Europe's defence industry in 2050: are we ready for the wars of the future?

The High Commission for Strategy and Planning, France’s government foresight unit, is delighted to invite you to a high level policy discussion with : Clément Beaune, High-Commissioner and former Minister for Europe, Camille Grand, Secretary General of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), Lt. Gen. André Denk, Chief Executive at the European Defence Agency, and representatives of EU member states. Other speakers are still to be confirmed.

More than any other sector, defence industry requires long-term strategic thinking. Projects take years, if not decades, to go from conception to delivery. Yet, in a context where the Continent is rearming and defence spending is soaring, we must resist the temptation of short-term approaches : governments and industry need to make the right decisions for the future decades. 

This conversation aims at keeping the focus on long-term questions of vital importance: What will the future of warfare require? How can Europeans concretely work together to ensure that we are properly equipped? And will there inevitably always be a trade-off between sovereignty and readiness?

The HCSP recently published two key reports to help inform these questions:
• The European defence industry: from dependence on sovereignty. The authors propose concrete steps to enhance industrial cooperation at the EU level.
• France 2035-2050: a wide-ranging foresight exercise (soon available in English), with a chapter on National security and defence, with some key insights on future trends.