The European Union has since the Petersburg meeting in 1992 been slowly moving toward a military capability, mainly focused upon anticipated peacekeeping missions. Amid intense debate over whether an EU military force was a justifiable move, the process gather steam after its 1999 launch and was declared operational at the Laeken European Council in late 2001.  However, due to issues with available forces and funds, as well as continued political questions regarding relations with NATO, it remains unclear when and how such a force might ever be used.

Background

As part of the launch of its new European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), the 15-nation European Union adopted a policy target, the ‘Headline Goal’ at Helsinki in December 1999.  The European Union wanted to increase its capability to carry out the ‘Petersberg tasks’ of humanitarian and rescue missions, peacekeeping, and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking.[1]  Under this plan, the European Union pledged by the year 2003 to be able to deploy rapidly and then sustain forces capable of the full range of Petersberg tasks, including the most demanding, in operations up to corps level (up to 15 brigades or 50,000-60,000 persons).  The aim was to make those forces self-reliant (without dependence on U.S. support), deployable within 60 days, and sustainable in the field for a year.  This means the force would actually have to number around 180,000 troops so as to provide rotating replacements for the initial forces.

The Headline Goal itself built upon an earlier bilateral U.K.-French Joint Declaration adopted at St. Malo in December 1998.  The St. Malo Declaration said that the European Union ought to have the capability for “autonomous action backed up by credible military forces” as part of a common defense policy.  The St. Malo Declaration laid the political foundation between France and the Great Britain, which in turn facilitated the launch of the ESDP and the formulation of the Headline Goal.  Since St. Malo, the European Union has both developed a headquarters structure to direct its new military capacity and has also started to gain commitments of forces to meet the Headline Goal.

Headquarters Structures

To implement its policy, the European Union has formed a Political and Security Committee, a EU Military Committee, and an EU Military Staff.  The Political and Security Committee is a civil body responsible for implementing decisions of the European Council.  (The European Council itself is the highest EU decision-making body on all European issues, including military).  The Political and Security Committee is to exercise political control and strategic direction of EU operations.  The Military Committee exists to give advice and make recommendations to the Political and Security Committee, and will be the highest military body in the European Council.  It will also provide military direction to the Military Staff.  Gen. Gustav Hagglund of Finland has been appointed as first Military Committee chair. 

The Military Staff was declared operational on June 11, 2001, and is based in Brussels.  Director-General Lt. Gen. Rainer Schuwirth of Germany heads the Military Staff.  His deputy, and chief of staff, is British Maj. Gen. Graham Messervy-Whiting.  The staff will eventually have a strength of around 140.

The Military Staff exists as the source of the EU military expertise and assures the link between the Military Committee and the military resources available.  It performs three major operational functions:  early warning, situation assessment and strategic planning.  It contributes to the development and preparation of national and multinational forces made available by the EU members.  The aim is to develop a staff capability to assist the European Council to exercise the political control and strategic direction of Petersburg-type operations; the Military Staff will not, however, be doing any operational level military planning.

Depending upon whether the operation is to be EU-led using NATO assets, or an autonomous European operation, the NATO military headquarters in Europe[2] and NATO’s deputy supreme allied commander Europe, always a European officer, might have pivotal roles to play.

In November 2000, the European Union held a Capabilities Commitment Conference in Brussels, which elicited commitments for over 100,000 (existing) troops that were declared available for what became known as the Helsinki Force Catalogue.  A year later, a Capabilities Improvement Conference was held during which further military forces and 5,000 police were added to the catalogue.

No additional troops have been raised to embody this force; all formations assigned will add a EU tasking to existing national or NATO assignments.  This is what “separable but not separate,” one of the most mentioned phrases, means in practice:  the same forces and capabilities will form the basis of both EU and NATO efforts, but portions can be allocated to the European Union if necessary.  This arrangement will keep the ESDP and NATO closely linked, but could cause friction if NATO and the European Union disagree on the allocation or reallocation of forces already committed.  Furthermore, in the event of a crisis state governments will of course make the final decision on whether their forces are sent; a commitment to the Force Catalogue is no guarantee that a unit will be made available if a crisis arises.

Colin Robinson

CDI Research Analyst

crobinson@cdi.org

Appendix: Forces Contributed to Helsinki Force Catalogue

Austria: one mechanized infantry battalion, one light infantry battalion, 1 Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defense unit, one “humanitarian civilian assistance package,” one Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) element, one helicopter transport squadron, one transport company, 100 observers/experts.

Belgium: Land: one mechanized brigade, plus smaller units as part of humanitarian operation for up to six months.  Air: 24 F-16 fighters, eight C-130 and two Airbus transports.  Navy: two frigates, mine countermeasures (MCM) vessels.

Denmark: No contribution; opted out of ESDP at Maastricht in 1992.

Finland: Land: one mechanized infantry battalion, one engineer battalion, one transport company, one CIMIC company.  Navy: one MCM command and support ship.  Joint: 15-30 experts/observers.

France: Land: 12,000 troops from a 20,000 pool; Mechanised, light, airborne (for a year), and amphibious brigades headquarters.  Air: Combined Air Operations Center, 75 combat aircraft, eight air-refueling aircraft, three long-range and 24 medium-range transports, two Airborne Warning & Control System aircraft, combat search & rescue (CSAR) helicopters.  Navy: Two battle groups, each with one nuclear attack submarine (SSN), four frigates, three support ships, and maritime patrol aircraft.  One would include the nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with 22 aircraft aboard.  Mine countermeasures vessels. Joint: Permanent military operations headquarters at Creil if required, others at operational and tactical levels, satellite communications, reconnaissance satellites and aircraft.

