Afghanistan As Catalyst for Creation of EU Military Rapid Reaction Force

EU needs to create a rapidly deployable military force to intervene around the world, two senior officials said on Thursday cited by new agencies. According to Gen. Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU military committee, and EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell the Afghanistan crisis could provide the needed catalyst to end years of inaction.

"The situation in Afghanistan, the Middle East and the Sahel show that now is the time to act, starting with the creation of a European rapid reaction force, able to show the will of the Union to act as a global strategic partner," Gen. Graziano said. "Sometimes there are events that catalyse history, that create a breakthrough, and I think that Afghanistan is one of these cases," Borrell pointed out.

Both insisted the Union must be able to react to conflicts beyond its borders and the creation of a "first entry force" of 5,000 troops was the way forward, reducing dependence on the US and NATO. The EU's efforts to create such a force have been paralysed for more than a decade, despite the creation in 2007 of a system of EU battlegroups of 1,500 troops that have never been used due to disputes over funding and reluctance to deploy.

"When if not now?" Borrell told reporters as EU defence ministers gathered for a meeting in Slovenia to discuss the fallout of the chaotic withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan. He said that the EU needed to establish units that were "more operational" than the battlegroups. "The need for more, stronger European defence is more evident that ever," he pointed out, adding that he hoped for a plan in October or November.

A long-proposed EU rapid reaction force is seen as more likely now that Britain has exited the bloc as it had been sceptical of collective defence...