"The Utility of Force:

The Art of War in the Modern World”

GENERAL SIR RUPERT SMITH

Commander of the British Armoured Division in the first Gulf War and the United Nations Protection Force
(UNPROFOR) in Bosnia 1995, former NATO DSACEUR

&

JAVIER SOLANA
High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary General of the Council of the
European Union

SDA Book Presentation with the support of Thales

19 January, 2006, Brussels

Rapporteur: John Chapman

SECURITY & DEFENCE AGENDA

Bibliothèque Solvay, Parc Léopold
137 rue Belliard, B-1040, Brussels, Belgium
Telephone: +32 (0)2 737 91 48 Fax: +32 (0)2 736 32 16
E-mail: info@securitydefenceagenda.org Website: www.securitydefenceagenda.org
 “THE UTILITY OF FORCE: THE ART OF WAR IN THE MODERN WORLD”
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Contents:

INTRODUCTION – GENERAL SMITH CALLS FOR REVOLUTIONARY THINKING p. 3

GENERAL SIR RUPERT SMITH p. 4

JAVIER SOLANA p. 5

THE DEBATE p. 5
WHAT’S TO BE DONE?
ANY IMPACT ON IRAN?
A LINEAR PROCESS OR A JUDGEMENT CALL?
NEW WAYS OF THINKING
CONDUCTING WAR CORRECTLY

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS p. 10

ABOUT THE SDA p. 19

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GENERAL SMITH CALLS FOR REVOLUTIONARY THINKING

At the outset of his presentation of his new book “The Utility of Force: the Art of War in the Modern World”,
General Sir Rupert Smith called for fundamental changes in the way modern warfare is approached.

General Smith argued that adversaries were now “of and amongst the people”. It was no longer a case of
defending territory, the goal was now to defend a way of life. Wars had to be conducted differently, with the
desired outcome being defined ahead of any campaign – force alone would never be sufficient.

Expounding on the ideas set out in his book, Smith argued that today’s institutions were not suited to manage
the types of holistic campaigns essential in the 21st century. General Smith concluded that the EU had the most
potential to conduct such operations; while it carried no baggage from previous wars, it had an impressive
“portfolio of power”.

Dr. Javier Solana, the EU’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, welcomed the
content of the book and the debate it would set out. The importance of the book was the manner in which it
conceptualised ideas that had been around for a period, while at the same time bringing some new ideas. It was
a book to help us understand how to do politics right. Although he agreed with the majority of General Smith’s
arguments, Solana warned that national elements were dominating the debate. Solana also called for added
emphasis to be placed on the legitimacy of war, as without that, no campaign could be successful.

In a frank and forthright account of his ideas and experiences, General Smith argued that future campaigns had
to be rethought so that all options were examined ahead of any campaign. Diplomatic, political and
humanitarian aspects of any operation had to be reviewed in addition to strictly military ones. Linear
operations in which military force was seen as a last resort were no longer viable.

Smith knew it would not be quick nor easy to change current thinking. He understood that it would take the
concerted political will of the EU to make such a transformation happen. However, if that could be done, Smith
was confident that successful operations could be achieved.

