ARES Group – The Armament Industry European Research Group

Programme

ARES Group - The Armament Industry European Research Group

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

Between Legacy and Emergence: The Spatial Integration of New Defence Companies in Europe’s Historical Defence Landscape

Notes / ARES Group - The Armament Industry European Research Group

9 April 2026

Between Legacy and Emergence: The Spatial Integration of New Defence Companies in Europe’s Historical Defence Landscape

Lucie Béraud Sudreau

Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Indo-Pacific Defence Policy, Economics and Industry, IISS

Josselin Droff

Research Fellow, Chair of Defence Economics, IHEDN

Julien Malizard

Holder of the Chair of Defence Economics, IHEDN

Eva Szego

Research Fellow, Chair of Defence Economics, IHEDN

Luka Aleksic

Research Assistant, Chair of Defence Economics, IHEDN

All publications

Policy Papers

The European Defence Fund and Space: Added Values and Priorities

Notes / ARES Group - The Armament Industry European Research Group

24 June 2021

The European Defence Fund and Space: Added Values and Priorities

Paul Weissenberg

Former Deputy Director General at European Commission and Member of the Air and Space Academy

Xavier Pasco

Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS)

Events

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They lead the ARES network

See the entire research team of IRIS

Steering Board

  • Jean-Pierre Maulny

    Jean-Pierre Maulny

    Deputy Director of IRIS, president of ARES Steering Board

  • Jean-Xavier Chabane

    Jean-Xavier Chabane

    Director of Public Affairs – France and Europe, Grouping of Land and Air-Land Defense and Security Industries (GICAT)

  • Elvia Delpal

    Elvia Delpal

    EU & NATO Political Affairs Manager, KNDS France

  • Thierry Poignant

    Thierry Poignant

    Group Director Strategic & International prospective, Thales

  • Didier Gondallier de Tugny

    Didier Gondallier de Tugny

    VP EU/NATO and Bilateral Cooperation Strategy, MBDA

  • Hilmar Linnenkamp

    Hilmar Linnenkamp

    Advisor, SWP, Berlin

  • Nick Witney

    Nick Witney

    Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR, London

Scientific Advisors

  • Renaud Bellais

    Renaud Bellais

    Associate researcher, Université Grenoble Alpes

  • Lucie Beraud-Sudreau

    Lucie Beraud-Sudreau

    Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Indo-Pacific Defence Policy, Economics and Industry, IISS

  • Martin Chovančík

    Martin Chovančík

    Assistant professor, Department of International Relations and European Studies, Masaryk University

  • Daniel Fiott

    Daniel Fiott

    Head, Defence and Statecraft Programme, Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy, Brussels School of Governance; Assistant Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Non-Resident Fellow, Real Instituto Elcano

  • Bastian Giegerich

    Bastian Giegerich

    Director-General and Chief Executive, IISS

  • Justyna Gotkowska

    Justyna Gotkowska

    Deputy Director, Centre for Eastern Studies – OSW

  • Elena Lazarou

    Elena Lazarou

    Director General of ELIAMEP

  • Alessandro Marrone

    Alessandro Marrone

    Head of Defence, Security and Space Programme, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)

  • Sylvie Matelly

    Sylvie Matelly

    Director, Institut Jacques Delors

  • Jean-Pierre Maulny

    Jean-Pierre Maulny

    Deputy Director, IRIS

  • Sandra Mezzadri

    Sandra Mezzadri

    MSB consulting

  • Christian Mölling

    Christian Mölling

    Senior Advisor, The European Policy Centre

  • Jana Puglierin

    Jana Puglierin

    Senior Policy Fellow, Head of, ECFR Berlin

  • Ester Sabatino

    Ester Sabatino

    Research Associate for Defence and Military Analysis, IISS Europe

  • Federico Santopinto

    Federico Santopinto

    Senior Research Fellow at IRIS, Head of the Europe, EU, NATO Programme on EU/NATO issues

  • Luigi Scazzieri

    Luigi Scazzieri

    Senior Policy Analyst, EUISS

  • Gaspard Schnitzler

    Gaspard Schnitzler

    Head of bilateral affairs Europe, Safran

  • Margarita Šešelgytė

    Margarita Šešelgytė

    Director at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University

  • Louise Souverbie

    Louise Souverbie

    Research Fellow at IRIS, Head of the Europe, EU and NATO Programme on political developments in European countries

  • Trevor Taylor

    Trevor Taylor

    Professorial Research Fellow, Defence, Industries and Society, RUSI

  • Julia Tomasso

    Julia Tomasso

    Research Fellow, IRIS

  • Auke Venema

    Auke Venema

    Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute