(March 24, 2022 at 11:27 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: (Not a poll because fuck all polls)
The idea of a dedicated European military independent of (but in accordance with) NATO has been on the boards for quite some time. But Putin’s blundering has moved it to to forefront of the EU’s agenda, and it looks very much like becoming a reality over the next couple of years.
Essentially, it would entail EU members each contributing personnel, money, training, and equipment - all under a unified command - to create what would de facto be a European Army to address any military incursion into Europe.
Good idea? Bad idea? Knee jerk reaction?
Boru
Knee jerk reaction, and unworkable idea.
1. It takes more than 5,000 men to storm the gates of Mordor.
2. A ability of an integrated European military to function on a reasonable scale is a pipe dream because different military forces have deep ingrained traditions for dramatically different command styles. Two separate medium to large national units from two different command traditions may be trained to effective collaborate. But it would not work very well if their personnel were mixed into the same unit. In such a case you would not even be able to unambiguously tell whose order rules, the senior officer giving orders, the senior officer on site, the commanding officer, or the staff officer.
3. until Europe can establish some mechanism for implementing a common foreign policy, the differing national objectives of EU members would nullify the chance of deploying such a force.
4. A truly independent european military force of any scale has to diminish the importance of NATO, which would expose buried fissures between France and Germany on the one hand, and the United States, britain and Eastern Europe States on the other. For France and Germany, a eurocorp is tool to enable the most powerful states in Europe proper to reduce American dominance in world affairs and facilitate France and Germany’s ability to pursue more independent foreign policy from America’s goals and objectives, as well as the goals and objectives of Eastern European states. For United States and britain, a Eurocorp would be a long term hinderance to continued american hegemony in global affairs. For Eastern European states, a eurocorp would seem to be a way to bind Western European states to the strategical priorities of Eastern European states.