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GENERAL SIR RUPERT SMITH
General Sir Rupert Smith insisted from the outset
that he was not there to talk about his book, but
rather about his ideas and how they related to the
EU’s defence and security policies. Smith
contended that times had changed. The emphasis
was now on “war amongst the people” rather than
on old-style industrial wars. He explained that, in
the former, military force alone could no longer
decide the outcome. Instead, it would be used to
create a condition in which strategic results could
be achieved. The general added that this strategic
object was likely to be used to alter opponents’
intentions rather than destroy them.
Putting things slightly differently, Smith argued that
the purpose of modern warfare was to defend a
way of life and values rather than territory. This
meant that the old-fashioned linear process (peace-
crisis-war-resolution-peace), in which military
action was seen as a last resort, was no longer
applicable. That brought further problems, because
while the institutions1 could manage such a linear
process, they were less well-versed in conflicts
where the military played a supporting role.
IN SEARCH OF SUCCESS
General Smith insisted that the many complexities
of modern warfare had to be understood and that
the institutions were part of the process that had
to change. He saw no point in changing the tools of
modern warfare, as the emphasis had to be on
how they were used and the desired outcome.
Simply put, General Smith wanted a fundamental
shift in institutional thinking.
General Smith added that the enemy was often
“acting below the threshold of our weapons”. He
wanted the enemy to be respected as it was no
1 Institutions included in General Smith’s thinking included:
governmental (civil and military), inter-governmental institutions
(such as the EU and NATO), executive institutions (national,
intelligence, diplomatic, armed forces), multinational agencies
and organisations, defence industries, and the institutional
relationships and processes that linked them all together.
SECURITY & DEFENCE AGENDA
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longer a matter of building up a superior range of
equipment. The general wanted the armed forces
to “learn, then strike”.
NO MORE NATIONAL THINKING
General Smith wanted an end to national thinking,
or rather to thinking “in separate boxes.” In “war
amongst the people”, the enemy was likely to be a
non-state grouping of several nationalities. Smith
did not see current national institutions as being
able to conduct the kind of modern warfare that
was needed. He therefore called for the EU to take
the lead as it had “the greatest potential to
conduct operations in the new circumstances.”
Developing his reasoning, Smith outlined why the
EU is now best placed to act:
§ It has no historical baggage relating to
historical wars (i.e. World War II, the Cold
War, etc.)
§ It has a “portfolio of power” (diplomatic,
economic, political, military, humanitarian,
etc.) and can therefore develop a
comprehensive strategy
§ As individual member states have shared
interests (the future of energy supplies,
international transport, monetary stability,
etc.), this could bring an element of solidarity
§ A European industrial base could be
developed via the European Defence Agency
(EDA)
§ The European Parliament could bring
“democratic oversight”.
Despite these arguments, General Smith
acknowledged that it would not be easy or quick
to bring an end to the predominant national
thinking that currently directed the use of military
forces in Europe. Above all, he wanted a
demonstration of the EU’s political will to make
transformation happen. Given that, he argued that
the EU could conduct successful operations in the
modern theatres of war.
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JAVIER SOLANA THE DEBATE

Javier Solana welcomed the book and the ideas WHAT’S TO BE DONE?
within it. While he found himself agreeing with 90%
of the content, Solana emphasised that the concept Edgar Buckley, Senior Vice President for Marketing,
of “war amongst the people” was a complex one, Thales, had taken two messages from the book:
as individual conflicts could vary tremendously.
This meant that it was difficult to develop a single 1. War in its current form (industrial war) is
doctrine that encompassed the necessary dead
processes (military, police, peacekeeping, judiciary, 2. Military force (such as interventions) will
etc.). He felt Smith was correct in mentioning continue to serve a purpose, but will have
‘everyone is needed’ - not only military forces are to mesh with a network of other
essential in conflict situations, civilians play a crucial capabilities
role.

Given those conclusions, Buckley asked what must

As for General Smith’s reasoning that the EU was
the best-placed organisation to take his ideas
forward, Solana was in agreement. However, he
insisted that the Union was already doing this to a
certain extent. Looking for conclusions as to which
actions needed to be taken, Solana called for:
be done differently, as more clarity was needed on
the actions to be taken. Friends of Europe trustee
Keith Richardson supported Buckley’s view on that
and also asked how Smith’s ideas might have been
applied in Iraq.

