German defence minister backs ‘European armed drone’

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen defended on the 2 July 2014 that German military forces should be armed with drones, further heating up the national debate on the role of the army and its global intervention.

Mrs von de Leyen also considered that Europe should stop being dependent on external technology to build its drones, calling on a joint effort to develop its own project.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Germany signals new self-confidence on military operations http://www.europeansources.info/record/german-ministries-spearhead-new-strategy-for-africa-germany-signals-new-self-confidence-on-military-operations/

ESO: Background information: European aviation firms Airbus, Dassault, Alenia poised to produce military drones http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-aviation-firms-airbus-dassault-alenia-poised-to-produce-military-drones/

Deutsche Welle, 01.07.14: German defense minister seeks armed drones for military http://dw.de/p/1CU7S

BBC News, 16.07.14: Farnborough: Europe's combat drone challenge http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28294239

DGAP: IP Journal, 01.08.14: Drones simply aren’t the height of technology https://ip-journal.dgap.org/en/ip-journal/topics/drones-simply-arent-height-technology

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