MADRID, 13 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The CEO of Indra, José Vicente de los Mozos, advocates that investment in defense be made in a “sustained and stable” manner to prevent funds from being “wasted” in a context in which the budget for this has been increased. sector in the heat of the war in Ukraine.
In the opinion of Indra’s chief executive, who participated in the informal council on Foreign Affairs and Defense held in Toledo within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, a “too rapid” increase in the budget “can lead to a waste of funds.” “.
In this sense, the budget of the Ministry of Defense increased by 25% in 2023, reaching 12,825 million, and will continue to do so until in 2030 it meets the commitment made with NATO allies of allocating 2% of GDP.
For De los Mozos, “the big problem facing the sector (in Europe) at this time is the fragmentation and duplication of efforts,” something that he attributed to the interest of different countries in maintaining “their autonomy in the development of different strategic technologies”.
However, the CEO of Indra recalled that “the speed at which these technologies evolve is increasing”, so, in his opinion, we should not forget that in this industry we compete with “countries from all over the world.” “.
Thus, he considers that it is necessary to “work together” and commit “to pan-European programs for each of the sectors in which Europe wants to be competitive”, in the style, as he gave as an example, of the Future Air Combat System program. (FCAS).
In this context, he also highlighted the need for these programs to be structured around various axes, such as technology, given that, from his point of view, it is “impossible for each country to invest in all the technologies that need to be developed.” such as quantum technologies, cybersecurity or artificial intelligence.
Another axis involves having “companies that act as main contractors” that are in charge of orchestrating and directing the work in the defense sector of the countries, while another fundamental element is “the creation of ‘joint ventures’ (joint companies). “.
Thus, De los Mozos pointed out that since he arrived at Indra last May he has already closed agreements with companies such as Navantia or Tecnobit.
Along these lines, the CEO of Indra also highlighted the importance of the authorities defining how companies in the sector should work and establishing roadmaps that “clearly define the technologies that should be committed to” in the “next decades.”
Likewise, the manager stressed that “it is not time to invent”, but rather “you have to copy.” “We must stay united to deliver on time, be more competitive and compete with countries as advanced as Korea,” he added.
Present at the informal council in which De los Mozos participated were, among others, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, the Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the holders of the Portuguese Foreign Affairs portfolios, João Gomes, Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, and from Spain, José Manuel Albares.
