A European army - A wide gap between claim and reality

[Skybird]

Findings of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies' and the German Council on Foreign Relations' assessment of the matter.

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/military-...bitions-brexit

Key findings

• Of the IISS–DGAP scenarios, only the rescue and evacuation operation and the support to humanitarian-assistance operation did not generate any capability shortfalls. If the United Kingdom is omitted, the humanitarian-assistance operation faces a shortfall in the naval domain.
• The scenarios concerning peace enforcement, conflict prevention, and stabilisation and support to capacity-building would all create significant capability shortfalls, even when the current 28 EU member states (EU 28) are considered. Without the UK, the EU 27 would face much greater shortfalls. Under those circumstances, a successful implementation of the operation is doubtful.
• If the peace-enforcement scenario is combined with the rescue and evacuation scenario, notable capability shortfalls emerge across all domains for the EU 28. Without the UK contribution, additional shortfalls would arise in the land and naval domain and with regards to enablers.
• If up to seven of the smaller operations are combined – which corresponds to the EU level of ambition – the EU 28 is out of its depth. There are extensive capability gaps across all domains and often less than one-third of the force requirement would be met. Removing the UK from the picture renders a bad situation much worse.
• Improvements in the maritime and air domains across the EU 28 are likely by 2030. However, these will not close the identified capability shortfalls, and ageing equipment will increasingly become a problem.
• As of 2018, EU strategic autonomy is limited to the lower end of the operational spectrum. Brexit will make it even more necessary to find a constructive combination of European partnerships and transatlantic engagement.

So much for that. Building double structures - while even not single structures get properly funded and maintained. Idiotic idea.

Dilettantism: the idea that claim and wish alone already are enough qualification to deserve reward, and that neither ability nor skill are needed to nevertheless being given credit - as if one had both ability and skill.

In other words: wanting to harvest without knowing how to sow.

Double structures in these regards are the last thing needed. They most likely will lead to a growth in underfunding NATO AND the new Euro Army as well. Two weak things do not make one strong one. One strong thing is one strong thing.

[Jimbuna]

Will Juncker, the guy who can't even put oin a pair of matching shoes be at the head of this 'army'?

[Catfish]

The individual segments of the forces (which must not consist of the entire military of a member country) can keep their uniforms, but will be put under a central control, which can shift between nations in intervals, as it was proposed long ago for the EVP (or EDC European Defence Community 1952).

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Will Juncker, the guy who can't even put oin a pair of matching shoes be at the head of this 'army'?

I take it the Queen will remain Commander in chief for the british forces?
Then I propose someone like Boris Johnson. Maybe he will be available after brexit? He has the intelligence, leadership quality and the appropriate clothing style for this position

[Skybird]

Operetta generals of an operetta army. Battle season starts Novembre 11th and ends on Ash Wednesday.



But hey, we can have even more generals and colonels and office/post holders! (Bundeswehr with roughly 200 thousand men today has several times, many times as many generals and colonels, as the much bigger Wehrmacht had at the height of WWII, it recruited 17 million men between 1939 and 1945).


On a side note, we suddenly have 10 million German veterans, from one day to the next. By a new law from just one week ago, everbyody who just served in any function in the Bundeswehr, and leaves, now has to be called a "veteran". Combat experience is not necessary. Live crisis or overseas deployment, is not necessary. Anybody who spend his time as a clerk in the basement of some food storage bunker in the Lüneburger Heide, now is a veteran. What a huge and battle-hardened reserve we have now, ten million! World, fear the german military power again!



Thats almost as cute as installing cosmetic mirrors in all lockers' doors. Blinding the enemy, you know. Or was itourselves - its easy to confuse these tings these days, where ends "us" and where begins "them", isn't it said that these are fading concepts anyway?