§ A re-education of the military forces, to bring

them in line with the new thinking
§ More adaptable NGOs, as “everyone has a
role” in “war amongst the people”
§ Changes in the instruments of war, as, for
example, it was pointless to manufacture
more tanks

But Solana had reservations about the book’s

conclusions. He was a firm believer in military
capability being an effective deterrent, i.e. in order
to stop force being used. Solana wanted more
discussion on that subject and on the need for the
“legitimacy of force” – an essential pre-requisite.
In conclusion, Solana agreed it would be difficult
for the EU to adapt Smith’s vision, as national
elements were still dominating the discussions.
However, on a positive note, Solana said he had
seen a “rapid change in mentality” since taking up
his position. He hoped the consequences of the
book and its arguments would lead to a change in
the education of the military to adapt the mentality
of ‘war amongst people’.
Above all, General Smith wanted a change in
institutional thinking. As an example, he reasoned
that if military force was deployed in today’s world,
it would always “fight to win”. There would be no
possibility of those forces not going into action and
it was likely that it would be reinforced. In that
case, if force was a last resort – there would be no
more discussion.
Taking Iraq as an example, Smith said it was totally
linear in application, with the Ministry of Defence
being left in charge of an occupied country. This
had been a failure of institutional thinking rather

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than a failure of particular equipment. Equipment
(“gizmos”) could be changed easily, whereas
fundamental thinking could not.
ANY IMPACT ON IRAN?
The Commission’s Yves Mollard La Bruyère,
Advisor in the European Commission’s DG
External Relations, asked how Smith’s ideas might
be used in Iran at the current time.
Smith felt he was not confident to diagnose such a
situation. However, he felt that if the situation was
progressing in a linear way, this would be wrong as
a holistic approach was necessary. Javier Solana
added that the use of force in Iran was extremely
unlikely.
A LINEAR PROCESS OR A JUDGEMENT CALL?
Gareth Evans, President of International Crisis
Group and former Australian Foreign Minister, was
concerned about the rather “clodding caricature”
painted in the book to describe the way in which
decisions were taken. He argued that force was
only applied after a judgement call (was force
necessary or did other reasonable alternatives still
exist?) had been made.
Smith could only respond that the “plodding
process” described in the book was exactly what
he had experienced in places such as Bosnia and
Rwanda. He agreed that debates (as to the nature
of interventions) had taken place, but the General
was cynical as to how “pure” such debates could
ever be with the current thinking in place.
NEW WAYS OF THINKING
Jonathan Campbell-Jones, Intelligence Capability
Development Officer with the European Defence
Agency, switched tack slightly and called for a
radical look at capabilities in Europe, as the armed
forces were inherently conservative. As an
example, Campbell-Jones suggested that increasing
use be made of soldiers who speak the language of
the country or region actually in the war zone.
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Smith thought that soldiers should certainly be able
to speak the local language but argued that this was
never going to be feasible (for all soldiers to be
trained in all languages). He wanted more use to be
made of local forces as cooperation with the local
population was of the utmost importance.
Alastair Ross, an Administrator with the University
of Kent in Brussels, wanted confirmation that
General Smith was suggesting that future inter-
agency operations might be headed by civil
servants who had a mandate to address the hub of
the problem by involving various teams with
different specialities (including, perhaps, Ministries
of Education). Given such a scenario, did the
General have any idea as to how such thinking
would be received in the capitals of Europe.
Smith confirmed Ross’s understanding but added
that so far there had been no reaction to his ideas.
His only comment was to warn about imposing
one’s will on the affairs of people in other
countries. Cooperation was the most important
aspect of the new types of campaigns.
Anthony Val Flynn, ECHO Headquarters & Field
Coordinator at the European Commission, had
heard General Smith say that armed forces should
not be used for humanitarian purposes as they
were not trained. Could the General clarify his
thinking there?
Referring to the book, Smith said it argued that the
military were not particularly good at humanitarian
aid. If they were the only option, then so be it.
However, the military would never do as good a
job as the professionals. He added that he’d made
errors during his career, in terms of the correct
siting of refugee camps, for this very reason.
CONDUCTING WAR CORRECTLY
Bernhard Jarzynka, an Administrator at EuropeAid,
switched the discussion to how wars were
conducted as local populations were often the
main victims. He wanted to know how Smith saw
the Geneva Convention being applied, how
collateral damage could be reduced and how
civilians could be protected.
 “THE UTILITY OF FORCE: THE ART OF WAR IN THE MODERN WORLD”
SDA BOOK PRESENTATION

Smith responded by arguing that it was imperative

to act within the framework of the law. This was a
strategic goal, as contrary actions would
undermine the stated purpose of the action. As for
reducing collateral damage, Smith emphasised the
need for precision. To ensure such precision,
information had to be collected simultaneously in
three areas. These were: the target in question,
the surrounding context (so it was safe to attack)
and the way in which the strike was to be
exploited.

