The Secretary of State emphasized that digital transformation is more important than ever. He also complimented the companies that extend a helping hand to Defence. A scalable armed force can only be realized through collaboration with the private sector. Because you have the knowledge and innovative capacity that we need for our readiness, he said in Paris.

He himself signed an agreement with the United States regarding research, development, technology, and evaluation concerning military equipment. This so-called Memorandum of Understanding meets the great need for collaboration between the countries. The agreement applies to both the air, land, and maritime domains.

In recent years, numerous project proposals have been made by Defence and knowledge institutes. The agreement signed in Paris now makes it possible to implement those proposals in practice. This includes jointly testing and evaluating prototypes, possibly with the help of the industry and with the exchange of personnel from both countries. All this aims to collaboratively develop new, interchangeable, and interoperable solutions.

Currently, there is already collaboration in research and development. Experts are working on so-called Data Exchange Agreements (DEAs), which allow for the exchange of data and information on specific subjects.

During the signing moment, discussions were held with the Americans about a joint production of the Amraam-120C missile, which is used by aircraft to take down enemy aircraft in the air.

The event in Paris lasts until June 22.