The conflict in Ukraine has prompted a slew of new research and development partnerships in quantum, hypersonic, and other military technology, but it has also sparked some intellectual debate in Europe.
Image Credit : Google
This week, the crisis in Ukraine made its way into the lab, with western governments launching a slew of new military research initiatives, including quantum technologies and hypersonic weapons.
However, the transition has sparked debate, with some European academics urging the EU to keep civilian and defence research distinct.
NATO announced a coordinated, multi-country research effort, and the US, Australia, and the United Kingdom announced plans for enhanced quantum, hypersonic, and other collaborative weapons research. The approach was set at a NATO leaders' meeting last autumn, but the breadth and complexity of the concrete steps outlined this week were huge.
DIANA launch
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced this week that the United Kingdom and Estonia will host a collaborative military research and development programme including research centres from around the alliance. The North Atlantic Defence Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) is expected to improve transatlantic defence technology and procurement cooperation.
Artificial intelligence, big data, quantum technologies, biotechnology, hypersonics, and space will all be covered by the innovation accelerator. "DIANA's purpose is to support deep technology businesses that contribute to defence," Estonian defence minister Kalle Laanet remarked.
Imperial College London will serve as the host institution, managing "deep tech test centres" for military technology and a "virtual marketplace" to connect start-ups with investors and procurers, according to the UK government.
The effort is part of a larger NATO push to increase military research collaboration, which will eventually include up to 60 facilities. Denmark's DTU research organisation announced on April 6 that it and partners had been chosen to establish a NATO testing centre for quantum technologies in Copenhagen. In the coming weeks, further information about the additional sites that will be included will be released.
AUKUS cooperation
The White House said on 5 April, around the same time as the NATO news, that US, UK, and Australian leaders had decided to "accelerate investments to develop generation-after-next quantum capabilities." In trials over the next three years, the R&D focus will concentrate on "location, navigation, and timing," according to the company. Quantum sensors can produce ultra-accurate atomic clocks, which can be used to direct ships or missiles.
The AUKUS Quantum Arrangement, as it is known, is part of a larger defence pact signed by the three countries last year in response to growing Western concerns about Russia and China. Last year, the United States and the United Kingdom agreed to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, undercutting a rival French bid. However, the most recent conversations, as the Australian prime minister.
Aside from the obviously military news, Finnish and US officials signed a joint statement on 5 April vowing collaboration on a lengthy list of quantum subjects, including research, supply chains, education, and values. The declaration concentrates on the economic and societal benefits of quantum computing, but it makes no mention of defence applications.
What is Horizon Europe's role?
However, the rapid succession of Western announcements signifies a sea change in how governments approach the thorny issue of military versus civilian research. The European Commission intends to increase the use of research funds for 'dual-use' defence technologies, but it's unclear whether money from Horizon Europe, the EU's €95.5 billion civilian research programme, would be used to build weapons.
Horizon Europe, according to CESAER, a collection of Europe's major science and technology colleges, should be focused on sponsoring civilian research, according to a statement released on April 7. In a statement, it stated, "We call on EU institutions to maintain the civilian focus in Horizon Europe and allied programmes such as Erasmus+."
Diplomats in Brussels agree that the character of Horizon Europe is unlikely to alter anytime soon, but predict that its successor will not include a civilian exclusivity clause in its law and will support far more defence research and development projects.
Last year, the EU introduced a separate €7.9 billion defence initiative, with €2.7 billion dedicated to research. In addition, EU member states paid €420 million in 2021 to the European Defence Agency's (EDA) joint capability and research and technology programmes, an increase of €50 million over 2020.
According to a recent OECD analysis, 0.15 percent of GDP is committed to defence R&D among member countries, which is just 7.5 percent of the NATO guideline for total defence expenditure as a proportion of GDP.
Quantum increase
Quantum technology is at the top of the list of technologies being researched. A national quantum programme was launched in 2018 under the Trump administration, and it has accelerated under President Biden. At the same time, the EU, China, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and a number of other countries have increased their own initiatives.
According to a White House report released in October, the global government has spent $20 billion on quantum technology over the last decade, with $2.5 billion in private US investments in 100 quantum start-ups. The public's focus has been on civilian applications, with hyper-speed computers promising to revolutionise chemistry, medicines, earth-observation, artificial intelligence, and other fields.
"A large-scale quantum computer" would, however, "threaten most of the public-key encryption infrastructure currently protecting commercial and national security communications," according to the paper. Quantum sensors, on the other hand, could secure navigation by making global satellite positioning systems less vulnerable to attack, according to the report.
As a result, the US must strengthen its quantum collaboration "with allies and partners who share comparable scientific values," according to the White House report.
The Finns have been working to establish their own quantum base for various reasons, with some speculation that the technology could be used to create a new Nokia, the former world mobile phone leader that imploded a decade ago but was once the country's largest corporation.
In a Helsinki suburb last November, the state-owned VTT Technical Research Centre turned on the country's first significant quantum computer, a 5-qubit device constructed by an Aalto University spin-off. They aim to develop a 50-qubit system by 2024 and are members of an 11-centre quantum research network. The Finns are banking on their previous expertise in cryogenics, which is required for super-cooled quantum computing, as well as computation.
If you have any doubts, Please let me know