Henrik Kröner, Secretary General of European

Movement International, liked Smith’s thinking and
wanted to know if such ideas could be used
politically to further the cause of Europe.

Javier Solana said that life would be simpler if the

Constitution was in place. However, given the
existing situation, it was necessary to work
intelligently. Looking to the benefits of the
civil/military planning cell and the EDA, Solana
ended on an optimistic note as the Agency, in
particular, was an adaptable instrument that could
change both the way industry worked and the use
of technology. However, he did look forward to
the Constitution being implemented in the future.

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List of Participants
Malgorzata Alterman European Defence Agency (EDA)
Head of Media and Communication

Massimo Amadei European Union Military Staff

Policy & Plans Division

Magnus Andersson Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden

Head of Unit, Department for European Security

Lucy Aspinall

Fathi Ayoub Mission of Libya to the EU

Economic Counsellor

Horst Bacia Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)

Correspondent

Michal Baranowski The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Program Assistant

Hugh Barton-Smith European Commission: DG Enterprise and Industry

Editor, Enterprise Europe

Andrew Beatty European Voice

Journalist, Foreign Affairs

Hans-Ulrich Beelitz
Former Adviser European Commission

Robert Bell Science Applications International Corporation

Senior Vice President European Business (SAIC)

Alina Belskaya The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Program Assistant Transatlantic Center

Michael Berendt Fleishman-Hillard

Senior Policy Advisor

Ilana Bet-El European Voice

Op-Ed Editor

Timothy Beyer Helm European Parliament

Policy Adviser, Policy Strategy Unit

Alan Blagec Mission of Croatia to NATO

Counsellor

Marc-André Boivin Université de Montréal

Réseau francophone de recherche sur les opérations
de paix

Catherine Boucher Mission of Canada to the EU

First Secretary

Edgar Buckley Thales

Senior Vice President, Marketing

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Fraser Cameron European Policy Centre (EPC)

Director of Studies

Geert Cami Security & Defence Agenda

Managing Director

Jonathan Campbell-Jones European Defence Agency (EDA)

Intelligence Capability Development

John Chapman Gento Assets

Journalist

David Chico Zamanillo European Parliament

Assistant to President Borrell

William Heng-sheng Chuang Taipei Representative Office in Belgium

First Secretary

Paul Claesson European Parliament

Official

Alan Coates Mecar SA

Regional Marketing Manager

Eli Cohen Euroclear

Attorney

Damian Collins Mccann Fitzgerald, Brussels

Lawyer

Elif Comoglu-Ulgen Mission of Turkey to the EU

First Secretary

Carolina Constantino Mission of the Philippines to the EU

Attaché

Robert Cooper Council of the European Union

Director General for External and Politico-Military
Affairs

Jean-Michel Corre Université de Paix, Namur

Membre du Conseil Académique

Jocelyn Coulon Université de Montréal

Director, Réseau francophone de recherche sur les
opérations de paix

Peter Crawley European Commission: DG for Research

Project Officer

Robert Cutler Carleton University

Senior Research Fellow

Nell Darolles
Freelance Journalist

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Michael W. David Cubic Corporation

Vice President, International Business Development

Robin Davies Embassy of the United Kingdom to the Netherlands

Defence Attaché

Gabriel Dayre Thales

Chargé de Mission

Ludwig Decamps North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Policy Planning Advisor

Francisco Del Pozo Eurocontrol

Finance Director

Robert Draper AeroStrategies

President

John Durnin European Union Military Staff

Public Relations and Public Information Officer, EU
Military Staff

Katarina Engberg Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU

Minister for Defence Affairs

Mari Eteläpää Ministry of Defence, Finland

Special Advisor

Gareth Evans International Crisis Group (ICG)

