International innovation
The current geopolitical situation and the insights in connection with the COVID pandemic have demonstrated the limits of globalisation. This has led to greater reliance being placed internationally on national industrial capacities. International innovation and cooperation here have increased and remain, however, widely undisputed. The challenges here are often the same, which is why competences and ideas should be shared and used on an international basis, for reasons of resource sustainability alone. Dr. Jens Rehanek explains to us in this interview how Swiss innovation strength is positioned and how it can and will be used in the defence sector.
Interview with Dr. Jens Rehanek, specialist area Research + Innovation, conducted by Anela Ziko, Staff, competence sector Science and Technology
In brief
Dr. Jens Rehanek is a scientific project manager at armasuisse Science and Technology. Here, he himself is responsible for expeditions and supervises the contact with the European Defence Agency (EDA), in particular the Hub for European Defence Innovation (HEDI). In the interview, he provides insights into innovation in an international context.
Jens, everyone’s talking about innovation. armasuisse, more precisely the competence sector Science and Technology, has also been working on this topic for several years. Can you explain to us what innovation means for armasuisse?
Innovation in defence refers to the development of new technologies, processes and strategies, which can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of military operations. This includes both technological progress such as hardware and software solutions as well as organisational innovations which improve the cooperation and information exchange between various stakeholders.
In public procurement, and thus for armasuisse, innovation means that procurement processes, in particular, however, the preparatory work for these procurement processes, are to be made more flexible. Innovations are to be used to develop and enable other solutions, which might be thought of in a broader or different sense than the solution which has perhaps seemed obvious up to now. In addition, the cooperation with the private sector also plays a decisive role in identifying and implementing innovative solutions.
Ultimately, our innovation aims to increase the security of our country and to guarantee its defence capability in a constantly changing geopolitical environment.
Technological developments often progress more rapidly than political processes. In your opinion, are there differences between innovations in the civilian environment and those in the defence sector?
Innovations in the defence sector are considerably distinct from those in the civilian sector. The defence sector is subject to strict regulatory conditions and authorisation procedures which can slow down the implementation of new technologies. The innovation cycles are also usually longer than in the private sector. In addition, innovation projects which are government-funded must comply with strict budget specifications. Accordingly, cooperation with the private sector is often complex, as national interests need to be safeguarded.
In the civilian sector on the other hand, there is a wider variety of financing sources, including private investments and risk capital, which can accelerate the development of new technologies.
The focus of civilian innovation is more on improving the efficiency of services for customers or their quality of life. In the defence sector, the aspects of security and strategic advantages also play an overarching role in addition to efficiency.
For Switzerland, these programmes could offer the opportunity to strengthen their defence capabilities
You’ve been working at armasuisse S+T since 2022. Can you explain to us what the goal of the DDPS innovation spaces is and how – and in particular for whom – they are used?
The Deloitte report, which analysed the procurement processes of the DDPS in 2019, recommended the creation of an innovation space to identify, develop and test innovative solutions. armasuisse S+T took up this concept and developed the DDPS innovation spaces based on the specific challenges in Switzerland. These spaces help to identify and close capability gaps as well as to avoid poor investments. In 2020, the Head of the DDPS, Viola Amherd, finally instructed armasuisse to develop the concept, which resulted in the emergence of five needs-oriented innovation spaces: Competition, Booster, Idea Lab, Sandbox and Test Run. Each space processes specific challenges in a military context, and solutions are developed across functions.
Switzerland’s repeated top position in the Global Innovation Index in technology and innovation shows the enormous potential of our unique ecosystem with all of its world-class academic and industrial capabilities. We would like to now make increasing use of this in the DDPS for developing solutions as part of the DDPS innovation spaces.
The focus of the DDPS innovation spaces is on medium- to long-term innovations which are intended to meet current and future military challenges. A key aspect of the DDPS innovation spaces is that the consumer runs through the process completely from beginning to end, which lies in the utilisation of the knowledge gained, together with the specialist experts and the innovation managers.
However, the process of the DDPS innovation spaces should also be available to all other federal offices within the DDPS. We from the Innovation team at armasuisse S+T are happy to support the federal offices methodically and to provide advice in the event of potential implementation.
The individual innovation projects or expeditions, as they are called at armasuisse, are implemented first and foremost at national level. What is the exchange and cooperation at international level like here?
As the DDPS innovation spaces are still new, we cannot of course yet study the long-term effects. However, we can already definitely see that there is a very lively exchange between national and international industry and the users, for example with the consumers or with organisations such as the Hub for European Defence Innovation of the European Defence Agency.
However, there is also a constant international exchange of experiences at a methodical level with national and multi-state organisations which are confronted with the same or similar challenges. This is also a fixed component of the constant further development of the concept of the DDPS innovation spaces and the methodology used in them.
The European Defence Agency and NATO have their own innovation programmes. What significance do these have for technological innovations in the defence sector and in particular for Switzerland?
The innovation programmes of the European Defence Agency EDA and NATO are gaining increasingly in significance. They promote cooperation between the member states, facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas and offer financial support for research projects. In addition, these programmes also strengthen the interoperability of the armed forces.
According to the report Security 2024 of the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, 52% of the Swiss population support the wish for more cooperation with NATO in the area of new technologies, while 91% also continue to favour neutrality.
Switzerland has a close exchange with NATO, institutionalising since 1996 as part of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and with the EDA since 2012 as part of the Agreement on Armament Cooperation. Participation in its innovation programmes could help the Swiss defence industry to improve its technologies and to become more competitive in the international market. Participation could contribute to consolidating Switzerland’s role in the European security structures and to adapt better to new security policy challenges. For Switzerland, these programmes could offer the opportunity to strengthen their defence capabilities.
And finally: In which technological areas do you see the greatest innovation potential over the next few years for Switzerland and the defence sector?
Switzerland has several promising technologies with considerable innovation potential in the area of defence.
Artificial intelligence can be used to improve data analysis and decision-making as well as to automate processes, for example, in logistics, while in the cybersecurity sector it can contribute, for example, to automatically combating cyber attacks. Autonomous systems and robotics can take on dangerous tasks, thus reducing human presence in dangerous environments and also increasingly the efficiency of military operations.
All in all, innovative technological developments could also offer the Swiss armaments industry the opportunity to increase efficiency, security and resilience and to adapt itself to a changing geopolitical landscape. Switzerland’s innovation potential is clearly identified – it now needs to be made usable for innovations serving the security of Switzerland.
Thank you for your time.
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