Franco-Belgian CaMo project: entry into force of the intergovernmental agreement and notification of the contract for the acquisition of armored vehicles
28/06/2019 – Strategic partnership between Belgium and France in the framework of the Motorized Capacity (CaMo) cooperation project: entry into force of the intergovernmental agreement and notification of the contract for the acquisition of armored vehicles.
On last 21 June, the intergovernmental agreement between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium, concerning their cooperation in the field of land mobility, entered into force.
This milestone, which now seals the strategic cooperation agreement, allowed yesterday’s notification of the CaMo contract to French industry by the Armaments General Directorate (DGA). This contract is intended to deliver to the Belgian Army, 382 Griffon multi-role armored vehicles and 60 Jaguar reconnaissance and combat armored vehicles, which will come into service between 2025 and 2030. These vehicles will be equipped according to the Scorpion programme and will be totally compatible with their French counterparts.
In addition, the Franco-Belgian CaMo Steering Committee also met on June 25 in Brussels, under the co-chairmanship of Joël Barre, General Delegate for Armaments, and Lieutenant General Eric Bellot des Minières, Deputy Chief of Staff Plans of the Joint Staff, for France, and Lieutenant-General Rudy Debaene, National Director of Armament, and Major General Marc Thys, Head of the Land Force, for Belgium. This meeting provided an update on the work of the steering committees that structure this partnership (programme, weapons and capability partnership). In particular, new prospects for cooperation have been identified in the field of armaments.
From September 2019, a first joint training exercise will be organized in Belgium by the Belgian and French ground forces to test the command procedures.
A strategic partnership in the land domain between the French and Belgian armed forces, CaMo is a concrete example of the European defense build-up; this partnership can be expanded in the framework of permanent structured cooperation.
Source DGA – unofficial translation by EDR On-Line
Photo by Paolo Valpolini
