Germany, France and Britain recently received a nod of approval from European Union defense ministers for their most recent military proposal—a plan that calls for individual battle groups comprised of 1,500 soldiers, deployable to any location within 15 days, to be fully functional by 2007.
These small military reaction groups are the forerunner to the proposed 60,000 rapid reaction troops deployable in 60 days—a grand idea not yet feasible due to the current political and economic state of the Union.
Soldiers in these groups will be trained for combat in all types of terrain—desert, mountains, jungle, urban, etc.—and will be sent into the “world’s most dangerous and inhospitable places” (EUobserver, April 5). As of now, the battle groups will mainly be sent to Africa to support the United Nations. Berlin, Paris and London anticipate that these groups will be able to deploy quickly when necessary and be sustainable for 30 days, or 120 days with rotation.
Final plans for the battle groups will be set by the end of June.
This push for military organization is evidence that EU leaders are thinking of the Union as more than a trade or political federation: It is a global power with the military muscle to back up its interests.
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