Politico: EU arms itself against Russia, China with age-old tactic: A policy document
EU officials are plotting modest military developments they say are achievable — but wariness lingers across the bloc.
As Russia flexes its muscles in Ukraine and Belarus, China tests a nuclear-capable missile and the U.S turns its gaze toward the Pacific, the EU is reacting in its favorite fashion: With a policy document.
EU defense ministers on Tuesday discussed for the first time their so-called “Strategic Compass,” a plan meant to bolster the bloc’s military capabilities amid a dawning realization that the Continent can’t always rely on the Americans or NATO for cover.
The talk came after they gave foreign ministers the rundown on the document Monday afternoon during a joint meeting. The meeting marks the start of a debate on how ambitious the EU should be as it attempts to become a security provider, more able to determine its own fate when conflicts erupt. The U.S. pullout in Afghanistan has fueled the desire — EU allies were barely consulted on the withdrawal, to the humiliation of many capitals.
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WNU Editor: They do need a plan that outlines mission goals, resources available, command structure, budget, and a whole bunch of other things. My guess is that it will take a few years .... maybe a decade or two (or three) .... before they come to an agreement.
3 comments:
A major change, something cataclysmic, could speed this up. Even with something cataclysmic it still may be problematic given that these EU nations have competing interests that are often at odds with each other major agreements of this type are going to be problematic at beat. Of course a conquering power could conceivably force such an agreement at gun point perhaps.
The EU nations rely heavily on the US for basic defense. Given the current state of the US, it probably won't exist in "a few years" much less two or three decades and even if it does allocation of resources to the EU will not be feasible. Obviously this will alter how the nations of EU leaders approach things.
Well I certainly hope that the EU Army study group produces a very “strongly worded” document.
Me too. It needs to be strongly worded followed up with true commitment. It would be awesome to have am ally whose actually capable of significant action regarding their defense without us. This would take some of the pressure off of our armed forces and improve relations between us and them.
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