OCCAR Marks 25 Years of Defence Cooperation and Capability Delivery

Petersberg, Bonn/ Germany, 20 October 2026 – At a time of growing security challenges andincreasing demand for multinational defence cooperation, OCCAR today celebrated its 25th Anniversary in the presence of High-Level representatives of its six Member States, reaffirming the Organisation’s role as an essential pillar of European armament cooperation.

Gathering at the historic Petersberg near Bonn, OCCAR’s Member States commemorated 25 years of cooperation, achievement and growth while looking ahead to the future of collaborative capability development in an increasingly complex security environment.

Twenty-five years ago, OCCAR was founded on a simple but powerful principle: nations working together can achieve more than nations working alone. That principle remains at the heart of the Organisation today.

Over the past quarter century, OCCAR has evolved from an ambitious cooperative initiative into one of the world’s leading multinational defence programme management organisations. Today, OCCAR enables nations to achieve collectively what would be more difficult, more costly or less effective to achieve individually, delivering complex military capabilities through effective multinational programme management.

OCCAR at a Glance

Mission: Managing Complex Cooperative Armament Programmes

• Brings together six Member States and fourteen Participating States – with the Netherlands

expected to accede as OCCAR’s seventh Member State.

• Manages twenty-eight cooperative programmes – with the number expected to grow

exponentially in the next years.

• Operates across the Air, Land, Sea, Space and Cyber domains.

• Supports an annual programme portfolio of approximately €8.5 billion.

• Employs nearly 500 international staff members across 10 locations in Europe.

• Has delivered capability output exceeding €125 billion since becoming an international

organisation in 2001.

• Has secured more than €600 million in European Union funding for cooperative defence

initiatives.

• Conducts Through Life Management across the full capability lifecycle.

• Maintains long-standing cooperation with NATO and the European Union.

The Petersberg, long associated with international dialogue and defence cooperation, previously hosted OCCAR’s 20th Anniversary celebrations in 2022. Its selection once again reflects Member States’ enduring commitment to multinational capability development.

Looking Ahead

As OCCAR enters its next chapter, the Organisation remains focused on supporting nations in the development, acquisition and sustainment of critical military capabilities. The anticipated accession of the Netherlands as OCCAR’s seventh Member State further demonstrates OCCAR’s continued relevance and attractiveness as a framework for multinational cooperation. Twenty-five years after its creation, OCCAR remains a trusted instrument of defence cooperation, supporting the delivery of critical capabilities for a stronger and more resilient European security architecture.