THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
European Security and Defence – an operational perspective by General Eberhard Zorn, Chief of Defence, Berlin
A
s Europeans, we have demonstrated solidarity with our partners and allies in the past months and supported each other in the fight against the coronavirus, including with capabilities of our armed forces. However, we must not allow these circumstances to draw attention away from the fact that our security is shaped by complex external threats beyond that. The pandemic has taught us that we must become more resilient at the European level, in the face of unexpected events. It has also taught us that we must improve the European Union’s military operational output.
A compass for the EU Global Strategy In past years, our focus has been the development of common capabilities. This is, undoubtedly, an important area, albeit one where it can often take years before operational output becomes tangible. Regardless of this, we must continue to strengthen our ability to act in the short term wherever possible. To achieve this, we must be able to employ our existing forces more coordinately, more rapidly and thereby more effectively. Quick action is possible where there is a common will to act that is supported by functional structures and existing capabilities at the same time. We must identify and address the areas that we can and need to work on today in order to be able to successfully meet future challenges together. The world will not wait for us to feel ready to face its surprises. In light of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2020, we have contributed ideas and initiated
38
discussion regarding both areas. A project that will provide the European Union with a more common course of action within the CSDP is the Strategic Compass. It will operationalise the strategic priorities of the EU Global Strategy and thereby help the Union determine which threat it wants to and is able to meet and which means to use. All EU Member States are aware that this will require intensive dialogue. Naturally, each state assesses challenges based not only on its unique geographic location, but also on historic and political experience as well as its security culture. Within the scope of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Germany has therefore initiated a common 360-degree threat analysis that establishes the starting point for further dialogue and the basis for the development of the Strategic Compass. A greater understanding of what the European Union is able and willing to achieve within the framework of the CSDP contributes to an improvement of operational output. So do functional and reliable command and control structures.
Improving command and control structures The EU has recently significantly strengthened its command, control and planning capabilities by establishing the Military Planning and Conduct Capability. But we must think ahead. This is why, within the scope of the German Council Presidency, we have worked to ensure the continuous improvement of the overall command and control structures of the European Union. From a German perspective, it is important to separate the existing levels of warfare into a strategic level which could develop based on the civilian and military structures in Brussels
Photo: 2019 Bundeswehr / Torsten Kraatz
Improving our ability to act to ensure future security for and in Europe