The Eurocorps headquarters has also been offered for the force.

Germany: Land: Nucleus land component headquarters, up to 18,000 troops from a pool of 32,000 at division and brigade level, including armored, air assault, and light infantry brigade headquarters and seven combat battalions.  Air: Nucleus air component headquarters, six combat squadrons with 93 aircraft, eight surface-to-air missile (SAM) squadrons, air transport, other support elements.  Navy: Maritime headquarters, 13 combat ships, support.  Joint: Permanent military operations headquarters at Potsdam if required, nucleus operational headquarters.

Greece: Land: one operational headquarters, one mechanized or other brigade, one light infantry battalion, one attack and one transport helicopter company.  Air: 42 fighter aircraft, four transport aircraft, one Patriot SAM battalion, one short-range air defense (SHORAD) squadron.  Navy: Escorts, one submarine.

Ireland: one light infantry battalion, 40-strong Army Ranger Wing Special Forces unit, headquarters, observer, and support elements.  850 total.

Italy: Land: one corps-level headquarters for six months, one division headquarters for a year, 12,500 troops from a 20,000 pool (including an airmobile brigade for up to six months and three other brigades), one railway-engineering battalion, special forces, one CIMIC group, one Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defense company.  Air: a Combined Air Operations Center (air component headquarters), 26 Tornado and AMX combat aircraft, six CSAR helicopters, four C-130J transport aircraft (from 2003), nine tactical transport aircraft, two air refueling aircraft, three maritime patrol aircraft, two SHORAD units.  Navy: A sea or shore-based maritime component headquarters; one task group with one aircraft carrier (Giuseppe Garibaldi), one destroyer, three frigates, four patrol ships, one submarine, four MCM ships, two amphibious ships, one oceanographic vessel, eight helicopters.

Luxembourg: one reconnaissance company, one A400M transport aircraft.  100 total.

Netherlands: Land: with Germany, Headquarters I German-Netherlands Corps, one mechanized Brigade, 11th Airmobile Brigade, one amphibious battalion.  Air: one to two F-16 fighter squadrons; transport aircraft, SAM squadrons.  Navy: Air defense and command frigates, multipurpose frigates, landing platform dock Rotterdam.

Portugal: Land: one infantry brigade, including reconnaissance, armored, artillery, engineer, signals, logistics, military police, and CIMIC elements; two teams of military observers.  Total 4000.  Air: squadron with 12 F-16, four C-130 transports, 12 C212 tactical transports, three maritime patrol aircraft, four tactical air control parties, four medium transport helicopters.  Navy: one frigate, one submarine, one survey ship, one support ship.

Spain: Land: division headquarters to coordinate humanitarian operations and a brigade HQ for other operations, one brigade, mountain unit, one light infantry battalion at high readiness available as an immediate reaction force.  Air: one Mirage F-1 squadron, one F/A-18 squadron each of 12 aircraft, six transport aircraft, two each surveillance, electronic warfare, and strategic transport aircraft (A400M).  Navy: one carrier group including carrier Principe de Asturias, two frigates and support ships, one submarine, one MCM ship, Spanish-Italian Amphibious Force (SIAF).

Sweden: One mechanized infantry battalion including intelligence, electronic warfare/signals, reconnaissance, engineer, and explosive ordinance disposal units.

Air: tactical reconnaissance element of four AJS 37 Viggen to be replaced in 2004 by four JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighters, one airbase unit (225 personnel), four C-130 transport aircraft.  Navy: two corvettes, one support ship.

United Kingdom: Joint: Permanent Joint HQ (Northwood) if required, at least one mobile joint headquarters, including a Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC).  Land: either an armored or a mechanized brigade, each of which could be sustained for at least a year, or 16^th Air Assault Brigade, which could be deployed for up to six months.  Combat support forces such as artillery, air defense, and attack helicopters could also be deployed, supported by logistics forces.  Total 12,500.  Navy: one aircraft carrier, two SSNs, up to four destroyers or frigates, and support vessels.  An amphibious task group including one helicopter carrier and 3rd Commando Brigade could also be made available.  The aircraft carrier, helicopter carrier, and submarines could not necessarily be sustained continuously for a whole year.  Air: up to 72 combat aircraft, including naval fighters, with 58 associated support aircraft including 15 tankers, strategic transport aircraft, and Chinook and Merlin transport helicopters.  This total would be available for an initial six months to cover initial theatre entry; for a longer term commitment the number would reduce.

Force Commitment Table Sources

Ian Kemp & Luke Hill, “Europe on Standby”, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Dec. 12, 2001

Massimo Annati, “Shaping the Requirements for the European Rapid Reaction Force,” Military Technology, Vol. XXV, Issue 2, 2001.

House of Commons Written Answers for Nov. 20, 2000, www.parliament.uk

http://www.naa.be/publications/trip/au072dsctc-spain.html  Defense And Security Sub-Committee On Transatlantic Defense And Security Cooperation, Visit to Spain, Apr. 17-18, 2001

Colin Robinson  CDI Research Assistant crobinson@cdi.org

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