European capability development planning

At a Glance 04-03-2024

Defence planning (including capability development planning) is the process of establishing the military forces and equipment that a state or alliance determines are required to meet its objectives or to counteract threats. There are three major capability development processes within the European Union: each Member State's national planning; the NATO defence planning process, where applicable; and the EU's planning, which has evolved gradually since the 1999 Helsinki European Council meeting and now consists of numerous components.