A summer snake called the European Army
Don't doubt it. The European Army is the name of a kind of summer snake - in this case of a political nature - which from time to time raises its head from its hiding place, only to bury itself underground again shortly afterwards and go unnoticed for another long time, months or even years.
The propitiatory occasion that made it leave its summer rest is well known. It comes on the occasion of a serious international crisis that has been very poorly resolved, in which the role of the European Union (EU) has once again been called into question, and in which Brussels is throwing its hands up in the air, claiming that it does not have a Rapid Reaction Force, let alone a European Army.
In this case, the trigger was the announced withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the surprise and rapid capture of Kabul by Taliban militias and the rebels' tight siege of the city's airport, in order to filter the departure of aid workers and the last allied troops from the country.
In short, an unconscious every man for himself!!! in which Washington took the reins of the grave situation as best it could while the Brussels institutions remained expectant. The EU's inaction has been compensated for by the emergency airborne military operation that several governments - including Germany, France and Spain - have adopted to rescue the Afghans who have collaborated with their forces.
The unfolding events of the past four weeks and the pressure of public opinion have prompted the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Spain's Josep Borrell, to step up to the plate and pull an old rabbit out of the hat. Again, the desirability of Europe having an operational military force. The Lisbon Treaty establishes a common defence policy (article 42, paragraph 2), but also expresses the primacy of each nation's defence policy.
The issue of the creation of a European Union Armed Forces - which in colloquial language we call the European Army - will remain on the media agenda in Spain and the other countries of the Old Continent for only a few more days. It has become, I repeat, a real summer snake, something like the Loch Ness monster, whose silhouette some seem to guess in the mist or under the surface. We could say that it is like the Guadiana River, whose waters appear and disappear along its course.
The Brussels leaders of yesteryear have already spoken out in public on numerous occasions in favour of the European Army. Remember Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission between 2014 and 2019? He was one of them. In recent years, the proclamation of "strategic autonomy", which would allow the EU to carry out military operations in the land, air, naval, cyber and space domains, has been used. In other words, to be able to intervene in serious global international crises without recourse to military aid or logistical support from Uncle Sam. It is the 21st century version of autarchy, to be self-sufficient, to be self-sufficient with one's own resources. I doubt it.
Successive presidents of the French Republic - including Emmanuel Macron - have championed the creation of a European armed forces. Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also done her bit in the same direction. Other European political leaders support it with greater or lesser emphasis, and a not inconsiderable number of European leaders say yes with a small mouth. But there are those who remain mute or mumble a "we'll see".
The issue will continue to be discussed in the coming days in the European Parliament, in countless think tanks and in a host of global forums and academic institutions. But before long, the European Army will go underground again, until a new international crisis arises to bring it to the surface again. As has already happened once, and again, and again, and again. It is possible that some new military organisation will be formed in addition to the existing ones, including a Rapid Reaction Force of some 5,000 troops. But the key issues will remain unresolved. What are they?
The main problem boils down to the fact that the 27 states that make up the European Union share values... but not interests. In many cases these interests - geostrategic, industrial, economic, political and so on - are the same or similar. But in too many aspects they are very different, divergent and even contrary or radically opposed. This is one of the keys that has so far prevented us from moving from fine words to the establishment of a European Armed Forces.
Among the myriad issues to be resolved, three are of great significance. One is the governance of these military forces. What political body would be the Supreme Command that was to control the European Army? Would decisions to send troops and intervene militarily in a conflict or crisis scenario have to be approved by the 27 heads of state or government?
A second major issue is the degree of integration of the military units of the different countries. To what operational level is this efficient? It is clear that the UK's membership of the EU was a serious brake on progress on many legislative aspects of European integration, and even more so on the military level. But it will soon become clear whether it was London that posed the greatest obstacles. Now, with the British out of the way, the political leaders in Brussels and in the EU member states should be consistent and translate the words of their grand speeches into deeds.
One of the major measures associated with this quest for strategic autonomy is to achieve the normalisation, standardisation or at least interoperability of the weapons systems used by the land, naval and air forces of the member states, in order to develop joint military operations in any scenario in the world. The main beneficiaries would be the nations with the largest and most powerful R&D and industrial fabric dedicated to defence. And those countries are eminently three: France, Germany and Italy, precisely those that make the European Army's campaigns ring.
But the EU is not lacking in military planning institutions. It has a Military Committee, which since November 2018 has been chaired by Italian General Claudio Graziano, who before taking up this post was the Chief of Staff of the Italian Armed Forces, the equivalent of Spain's JEMAD. The highest military body in Brussels brings together the chiefs of staff of the armed forces of the member countries and advises and makes recommendations on all military matters to the Political and Security Committee, the permanent body reporting to Josep Borrell that is responsible for the continuous monitoring of the international situation and its evolution.
It has a General Staff and other specialised bodies that support it. One of these is the Satellite Centre, located at the Torrejón air base, full of satellite image analysts, who have been able to directly and precisely follow everything that has been happening over the past few weeks in Kabul, its airport and throughout Afghanistan. This means that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and High Commissioner Josep Borrell were kept fully informed of what was happening.