Should The Army Be Part Of An Eu Military Force – While there is no EU military and defense remains exclusively a matter for member states, the EU has recently taken major steps to boost defense cooperation.
Since 2016, there has been significant progress in the area of EU security and defence, with several concrete EU initiatives to encourage cooperation and strengthen Europe’s capacity to defend itself. Read the summary of the latest developments.
Contents
- Should The Army Be Part Of An Eu Military Force
- Divided Austria Unites In Opposition To Eu Army
- Arming The Eu — The Long Road Towards A United Defence
- From Eastern Europe We Watch Ukraine In Fear. Its Fate Could Decide The Continent’s Future
- Waves Of Ambition: Russia’s Military Build Up In Crimea And The Black Sea
- The Arguments For And Against An Eu Army
Should The Army Be Part Of An Eu Military Force
Europeans expect the EU to guarantee security and peace. Three-quarters (75%) are in favor of a common EU defense and security policy according to a special Eurobarometer on security and defense in 2017 and a majority (55%) were in favor of creating an EU army -‘s. Recently 68% of Europeans said they would like the EU to do more on defense (March 2018 Eurobarometer survey).
Divided Austria Unites In Opposition To Eu Army
EU leaders recognize that no EU country can tackle current security threats in isolation. For example, French President Macron called for a joint European military project in 2017, while German Chancellor Merkel said “we must work on the vision of creating a proper European army” in her speech to the European Parliament in November 2018 Moving towards a security and defense union has been one of the priorities of the von der Leyen Commission.
A common EU defense policy is provided for by the Treaty of Lisbon (Article 42(2) TEU). However, the treaty also clearly emphasizes the importance of national defense policy, including NATO membership or neutrality.
In recent years, the EU has started implementing ambitious initiatives to provide more resources, stimulate efficiency, facilitate cooperation and support skills development:
At the NATO summit in Wales in 2014, EU countries that are members of NATO pledged to spend 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2024. The European Parliament was has called on member countries to fulfill it.
Arming The Eu — The Long Road Towards A United Defence
NATO’s 2019 estimates show that only five EU countries (Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania) spent more than 2% of their GDP on defence.
However, building up the EU’s defense is not only about spending more, but also about spending efficiently. EU countries are collectively the world’s second largest defense spenders after the US, but around €26.4 billion is wasted each year due to duplication, excess capacity and procurement barriers. As a result, more than six times more defense systems are used in Europe than in the United States. Here the EU can provide the conditions for countries to cooperate more.
If Europe is to compete globally, it will need to pool and integrate its best capabilities as it is estimated that by 2025 China will become the world’s second largest defense spender after the US.
The European Parliament has repeatedly called for the full potential of the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty to work towards a European defense union. It consistently supports more cooperation, increased investment and pooling of resources to create synergies at EU level in order to better protect Europeans.
From Eastern Europe We Watch Ukraine In Fear. Its Fate Could Decide The Continent’s Future
In addition to practical challenges, the EU must reconcile different traditions and different strategic cultures. Parliament believes that an EU White Paper on defense would be a useful way to do that and to support the development of a future EU defense policy. America must “Turn to Asia” to take on China. This fact has caused some to reconsider how America should behave abroad. After all, a pivot toward one thing means a pivot away from something else. In this case, the “something else” is Europe, voluntarily occupied by the US since the end of World War II. How exactly to disengage from Europe while adjusting to confront China has been the source of considerable debate. Some, like neoconservatives, want America to stay in Europe while reorienting itself against China, but that risks over-expansion. Others, like the burgeoning New Right, would prefer America to simply withdraw from Europe in full clothes and return to Asia. But that risks angering close allies and would make it difficult to convince smaller Asian states of our credibility.
However, there is another solution, which has so far been met with derision from all sides of the American political spectrum: American support for the creation of a European Union army. The notion of an E.U. The military has naturally been opposed by those who want us to stay in Europe forever, but surprisingly it has also been met with ambivalence or outright opposition by many on the New Right, and President Donald Trump reacted angrily to the mention of the idea by French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron. in 2018. Conservatives and anyone who wants the US to make a successful return to Asia should reconsider this position. The creation of an E.U. the military would fulfill three key US foreign policy goals, all of which are necessary for a successful pivot: focusing less on Europe, parity with NATO spending, and focusing more on confronting China .
Much of the anxiety about the pivot to Asia and America’s disengagement from Europe centers around NATO. The United States has treaty obligations to NATO that it cannot break if it wants to remain trusted by its former and future allies. However, these obligations were made when the threat to America came from the USSR. This threat no longer exists. In its place stands the Russian Federation, which has struggled to make progress in its occupation of a significantly weaker Ukraine. Although it may want to, it does not threaten the United States. China, however, does, and it sits on the other side of the continent. The US needs to find a way to disengage in the West to focus on the East, and Europe coming into itself would give America the cover to do so.
If the EU. if an army were to be formed, it would also enable the US to eventually bring parity with NATO spending. Over two-thirds of NATO’s members are the EU. members, and as of 2021, less than a third of NATO members spent at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Many have justified the meager spending of other members by pointing to America’s wealth; if the EU, with a GDP similar to America’s, becomes a military bloc, these justifications disappear. While NATO would not be a strictly two-member alliance – major members such as the UK and Norway would remain, as well as smaller states that remain outside the EU – the US and the EU. would represent its essence. A primarily U.S.-E.U. NATO would allow America to accomplish the three aforementioned goals with a single policy. Europe would no longer need America’s protection, NATO would be balanced, and America would be able to focus on China while staying true to its promises.
Waves Of Ambition: Russia’s Military Build Up In Crimea And The Black Sea
Many in Washington and Brussels oppose an EU. the army. America’s military-industrial complex will not want to give up its European vassal states, but they seem to miss the fact that those vassals have already become increasingly independent. And while seeking independence of action, the EU. also seeks US protection; The Germans called it “unacceptable” when President Trump announced he planned to withdraw his troops from Germany. E.U. there is no right to the lives of America’s soldiers. Plus, the whole world has seen the terrible state of the Russian army. E.U. has a thriving arms industry, massive population, nuclear weapons and would still have the protection of Article V. They can take care of themselves.
Some may be uneasy with the idea of a rearmed Europe, since that means a rearmed Germany, and no one is eager to rearm the World Wars. But Americans died in WWII for two reasons: to put out a 20th century Nazi threat and to put out a 20th century Japanese threat. They did not die to conquer Europe forever. We do not invalidate their sacrifice by focusing on a 21st century Chinese threat to America. Instead, by putting America’s interests first, we ensure that they do not die in vain.
Finally, some might argue that the E.U. it is simply not ready for an army, or that the leaders in the EU. they will not want to take on such a burden. But not being ready or willing is no reason for America to stay in Europe forever. Since 1945 we have defended Europe and received ridicule and scorn in return. It is in our national interest to remain allies and we must do so. But it is time for Europe to learn to take care of itself. The next presidential administration should make building a European Union military a top foreign policy priority.
Anthony J. Constantini is writing his Ph.D. on populism and early American democracy at the University of Vienna in Austria. He previously received a master’s degree in Arms Control and Strategic Studies from St. Petersburg State University. In 2016, he was the Director of the War Room for NRSC.
The Arguments For And Against An Eu Army
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