Europe steps up procurement cooperation.

• Author: Burnside, Jennifer
• Position: Government: Policy Notes

Representatives from the Organisation Conjointe de Cooperation en matiere d'Armement (OCCAR)--the European Joint Organization for Armaments Cooperation-recently discussed how this body is affecting U.S. defense firms that compete in the European marketplace.

OCCAR was created in 1993 as a French-German initiative to unify differing national policies for the development and procurement of joint armaments. In 1996, it was expanded to include Italy and the United Kingdom. It became a legal entity in 2001, following ratification of a treaty by the four founding nations.

OCCAR acts as a multi-national agent on collaborative projects for its member countries. It seeks to harmonize requirements, improve the efficiency of defense-procurement systems, encourage the formation of integrated defense contractors and eliminate the complex web of disparate national procurement rules and regulations that previously existed.

The Italian Defense Minister has described OCCAR as "the outcome of the need of the European allies to harmonize defense planning and operational requirements and to adopt joint procurement policies in order to make the best use of financial and technical resources."

OCCAR includes a board of supervisors (BoS) and an executive administration (EA). The BoS is made up of the national armaments directors of member nations and is the decision-making body of the organization. The EA is the organization's central day-to-day management office and is responsible for implementing the decisions of the BoS.

Additionally, for each armament program that OCCAR supports, a program committee is established, including the program manager, customer representatives from member nations and representatives from EA.

OCCAR is founded on the principle of an open structure to manage multiple procurement projects efficiently for many countries. Other nations may join, if they wish to become involved in a collaborative equipment program and agree to accept OCCAR's rules and regulations. The Netherlands, Spain and Belgium all have applied to join, and Sweden has expressed serious interest.

Non-Western European nations can apply for membership, but they must receive unanimous agreement from all OCCAR partners to join. Although it is doubtful that the United States would ever apply for membership, it can choose to participate in OCCAR-managed programs as a non-member nation. OCCAR-managed programs (and their national sponsors) include the:

* Tiger attack helicopter...