Spain calls for joint EU army

Ahead of yesterday’s emergency meeting regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to take over Greenland, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called for the creation of a combined European Union military. “A joint effort would be more efficient than 27 separate national armies,” Albares told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the bloc should focus on bringing together its tangible military assets before mobilizing a coalition of the willing. A joint European army was first proposed in 1951 to counter the Soviet Union, and subtle advances toward that goal have included multinational commands such as eurofor and the current integration of all three main Dutch combat brigades into German Army divisions. If elites like Albares finally succeed in creating a fully integrated joint EU military in the near future, the force would consist of 1.6 million troops (about the population of West Virginia) and a defense budget of $446 billion, making it the second-most powerful military force on Earth.