Operational readiness in European defence

Europe is preparing for its largest defence build-up in decades. Through the ReArm Europe / Readiness 2030 initiative, up to €800 billion could be mobilised to strengthen Europe's military capabilities as geopolitical tensions rise and demands for operational readiness intensify. At the same time, European governments are seeking to reduce strategic dependencies and strengthen domestic industrial capacity by shifting investments towards local production, technology, and supply chains.

Much of the attention is directed towards new platforms, advanced technologies, and future capabilities. But in practice, readiness is often determined by something far less visible: the ability to keep existing assets operational.

A fighter aircraft may be grounded because a certified component is unavailable. A naval vessel may remain docked due to repair backlogs. Critical systems may sit idle awaiting spare parts or repairs.

These are not isolated issues; instead, they reflect how maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) are managed.

Keeping aircraft, vehicles, and weapon systems mission-ready requires continuous maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and access to spare parts throughout their lifecycle. As a result, MRO has become increasingly important, not only as a support function, but as a strategic capability directly linked to operational readiness. At the same time, it represents a significant business opportunity, with aftermarket services often generating higher margins than original equipment sales.

In this context, defence readiness is no longer defined only by what organisations procure, but by their ability to sustain and utilise existing fleets over time. This places MRO at the centre of the evolving European defence agenda.

From asset availability to operational readiness: understanding MRO

At its core, MRO ensures that assets remain available, reliable, and ready for deployment throughout their lifecycle.

In defence, this spans:

• Maintenance and repair of assets such as aircrafts, vessels, trucks, and land systems
• Management of spare parts and repairable components
• Coordination of suppliers, depots, and technical expertise
• Planning of maintenance activities aligned with missions

The importance of MRO becomes clear in practice. A fighter aircraft may be fully operationally available on paper, but if a single certified component is unavailable, it cannot fly. In this case, readiness is not limited by procurement, but rather by the performance of the MRO setup supporting it.

The core challenge: simple logic, complex reality

MRO follows a simple principle: right part, right place, right time.

In the defence industry, executing this becomes inherently complex due to:

• Highly fragmented networks
  MRO spans original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), national depots, suppliers, and operational units across countries, resulting in limited end-to-end visibility and slow coordination.
  
• High number of specialised spare parts portfolios
  Thousands of low-volume, platform-specific components must be managed simultaneously, resulting in high inventory complexity and significant capital tied up in stock.
  
• Unpredictable demand
  Failures, missions, and ageing equipment create volatile demand patterns, resulting in difficult forecasting and reactive decision-making.
  
• Criticality of individual components
  A single missing part can ground an entire system, resulting in disproportionate operational impact from small shortages.
  
• Long and uncertain lead times
  Specialised production and certification processes delay replenishment, resulting in increased need for anticipation and resilience.