The European Union (EU) to discuss the establishment of a 5,000-strong joint military force capable of deploying rapidly to crisis zones. The discussion is being spearheaded by the countries’ defense ministers and is also a proposal that is backed by at least 14 of the bloc’s 27 member states.
The force is part of the EU’s overall strategy to be discussed in 2022 and is heavily geared at making and EU more proactive and increasing its military capabilities. The force is projected to have a land, air, and, possibly also a maritime component that will train and conduct drill exercises in advance.
The core purpose of the creation is to be able to deploy quickly this response force if for instance there is a legitimate government in a specific country that is afraid of a possible takeover by a terrorist group. The force would be an added advantage as the global terror threats spike with crises that require a rapid and precise response.
The 14 member states backing the proposal include; Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain.
The debate especially comes as some members have been pushing for the deployment of an EU training mission to help the army of violence-wracked Mozambique which could be possibly deployed in the second half of 2021 if approved.