President

Steven Everts Council of the European Union

Adviser to Javier Solana

Christian Falkowski European Commission: Delegation to Austria

Ambassador, Head of Delegation

Julien Feugier European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company

European Affairs Manager (EADS)

Carole Fielding

Roger Fielding Delegation of the United Kingdom to NATO

Coordinator

Nicholas Fiorenza Jane's Defence Weekly

NATO and EU Affairs Correspondent

Rachel Fleishman American Chamber of Commerce to the EU

Policy Director (AmCham EU)

Anthony Val Flynn European Commission: European Community

ECHO Headquarters & Field Security Co-ordinator Humanitarian Office

Laure Frier European Defence Agency (EDA)

Principal Administrator

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Lars Fynbo North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Head of NATO AGS 3

Cristina Gallach Council of the European Union

Head of Unit, Spokesperson Attached to the
Secretary-General/High Representative

Stanislas Gentien European Union Military Staff

Aide-de-Camp to Mr. Jean-Paul Perruche, EU Military
Staff

Fatima Ghardi Ecole Nationale d'Administration, Paris

Project Manager

Arnaud Ghys Coordination nationale d'Action pour la Paix et la

Responsable du secteur Paix Démocratie (CNAPD)

Bill Giles BAE Systems

Director General Europe

Dov Goshen Embassy of Israel to Belgium

Assistant to Head of Israeli Mission of Defence

Drora Goshen-Meskin European Advanced Technologies

Director, R&D and Business Development

Vivien Haig Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN)

Director General

Jean-Yves Haine International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

Research Fellow on European Security

Manfred Hanzl European Union Military Staff

Branch Chief - Intelligence Production

Carl Hartzell Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU

Counsellor, Political Military Group, European
Institute for Security Studies, WEU

Emmanuel Haton BP Europe

Director, European Government Affairs

Björn Hedskog Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU

Military Representative

Jessica Henderson Security & Defence Agenda

Project Manager

Andreas Herdina European Commission: DG for External Relations

Head of Unit, European Neighbourhood Policy
Sector Coordination

Martin Hill Thales

Vice President, Defence

Lukas Holub European Commission: DG for Justice, Freedom and

Administrator, Fight against Terrorism Security

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Quentin Huxham European Parliament

Political Assistant of Anders Wijkman, MEP

Takeshi Ito Mission of Japan to the EU

First Secretary

Nikolay Ivanov Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU

Counsellor

Arnaud Jacomet Western European Union (WEU)

Head of Secretariat General

Gareth Jones Thales

Coordination Manager - NATO, EU and Cooperation

Jean-Pierre Juneau Delegation of Canada to NATO

Ambassador

Craig Karp Embassy of the United States of America to Belgium

Political Military Officer

Linda Karvinen Security & Defence Agenda

Project Manager

Adrian Kendry North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Senior Defence Economist

Nawab Khan News Agency of Islamic Republic of Iran (IRNA)

