Europe is not militarily ready - ministers have made a decision
Following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the formation of the "Rapid Reaction Corps" is being reintroduced in the European Union.
Friday, 03.09.2021.
22:15
Europe is not militarily ready - ministers have made a decision
The defense ministers discussed the issue of introducing Rapid Reaction Corps at Brdo near Kranj, but the plan is difficult to implement.The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, called the experience from Afghanistan a "catalyst", which would be a historical event that causes a political shift and which could mean a breakthrough in European defense policy.
"When, if not now," Borrell asks. So, is the pressure exerted on the defense ministers of the EU member states strong enough, as they obviously suffer from impotence and incompetence, to face the events in Kabul and make a step forward in the EU's defense policy?
"Bitter end, a heavy defeat"
The ministers discussed on the Slovenian Brdo near Kranj whether, under the pressure of current events, they could make strides with the plan on the formation of a European Rapid Reaction Corps. The plan is, by the way, on the table from May this year. For that, 5.000 people should be on standby in order to react in crises - for example, in the situation at the airport in Kabul, where the evacuation of foreigners and Afghan assistants had to be provided militarily. The flights of the Europeans ended the moment the United States withdrew its last troops. Europeans have been asking themselves since then, shouldn't they be able to react in such situations on their own - even without the United States.
Despite the clear frustrations of German Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer and many of her colleagues, at the end of the meeting, it was only a matter of gradually starting with the realization of the plan proposed by the French in May. All those who expected a big political step forward after the debacle in Afghanistan - were very disappointed.
That is why this debate must now be conducted concretely: who has special abilities and which army is ready to be included in the joint project. German Minister of Defense believes that military capacities exist in Europe, but that they must unite in order to achieve the much-desired "security-political ability to act".
The idea is that those countries that are not involved have no interest in obstructing the intervention. However, the door to the usual blackmailing games among member states would remain open, as even the smallest member state could veto for irrelevant reasons.
The Latvian is also skeptical about large defense policy projects. “What happened to the combat units?” he asked mockingly. "They were never used." The idea of such joint battle groups has been circulating in the European Union for a decade. It is not just about military capabilities, but above all about the lack of political will, said Artis Pabriks.
In addition, some countries - and he meant Germany - would finally have to lead a public debate on defense readiness and related obligations. "We must understand that the world is changing rapidly. We need a strong force to defend Europe," the Latvian minister concluded.
Different views
While the Baltic countries are primarily afraid of attacks from Russia, the southern countries are worried about the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, Libya and the Sahel countries (Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad). Germany wants to bypass this different orientation by regionalizing future intervention troops. The northern and southern countries should be connected. However, after the British left the EU, only France and partly Germany are larger military powers. They would certainly be needed on both axes of the Union.The "Rapid Reaction Corps" project should be adopted in the spring, when France takes over the presidency of the EU Council.
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