The Hindu : E.U. military force set to take shape

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 13, 2004

International

International

E.U. military force set to take shape

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, FEB. 11. The European Union, which has been discussing the feasibility of a military force of its own, has taken the first steps to form such a force with France, Germany and Britain, the leading members of the Union, set to launch "European battle units", or the "Rapid Reaction Force'' in Berlin next week.

The personnel of this force will undergo special training in jungle, desert and mountain combat.

Observers foresee the European force being deployed in African and West Asian conflict zones. The strategy in regard to the new force will be articulated at the Berlin summit, which will be attended by the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, the French President, Jacques Chirac, and the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Each "battle unit'' will consist of 1,500 troops and be capable of being deployed anywhere in the globe within 15 days and will operate under the mandate of the United Nations. The missions will last up to 30 days and will be appropriate for, but not limited to, use in failed or failing states, most of which are in Africa. The obvious crisis areas are Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa and the mineral-rich Congo where guerrilla forces, with help from the armies of Uganda and Rwanda, are fighting the national army.

France, Britain and Germany want the "rapid deployment'' plan to be accepted by all member states of the E.U., whose number will grow to 25 in May. The initiative will be presented later this week to the E.U.'s political and security officials as well as ambassadors. The security units will work in close coordination, but not exclusively with, the United Nations. This in effect will "internationalise'' global conflict areas, where so far the U.S. has taken solo initiatives. The idea of forming a European force has rankled the United States, which suspects that the force will be a rival to NATO. At a recent meeting of Defence Ministers in Munich, the U.S. pleaded for a bigger role for the Western military alliance in Afghanistan. The U.S. delegation also explored the prospects of getting European help in the various conflict areas in West Asia. U.S. officials are convinced that they have made headway on the proposal to expand NATO's role in Afghanistan. The U.S. is keen on the alliance taking over command of Polish and Spanish forces deployed in Iraq.

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