision are noting that the Porton Down work would have given the UK the edge over hostile powers, creating AI military technology not yet publicly available. The standalone AI research programme received around £20 million a year and in turn funded various individual projects. Two projects in particular were impacted by the program's closure. One was to create a next generation AI deep fake detection tool. It was sometimes known as an Evita system, standing for 'evaluating video text and audio'. The tool would have brought benefits to the intelligence services and police forces as well as military chiefs, allowing for rapid analysis to determine the accuracy of newly emerging footage. But the future of the drive has been thrown into uncertainty by the funding decision. A second project is called Bright Corvus. It was, broadly, an attempt to make an AI sensor system that would connect the likes of drones, ships, satellites and fighter jets. It is understood that the project was originally meant to last for 10 years but has been wrapped up after five due to the change in the funding position. The decision to close down the standalone programme has raised eyebrows in part because it was taken just as the Ministry of Defence puts more emphasis on the importance of AI in the wars of the future. One line in the strategic defence review says 'an immediate priority for force transformation should be a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK's conventional forces'. The Government has also delivered a marked increase in the defence budget, freeing up billions more pounds a year for military investment. In the wake of Donald Trump's return to the White House and his warnings that Europe must do more to handle its own security, Sir Keir now talks of a 'new era' in the realm of defence. He has promised to increase defence spending and set a new 'ambition' to hit 3 per cent in the early 2030s. However, the Government risks being forced to go faster, with a Nato summit later this month expected to commit states to hitting 3.5 per cent by 2032. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'AI continues to be a major area of research for defence, and we are embedding AI across all our research programmes to drive better delivery, rather than through a single programme – which came to an end in March. 'The Strategic Defence Review prioritises a greater use of autonomy and AI and we will spend at least 10 per cent of our equipment budget on innovative new technologies. 'We're also establishing a new innovation organisation, with a ring-fenced budget of £400 million, to help deliver more cutting-edge technology to the Armed Forces'.
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Chinese defence oversight official latest figure snared in military corruption crackdown
A senior former official at the agency responsible for the oversight of China's defence industry is under investigation for corruption. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's top anti-graft watchdog, said on Wednesday that Zhang Jianhua was suspected of 'serious violations of discipline and law' – a standard euphemism for corruption – and had 'turned himself in'. Zhang, formerly deputy head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND), is the latest target of the anti-corruption campaign that has swept through China's military and the defence industry in recent years and has brought down dozens of generals and executives. Zhang worked for many years at SASTIND, the government agency responsible for managing the industry and overseeing research and production in areas such as nuclear technology, aerospace, aviation and shipbuilding. Zhang, 64, has been working in the sector since 1990 in a number of roles, including a spell as director of the agency's centre for military-civil project review between 2005 and 2009, where he was responsible for reviewing defence projects and linking research to production. In 2013 he became deputy director of the administration and in 2018 he also became deputy director of the China Atomic Energy Authority.
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU and Ukraine defence industries need to integrate more, EU commissioner says
BRUSSELS, May 12 (Reuters) - European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius on Monday called for more integration between the European and Ukrainian defence industries. "To stop Putin, we need to produce more, we need to innovate more, and we need to do that together in the European Union and with Ukraine," Kubilius told officials and industry representatives in Brussels. Speaking at a defence industry forum, Kubilius said that an EU-Ukraine task force will convene for the first time on Monday "to assist integration of our defence industries, to facilitate development of joint projects or joint procurement processes". The commissioner, a former Lithuanian prime minister, said Europe can learn from Ukraine's innovative industry, pointing to advances with drones and artificial intelligence. 'In the future, when Europe will need to take the whole responsibility for the defence of European continent, Ukraine will be the most important part of the new European security architecture,' he said.
Times
11-05-2025
- Business
- Times
In wake of VE Day, we need defence and security agreement with EU
Last week's VE Day celebrations served as a potent reminder of the fragility of peace. As the country paused to remember and commemorate the 80th anniversary of the day that relief swept across a war-weary continent, Europe today again stands at a turning point. The war in Ukraine has exposed Europe's military vulnerabilities. With uncertainty over future US security commitments, it needs to take greater responsibility for its own defence. • Defence review labelled a 'damp squib' after big decisions delayed The UK, as one of Europe's strongest military powers, has a unique opportunity to offer solutions, and Britain's defence industry stands ready to deliver. Industry leaders representing aerospace, defence, technology and business communities have jointly urged the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and Ursula
