European Union Battlegroups
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The European Union battlegroups is a project done in the context of the European Security and Defence Policy, its aim being the creation of several rapidly deployable units for international intervention and tasks reaching up to full-combat situations. Confusingly, the EU Battlegroups are to be deployable more rapidly and for shorter periods than the long-planned European Rapid Reaction Force.
A battlegroup is considered to be the smallest self-sufficient military unit that can be deployed and sustained in a theater of operation. Each battlegroup will be composed of 1500 combat soldiers plus support. It is desired that each battlegroup should be ready for launch in 10 days from command, and be in the theater of operations in 15 days. It must be sustainable for at least 30 days, which could be extended to 120 days with rotation.
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[edit] Background
Under the Headline Goal 2010[1], adopted by EU defence ministers in Brussels in May 2004, six or seven such groups ought to be ready for operation by the year 2007, though the first few battlegroups might be ready much sooner, by the year 2005. In 22 November, 2004, defence ministers met again in Brussels to announce their contributions, and the formation of thirteen such groups were announced.
[edit] Contributions
Larger member states will generally contribute their own battlegroups, while smaller members are expected to create common groups. The fifteen battlegroups planned to be formed (two more were announced in addition to the original thirteen on 22 November 2005) will be composed by troops of the following nationalities:
- Nordic Battlegroup — Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Norway[2]
- France
- France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain
- France and Belgium
- United Kingdom
- United Kingdom and the Netherlands
- Germany, the Netherlands and Finland
- Germany, Czech Republic and Austria
- Czech Republic and Slovakia[3]
- Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania
- Italy
- Spanish Italian Amphibious Battlegroup — Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal
- Italy, Hungary and Slovenia
- Spain
- Balkan Battlegroup — Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania[4]
The following Member States have also offered niche capabilities in support of the EU Battlegroups[5]:
- Cyprus (medical group)
- Lithuania (a water purification unit)
- Greece (the Athens Sealift Co-ordination Centre)
- France (structure of a multinational and deployable Force Headquarters)
Estonia originally only indicated its willingness to participate and stated it would continue consultations; on 23 May 2005, Estonia announced it would officially participate in the Nordic battlegroup lead by Sweden. In February 2006, the Republic of Ireland's Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea announced that the Irish government would open talks on joining. Denmark has similary an opt-out clause in its accession treaty and is not obliged to participate in the common defence policy. Also Malta currently does not participate in any battlegroup.
Each group will have a 'lead nation' or 'framework nation' which will take operational command, based on the model set up during the EU's peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Operation Artemis). Each group will also be associated with a headquarter.
[edit] Further details on specific contributions
- Sweden and Finland announced the creation of a joint Nordic Battlegroup. To make up the required 1500 number, they also urged Norway to contribute in the battlegroup despite the country not being part of the EU. Recently, the number has been raised to 2400 troops with Sweden providing 2000 of these.[6]
- Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom, while travelling in Africa, stated that UK is ready to commit 1500 troops for the creation of a battlegroup, saying that Africa may in the future not be able to handle all crises, and in such cases international intervention will be required.
- Finland is expected to commit troops trained to combat chemical and biological weapons.
- Lithuania is expected to offer experts in water purification.
- Greece is pledging troops with maritime transport skills.
The battlegroups project is not to be confused with the European Rapid Reaction Force which concerns up to 60,000 soldiers, deployable for at least a year, and take one to two months to deploy. The battlegroups are instead meant for more rapid and shorter deployment in international crises, probably preparing the ground for a larger and more traditional force to replace them in due time.
[edit] References
- ^ Headline Goal 2010. European Union (2004-06-18). Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
- ^ Nordic Battlegroup - svenskledd styrka till EU:s snabbinsatsförmåga (Swedish). Försvarsmakten. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
- ^ Czechs, Slovaks start preparing joint military unit. Czech Republic: The Official Website of the Czech Republic (2006-07-20). Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
- ^ Cyprus signs Balkan battle group for EU. Financial Mirror (2005-11-22). Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
- ^ EU Battlegroups - Annex A: Battlegroup Concept. United Kingdom Parliament (2005-02-19). Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
- ^ Ulf K. Rask (2006-05-29). Inauguration of the Nordic Battle Group Headquarters. Försvarsmakten. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.
