EPSO's planner has a competition for April 2027 titled “Security, defence and international affairs”. It is a broad title with no grade, no fields and no number of places yet. What we do have is two recent EPSO competitions in neighbouring areas. They show how EPSO has organised this kind of selection, and what went wrong once.
The precedent: EPSO/AD/403/23
The closest recent competition is EPSO/AD/403/23, for administrators at AD 7 in two fields: crisis management, and migration and internal security. The notice appeared in the Official Journal on 27 July 2023 (C 264 A). Its selection followed the standard specialist pattern: reasoning tests, a multiple-choice test on the field, and a written test.
It is also a lesson in how a competition can change. The first online testing session, held on 9 to 11 October 2023, had serious technical problems. EPSO then reopened the competition, with tests available in all 24 EU official languages. If you apply to a 2027 competition, expect to be told how a problem like that would be handled, and keep your technical set-up in order with the remote test-day guide.
An older precedent: defence industry and space
In the 2022 cycle EPSO ran EPSO/AD/400/22, for administrators at AD 7 and experts at AD 9 in the fields of defence industry and space. It matters for two reasons. It shows that defence-related profiles have come to EPSO before, and it shows that EPSO can offer two grades in one competition, depending on experience.
What you can reasonably prepare now
- The reasoning tests. They have opened every recent AD selection we describe on this site. Train them early, because they are pass or fail and they come first.
- Your evidence of experience. Specialist competitions, as AD/403/23 and the audit competition AD/428/26 show, filter on documented years in the field. Gather contracts and certificates with exact dates and duties.
- Two official languages. The main one at C1 and a second at B2 has been the usual minimum in recent AD notices. The test in your second language ranks you, so work on it. See the second-language guide.
- Reading in your field. Whatever the final fields are, the specialist test will assume you know the institutions and policies involved. Start with the public pages of the institutions you might join.
What we do not know yet
Whether the April competition covers defence, security policy, external action, or all three. Whether it recruits at AD 5, 7 or higher. Whether it ranks on a multiple-choice test or a written one. Which institutions it feeds. Treat any article that tells you otherwise before the notice with suspicion, including ours if it ever claims more than the planner does.
The full 2027 list, and how we track it, is in our 2027 planner guide.
Whatever the field, the first stage is the same set of reasoning tests. EU Testing has a free 5-question sample for each of verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, so you can see the formats before you decide to train more. Try the free samples →
Frequently asked questions
Is there an EPSO competition on security and defence in 2027?
EPSO's planner, last updated on 22 September 2026, lists Security, defence and international affairs for April 2027, function group AD. The month, fields and grade are marked as to be confirmed.
What grade will the security, defence and international affairs competition be?
The planner does not give one. Recent specialist competitions in nearby areas, such as EPSO/AD/403/23, were at AD 7. That is a precedent, not a forecast.
What was EPSO/AD/403/23?
A competition for administrators at AD 7 in crisis management and in migration and internal security, published in the Official Journal on 27 July 2023. It was reopened after technical problems in the first online testing session.
Which tests did the AD/403/23 competition use?
Reasoning tests, a field-related multiple-choice test and a written test. Check the notice of any later competition, because the combination can change.
What should I do before the notice is out?
Practise the reasoning tests, collect documents that prove your experience with exact dates, and check that you can show two official languages, the main one at C1 and a second at B2.
Planner: EPSO upcoming selection procedures, last updated 22 September 2026. Precedents: EPSO/AD/403/23 (OJ C 264 A, 27 July 2023) and EPSO/AD/400/22. As on 4 November 2026.