IRIA News

European Union (EU) Defense Ministers have approved the 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities. The document establishes a foundation for EU-wide defense planning, and all initiatives related to the alliance’s defense.

The 2023 EU Capability Development Priorities document reflects shifts in the strategic landscape of the European Union, drawing on political directives outlined in the Strategic Compass and lessons learned from Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine.

According to the European Defense Agency (EDA), the twenty-two priorities agreed by the EU Ministers “address the need for full-spectrum defense capabilities, enabling high-intensity operations.” These include fourteen priorities across five military domains and eight related to strategic enablers and multipliers.

EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý said: “These priorities are a significant step in strengthening the EU’s capabilities, extending beyond traditional equipment and platforms to encompass a broader operational perspective. The 22 priorities also look to future threats over the medium- and long-term time horizon.”

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said, “The newly adopted military Capability Development Priorities will provide us with an impactful and actionable framework that will guide defense planning and all EU defense initiatives.”

Borrell stressed that “Now is [the] time to translate these priorities into concrete defense cooperation projects to ensure more resilient, agile, and robust European armed forces, ready to tackle present and future threats.”

The EU foreign and security policy chief added that “The new priorities will allow our Member States and their armed forces to maintain freedom of action and be better prepared to respond to an ever-changing and increasingly deteriorating security environment.”

The 2023 EU Common Defense Policy (CDP) reaffirms longstanding priorities while incorporating new ones in response to a significant shift in the EU’s strategic landscape. These updated priorities align with the goals outlined in the EU’s Strategic Compass and are informed by the military realities witnessed in Ukraine, including the demands of high-intensity scenarios, ensuring coherence with NATO.

Key lessons learned from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine underscore the imperative for agile, mobile, technologically advanced, energy-efficient, interoperable, and resilient full-spectrum land forces.

“The Ukraine context highlighted the importance of multilayer Integrated Air and Missile Defence, along with an appropriate rebalance between the qualitative and quantitative dimensions in many capability areas,” The EDA statement added.

European Defense Agency outlined some of the priorities as:

Land-Based Precision Engagement: The document highlighted the need to extend and improve the range, precision, and mobility of land-based precision strike capabilities, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This involves increasing large-caliber ammunition stockpiles, advancing anti-tank systems, ensuring versatile close-fire support, and bolstering resilience against cyber threats.

Integrated Air and Missile Defence: This category encompasses all surface-based capabilities confronting airborne threats. The priorities in this area involve upgrading existing air defense systems and developing next-generation systems equipped with space-based early warning and counter-unmanned air systems (UAS) capabilities.

Cohesive and Well-Trained Militaries: The document puts emphasis on the development of professional military education, training, and the ability to adapt to a constantly evolving environment. This includes preparing for operations in new military domains, such as space and cyber.

Underwater/Seabed Warfare: The document highlighted the need to improve seabed warfare, underwater protection, and anti-submarine capabilities. This includes the integration of advanced autonomous underwater vehicles and surveillance systems.

Sustainable and Agile Logistics: This aspect focuses on capabilities that facilitate the projection, sustainment, and effectiveness of forces, including shared stocks and common warehousing, logistics footprint, and reinforcing maintenance requirements to address extreme weather conditions.