 |
Defence Austerity: A New Paradigm for Defence and Security Cooperation in the Visegrad Region (DAV4) is an ambitious project of the Slovak Atlantic Commission, which aims to strengthen joint defence initiatives of the V4 countries. It is the answer to the current trend of defence austerity. The persisting economic crisis and rising costs on defence equipment make small countries unable to maintain usable armed forces. That is also the case of the CE region. Apart from the political and geopolitical consequences this development could ultimately weaken the capabilities of the armed forces or further increase costs. Therefore, smaller states have to pave the way towards security integration in regional groupings by sharing these costs. In light of defence austerity, cooperation and integration is no longer just an option, but a necessity. This policy is strongly supported by NATO and the EU.
The core of the DAV4 project is an expert group of 12 high-profile experts from V4 countries. Their role is to develop a comprehensive analysis of the limits and opportunities of Visegrad security cooperation. The resulting document that is based upon their research will set out a vision for the next 10 – 15 years in the area of defence and will also serve as a roadmap for the respective governments to help them lead and intensify defence partnership. DAV4 runs under the auspices of Mikuláš Dzurinda, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and with the support of the International Visegrad Fund.