Brussels Bureau Chief

Jeremy Kinsman Mission of Canada to the EU

Ambassador

Aleksandar Knezevic Mission of Serbia and Montenegro to the EU

Second Secretary

Cristin Koebele WSI Brussels

Program Assistant

Katarina Kovacova Delegation of the Slovak Republic to NATO

Third Secretary

Sergey Kozhetev Mission of the Russian Federation to NATO

First Secretary

Henrik Kröner European Movement International

Secretary General

Peter Lennon

Tjien-Khoen Liem European Commission: DG for Enterprise and

Policy Officer Preparatory action for security Industry
research

Lee Litzenberger Mission of the United States of America to the EU

First Secretary / Political Officer

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Ben Lovelock

Marc Luyckx Vision 2020

Director

Milen Lyutskanov Permanent Delegation of Bulgaria to NATO

Deputy Head of Delegation

Guido Maene Institut Royal Supérieur de Défense

Military Professor

Huseyn Mahmudov Mission of Azerbaijan to NATO

Military Representative

Benedict Mann Permanent Representation of the United Kingdom to

Second Secretary, Defence the EU

Ivo Martinic Embassy of Croatia to Belgium

Defence Attaché

John Mattiussi European Commission: DG for External Relations

National Expert - Terrorism & Non-Proliferation

Giles Merritt Security & Defence Agenda

Director

Rolf Metz Embassy of Germany to Belgium

Defence Attaché

Milena Mitic Mission of Serbia and Montenegro to the EU

First Secretary, Transatlantic Relations

José Moerman Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belgium

Administrative Chief

Juan Moliner-Gonzalez European Union Military Staff

Chief of the Support Team for CEUMC

Yves Mollard La Bruyère European Commission: DG for External Relations

Advisor

Annalisa Monaco North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Consultant

Charles Morgan Mission of Korea to the EU

Political Affairs Advisor

Marta Mucznik The Transatlantic Institute

Program Coordinator

Mircea Mudura Mission of Romania to the EU

Counsellor

Jarmo Mäkelä Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE

Bureau Chief

Milica Neacsu Mission of Romania to the EU

First Secretary

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Olivier Ngandu
Freelance Journalist

Reimer Reinholdt Nielsen Permanent Representation of Denmark to the EU

Representative to PSC and WEU

David Oppenheimer European Parliament

Assistant to Ana Gomes MEP

Caroline Pailhe Group for Research and Information on Peace (GRIP)

Chargee de Recherche

Silvia Pertzborn European Commission

Translator

Nicolas Pomey JHL Conseil

Consultant

Ruxandra Popa North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Director, Committee on the Civil Dimension of
Security

Franck Potier Honeywell France

Director of Defence and Space Strategy, Europe,
Middle East and Africa

Mikkel Preisler PricewaterhouseCoopers

Business Development Manager

Daniel Rackowski The Transatlantic Institute

Fellow

Paul Rasmussen BBC Radio

Media Relations Manager

Kyriakos Revelas European Commission: DG for External Relations

Principal Administrator, Security and Stability,
Counter Terrorism, Non Proliferation and
Disarmament Unit

John Richardson Madariaga European Foundation

Director General

Peter Ricketts Delegation of the United Kingdom to NATO

Ambassador

Andreas Riem European Commission: DG for Translation

EU Official

Vibeke Roosen Bell European Commission: DG for External Relations

Danish National Expert, Ukraine, Belarus and
Moldova

Jacques Rosiers Ministry of Defence, Belgium

Assistant Chief of Staff for Strategic Affairs

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Michael C. Ryan Mission of the United States of America to the EU

Representative of the US Secretary of Defense

Stefano Sannino European Commission: DG for External Relations

Principal Advisor & Representative of the EC to the
Political and Security Committee

Gennady Savostyuk Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU

Counsellor on military questions

Siebe Schuur Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the

Minister Plenipotentiary for External Economic EU
Relations, Internal Market

William Shapcott Council of the European Union

Director, Joint Situation Centre of the European
Union

Davor Simac Mission of Croatia to the EU

Third Secretary

Pieter Paul Slikker The Centre

Consultant

General Sir Rupert Smith

Commander of the British Armoured Division in the
first Gulf War and the United Nations Protection
Force (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia 1995 and former
NATO DSACEUR

Javier Solana Council of the EU

High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy and Secretary General of the Council
of the European Union

Gabriel Sopanda Embassy of Romania to Belgium

Second Secretary

Peter Stamps European Union Military Committee

Colonel

Iréne Svensson Saab

Senior Vice President, Responsible for Saab Eu Affairs

David Tirr European Commission: DG for External Relations

Head of Unit, European Correspondent,
Coordination and CFSP Analysis & G8

Ines Troha Brdar Mission of Croatia to the EU

Minister Counsellor

Sergii Trotskyi Mission of Ukraine to the EU

First Secretary

Emil Valdelin Security & Defence Agenda

Project Assistant

Vesselin Valkanov Mission of Bulgaria to the EU

Political & Security Committee Representative

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John Vassallo General Electric International (GE)

