This draft European Defence Fund (EDF) 2026 Development Action topic seeks to reduce the administrative barriers that still hinder the rapid movement of armed forces across the borders of EU Member States and EDF associated countries. In a deteriorating geopolitical environment, the digitalisation of the military mobility permit and clearance process—including customs formalities—is considered crucial for rapid and efficient deployments. Building on the earlier EDF-2021-PROTMOB-D-DMM work that delivered a first major step towards digitalising military mobility permits and clearances for movement preparation in peacetime, this topic targets the subsequent “Realisation” phase. It aims to deliver a resilient and secure digital military mobility system (SDMMS) capable of operating in adverse conditions (including crisis and war) when not all system nodes or communications channels are available.

The call requests the creation of an SDMMS prototype at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8, including a mobile application and additional essential features that were not fully covered previously. Key functional enhancements include: (i) advanced security through the implementation of state-of-the-art encryption methods, notably post-quantum cryptographic algorithms for sensitive message traffic; (ii) improved resilience and continuous operations in wartime-like conditions where parts of the network may be degraded or out of service; and (iii) movement tracking and monitoring capabilities to maintain situational awareness throughout departure, transit, and destination phases of a military movement. The topic recognises that, in crisis or war, militaries may shift communications to secure environments such as NATO SECRET Wide Area Network (NSWAN), while still needing secure web-based operations with civilian nodes (e.g., transport and customs authorities, ministries of foreign affairs, air traffic services). Accordingly, proposals should embed robust security and interoperability requirements in the system architecture.

A central innovation focus is the further digitalisation of military customs formalities, currently handled via Form 302. Proposals should modernise interaction between military and customs authorities through a federated architecture and innovative SDMMS solutions, aligned with the EU’s Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0 and the goal of boosting EU-NATO cooperation. To the extent allowed by treaties and agreements, the project should account for and integrate requirements developed by the European Defence Agency (EDA) for a digital military customs system, via close cooperation between EDA and the consortium. Because several Member States already operate national military mobility information systems that are not standardised, the SDMMS must be integrable into national infrastructures and provide open interfaces for seamless transmission of applicable data between SDMMS and national systems. The topic also highlights studying the potential use of the future EU digital identity wallet to unify authentication methods across civilian and military applications.

Mandatory activities include: feasibility studies (including pros/cons of post-quantum cryptography and digital identity wallet-based authentication), system design (architecture, modules, interfaces, and security/interoperability specifications documented in standard design languages), system prototyping (delivering a complete, deployable TRL 8 system with source code and documentation for all supporting countries), testing (software/data-exchange system procedures), qualification (demonstrating suitability in relevant crisis and war scenarios), and certification against OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS) Level 2, checked across EU Member States and EDF associated countries and aligned with national military regulations. Proposals should also demonstrate synergies and complementarities with the planned/ongoing/completed EDF-2021-PROTMOB-D-DMM activities.

By delivering a secure, resilient, interoperable SDMMS with tracking/monitoring and digital customs capabilities, expected impacts include driving defence digitalisation (including related policies, legislation, and procedures), introducing groundbreaking post-quantum cryptography solutions that preserve speed and flexibility, reducing bureaucracy through mobile-enabled workflows, and supporting the Action Plan on Military Mobility 2.0 for faster military movements in peace, crisis, and war.

Opening: 22.01.2026
Deadline(s): 29.09.2026