Making progress hand in hand

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Number: 65

The armed forces need to respond to the security challenges of the present and those of the future. In order to meet these challenges, the army needs to have a series of capabilities, linked to the design of the Brigade 2035, to reach this technological frontier. The army, however, cannot achieve this alone, it needs industrial collaboration to supply the necessary means to achieve it. Therefore, it is fundamental that there is strong communication between the army and the industry in order to reach this common goal. Planning, investigation and development all need to be considered and the industry needs to provide the army with what it requires.

In this way, the "I Foro Ejército-Empresas" (The Army-Business Forum) has been an prominent contribution in developing a successful harmony between these two parties, by acting as a means of dialogue between the two in which the needs of the brigade can be matched with what the industries can currently offer.

The Foundation of the Army Museum organised days from 21st -23rd May in the Army Museum (in the Alcázar de Toledo) to facilitate an exchange of information between the minister and the Chief of the General Staff as well as many other participants from the army and various defense companies. The slogan of the event was "Founding a secure future" with the title "Ground Forces 2035".

La ministra y el JEME, junto al resto de participantes en las jornadas

This communication was assisted favourably by the organisation of a number of conferences alongside various expositions and exhibitions of equiment from more than 40 international and national companies that attended the event. During these various presentations, the army representatives explained what abilities they require for the future Brigade in order to respond to the operative challenges in 2035, meanwhile the companies presented the technological developments which they are working on.

This format presents a new focus - with respect to the traditional company days periodically organised by the Army´s Logistics Support Command in the Quartermaster Corps Materiel Supply Centre and Depot - which was aplauded by the attendees and the Minister of Defense, Maria Dolores de Cospedal who couldn´t miss a visit to the forum. It was during the event she expressed her support for the initiative which "gives an important push to encourage the diffusion and knowledge of the work of the military defense and security to all Spanish people". At the same time, she supported the development of the necessary harmony which must exist between the industry and the Armed Forces given that "it is the companies of today that have the solutions to tomorrow´s problems".

The Chief of the General Staff, General Varela, was in charge of the closing of the forum. He thanked the partipicants and the successful organisation of the event as well as the contributions made which he stated to be "very useful" for the future design of the army, a design which will become reality as we move forward hand in hand.

The main subject of the exposition

If there was any system which supports the concept of the Brigade 2035 it was the Combat Wheel 8x8 Vechicle. Therefore, it is not suprising that the first showing of the vechicle´s mobility which took place in the Alcázar de Toledo, attracted the attention of many of the attendees. It is formed from a platform with high mobility and protection, capable of integrating a large number of systems and which has been used for powerfull engine.

This demonstrator, work of the joint venture between the companies Santa Barbara Systems and Indra y Sapa, was presented alongside other pieces of equipment shown by the main Spanish companies of this sector and other industry representatives from foreign defense companies.

THE ARMY WANTS ITS BRIGADE...

... to have the relevant command capability to reach the technological frontier. The Brigade 2035 must share the same operational image as well as sharing voice, video and other information of its deployment in a safe way in degraded enivornments.