Senior Counsel, Director European Affairs

Marielle Ver Elst Service Public Fédéral Affaires Etrangères, Commerce

Head Science Policy & Space Affairs - Minister Extérieur et Coopération, Belgium
Plenipotentiary

Otto Vermeulen PricewaterhouseCoopers

Director - Responsible for the Security & Technology
Practice

Joris M. Vos Boeing International

President, European Union and NATO Relations

Peter R. Weilemann Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)

Director of the European Office

Andrew Wilson European Press Agency

Director

Rachel Winks Boeing International

Deputy Director, EU and NATO Relations

Peter Wragg European Commission: DG for Enterprise and

Head of Unit, Information and Communication Industry

Przemyslaw Wyganowski Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU

Counsellor, Head of European Security and Defence
Policy Section

Ruey Yang Taipei Representative Office in Belgium

Senior Adviser

Ernst van Hoek TNO-Defence Research

Director European Affairs

Elif Ülgen Mission of Turkey to the EU

First Secretary

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 ABOUT THE SDA

ABOUT THE SECURITY & DEFENCE AGENDA

The Security & Defence Agenda, formerly the New Defence Agenda (NDA) has become established as the only regular
Brussels-based forum where political figures and journalists gather to discuss the
future of European and transatlantic defence and security policies.

The aim of the SDA is not to replicate more academic research-based projects but
to give greater prominence to the complex questions of how EU and NATO
policies can complement one another, and how transatlantic challenges such as
terrorism and WMD can be met.
Bringing clarity and new ideas to the rapidly-changing defence and security policy
scene has been the SDA’s aim from its beginning. SDA’s activities range from
monthly roundtables and international conferences to reports and discussion
papers, all of which attract high-level speakers and authors and institutional,
governmental and industry support. La Bibliothèque Solvay

One of our prime objectives is to raise the profile of defence and security issues among the Brussels-based international
press. To encourage more in-depth coverage of these topics, the SDA holds regular, informal dinners for journalists with
high profile decision makers.
Recent speakers and participants include
Gijs de Vries, Counter-terrorism Coordinator, Council of the EU; Richard Falkenrath, Research Fellow, Brookings Institution and former
Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to the US President; Franco Frattini, Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, European
Commission; Bill Giles, Director General, Europe, BAE Systems; Vecdi Gönül, National Defence Minister, Turkey; Scott A. Harris,
President, Lockheed Martin International; Patrick Hennessey, Director, DG Enterprise, European Commission; Hilmar Linnenkamp,
Deputy Chief Executive, European Defence Agency; Alessandro Minuto Rizzo, Deputy Secretary General, NATO; Sergei Ordzhonikidze,
Director General of the United Nations Office in Geneva; Zonghuai Qaio, Vice Foreign Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China; George
Robertson, Former Secretary General, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; Gary Titley, MEP, Committee on Industry, External Trade,
Research and Energy, European Parliament; Michel Troubetzkoy, Senior Vice President, Director for Relations with European Institutions,
EADS; Günter Verheugen, Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, European Commission; Antonio Vitorino, former Commissioner for
Justice and Home Affairs, European Commission; Karl von Wogau, Chairman, Subcommittee on Defence and Security, European
Parliament, Geoffrey van Orden, Vice-Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament

“[NATO] An Alliance in which Europe and North America are consulting every day on the key
security issues before them. Acting together, in the field, to defend our shared security... Because in a
dangerous world, business as usual is not an option”
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Annual Conference 17 May 2004

“Homeland Security = a concerted, comprehensive and nationwide effort to prevent future

terrorist attacks, to protect the most vulnerable targets against future terrorist attacks and to be
ready to respond against possible attacks and minimize loss of life and damage if such attacks
occur” Richard Falkenrath, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Homeland
Security Advisor, 17 November 2003 Annual Conference

“The agency should generate ideas and speak the truth to defence ministers.”
Nick Witney, Chief Executive, European Defence Agency 28 April 2004 Press Dinner

