The Armament Industry European Research Group (ARES Group) was created in 2016 by The French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS), who coordinates the Group. The aim of the Ares Group, a high-level network of security and defence specialists across Europe, is to provide a forum to the European armament community, bringing together top defence industrial policy specialists, to encourage fresh strategic thinking in the field, develop innovative policy proposals and conduct studies for public and private actors.
The club brings together experienced armament policy and defence industrial policy experts, working accross European universities and think tanks.
ARES Group’s activities:
• Publications:
– Comments: short-format opinion pieces
– Policy Papers: medium format notes
– Reports: long format studies
These publications are freely available on the Group’s website. Policy Papers and Reports are written jointly by two or more experts to provide a cross-eyes approach to one subject.
• Two annual seminars take place in Brussels and Paris supported by the material produced by the Group.
ARES Series
Publications
Notes / ARES Group - The Armament Industry European Research Group
8 January 2026
Which Type of Armament Cooperation Do We Want/Need? The Case of Italy
Head of Defence Programme, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)
Notes / ARES Group - The Armament Industry European Research Group
5 January 2026
‘Soft Power’ Meets ‘Hard Security’: Leveraging Europe’s Regulatory Strength for Energy Transformation in Defence
Research Fellow, Critical Resources, EU & Global Affairs, Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations
Head of Unit EU & Global Affairs, Programme Lead Critical Resources, Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations
Notes / ARES Group - The Armament Industry European Research Group
11 December 2025
Which Type of Armament Cooperation Do We Want/Need? The Case of Spain
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Real Instituto Elcano
Senior Fellow, Real Instituto Elcano