Interviewee: Jean-Marc Vesco, Co-founder & CEO of C&V Defence
Role in PROTEAS project: Chairman of the Security Advisory Board and the Ethical Legal and Societal Advisory Board
Question: Please describe in a few words the role of your entity in the PROTEAS project and the business goals you aim to achieve through the participation.
Jean-Marc Vesco: The participation of C&V Defence in PROTEAS project is based on three pillars. First, our role is focused on the application of our ethics-by design approach, integrating the ethical principles throughout the project lifecycle, addressing the risks, while ensuring compliance with EU regulations. Second, we contribute to the alignment of PROTEAS systems with the end-user priorities by anticipating the evolving needs of the armed forces and addressing future threats. Third, C&V Defence establishes the processes for the secure information exchange and storage, implementing both EU and national security regulations to mitigate potential risks from information leaks and cyber-attacks.
Through our participation in PROTEAS, we aim to strengthen the application of our ethics-by-design approach by incorporating the ethical principles from the project’s beginning, while explicitly defining a concrete mitigation plan to address the risks of non-compliance. In this way, we intend to increase our expertise by applying our approach in the field of the Special Operations. Through a structured end-user engagement, we aim to prepare PROTEAS solutions for their market entry and remain up to date on the end-user requirements. Moreover, through our involvement in the secure management of information, we aim to apply our best practices and optimise our security frameworks ifor upcoming projects. Finally, we aim to expand the scope of our partnerships with trusted entities, sharing with them our ambition for an ethical and sustainable growth of the EDTIB (European Defence Technological and Industrial Base).
Question: Please describe in a few words the added-value presented by the envisaged PROTEAS outcomes and your view on their possible future adoption.
Jean-Marc Vesco: The PROTEAS System-of-Systems will deliver an added-value ito Special Operation Forces by responding to the challenges of the current warfare environments. Compared to other solutions, the distinct nature of PROTEAS is based on its operational alignment and the efficiency of its components’ design, without compromising ethical principles. Ethics remains the foundation for the sustainable development and commercialization of the final PROTEAS solution.
It is also important to mention that PROTEAS offers an alternative to non-EU solutions, in particular under ITAR regulation, while ensuringfull interoperability with NATO C4ISR systems.
Question: Please describe in a few words the challenges that the project must overcome, in order to meet its objectives.
Jean-Marc Vesco: In defence projects, typically the main challenge is to consistently respond to the evolving and specific requirements of the end users – in this case, the Special Operations Forces. This is why consolidating the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) during the first phase of the project, was a major challenge. The positive feedback from the MoDs and their endorsement of the CONOPS and associated KPIs, undoubtedly ensure that the prototyping and testing phases will proceed, in line with the current expectations of the special forces.
From my past experience, as an officer involved in multinational operations, I have always been positive in the sense that we were working towards a common goal and same values, even if this was not obvious from the outside.
When it comes to PROTEAS, I have the same feeling and the same certainty. Through our role in the project, we ensure, on the one hand, that the multinational PROTEAS team develops a solution that meets the common requirements of several EU MoDs, and on the other hand, that PROTEAS complies with European ethical values.