“There is an opportunity for Europe to take advantage of the US’s investment by issuing collaborative
programmes – paid for to a certain extent by the US taxpayer. The European Defence Agency could foster
transatlantic cooperation rather than follow more traditional approaches”
Scott Harris, President Continental Europe, Lockheed Martin, 28 April 2004 Press Dinner

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 ABOUT THE SDA

ACTIVITIES
MONTHLY ROUNDTABLES
SDA’s series of Monthly Roundtables are attended by some 70+ defence and security experts who participate actively in the
debates. Their discussions are summarised in concise reports that are circulated to a wide range of stakeholders across the
globe. Roundtable topics include:
§ Is the transatlantic defence marketplace becoming a reality?
§ Defence aspects of EU and NATO enlargements
§ What policies will create effective peacekeeping?
§ Strategic priorities for protecting Europe’s infrastructure against terrorism
§ Will the EU get tough on opening-up national defence procurement?
§ The powers and responsibilities of the European Defence Agency
§ Europe’s drive to implement an anti-terrorist strategy
§ On the eve of Istanbul – Can NATO become a motor for reform?
§ Does Europe need a Black Sea security policy?
§ Is maritime security Europe’s Achilles’ heel?
§ Space and security in Europe

REPORTS on Monthly Roundtables discussions are available on the SDA website. The SDA also published a
Discussion Paper ‘Fresh Perspectives on Europe’s Security’ in 2004 and its Bioterrorism Reporting Group
has published three in depth analyses on bio threats and our responses.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
The SDA organises a number of major conferences with partners, in Brussels and elsewhere. Conferences
gather 200+ senior defence and security policymakers, industrialists and media to discuss current policies and decision-
making.
§ Towards an EU Strategy for Collective Security, Feb 2005
§ Defending Global Security: The New Politics of Transatlantic Defence Cooperation, May 2004
§ Towards Worldwide Security: Building the Transatlantic Agenda, Nov 2003
§ Reinventing Global Security, June 2003
§ The Relaunching of Transatlantic Relations and Anti-Terrorism Cooperation, May 2003
§ How credible are Europe’s Anti-Terrorism Defences?, Oct 2002
PRESS DINNERS
Correspondents of top European newspapers take full advantage of these rare
opportunities to explore in informal circumstances the thinking of senior MEPs,
industry executives, ambassadors and EU and NATO officials. Recent press
dinners featured Nick Witney, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency
(EDA) ‘Powers and Responsibilities of the new European Defence Agency (April
2004); Erkki Liikanen, EU Commissioner for Enterprise, ‘Europe’s Defence and
Security Research’ (November 2003); General James L. Jones, Supreme Allied
Commander SACEUR, NATO ‘NATO’s Transformation Process and
Cooperation with the EU in the future’ (October 2003); Margot Wallström, EU
Commissioner for Environment ‘Civil Protection and Bioterrorism’ (May 2003);
and Robert Cooper, Director General for External & Politico-Military Affairs,
Council of the EU (Oct 2002) General James L Jones, Supreme Allied Commander,
BIOTERRORISM REPORTING GROUP NATO with Thomas Enders, Executive Vice President,
EADS April 2004 Press Dinner
Following the interest generated in past SDA events, the SDA decided to create a venue for more focused discussions on the
area of bioterrorism. The Bioterrorism Reporting Group meets every three months and will allow the
discussions not only to be tailored to the evolving developments in the biological field but most of all, the
resulting reports will act as a catalyst for the political world.
§ 21 June 2004 ‘Countering Bioterrorism: Prevention and Protection’
§ 18 October 2004 ‘Countering Bioterrorism: Science, Technology and Oversight’
§ 25 January 2005 ‘Next Generation Threat Reduction: Bioterrorism’s Challenges and Solutions’
§ 25 April 2005 ‘Countering Bioterrorism: How can Europe and the United States work together?

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 ABOUT THE SDA

THE SECURITY & DEFENCE AGENDA (SDA) WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS PARTNERS
AND MEMBERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN MAKING THE SDA A SUCCESS

Ministry of National Defence,

Turkey Mission of the Russian Federation
to EU

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