Giseppi Giaimo, Boston

To be a global player the EU needs a complete power projection instrument The future of the CSDP is power projection

by Dr Giseppi Giaimo, Independent Security Consultant, Boston

When one thinks of what the European Union represents, almost instinctively one conjures up images of cultural supremacy, of an economic engine that has created an expanding and strong trade bloc; however one does not immediately imagine a strong defence apparatus – this is normally associated with the United States. There is often a wide gap between perceptions and reality; and the same can be said with regard to the EU’s situation today. So how do we stand at present as regards the capacity for a Common Security and Defence Policy?

European security policy in the face of reality In most EU capitals there is now recognition of the political necessity of an EU defence apparatus and an expression of the political will to develop such a capacity. But is the EU ready to assume defence ambitions and missions in a volatile world, dominated since World War II by a forceful US and a passive EU? One needs only to look at the comments expressed by EU officials or to the EU’s past and future missions for an answer. In a move that would perhaps have been unthinkable just a decade or even a few years previously, when Germany took over the EU Presidency it placed Kosovo, Bosnia, Lebanon and Afghanistan at the heart of its defence agenda. So what exactly does all that translate into? Well, according to Andrew Rettman, a journalist for the EU Observer, the EU now has two units that can be deployed for crisis management anywhere in the world 10 days following a unanimous vote by the Member States on a decision that would “as a rule” follow a UN Securi

Unloading material in Bamako for the French-Malian joint forces photo: Bundeswehr/F.Bärwald

Dr Giseppi Giaimo based in Boston, Massachusetts, is an independent security consultant for strategic analysis for stakeholders in the area of security and defence. He studied in Paris for his M.A. (at the Schiller International University) and PhD (at the Centre d’Etudes Diplomatiques et Stratégiques) in International Relations and Diplomacy. From 2002 to 2003 he worked in Paris for the Notre Europe think tank (founded by Jacques Delors) as an Analyst and Consultant on the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) and NATO. In 2006 he was a conflict resolution and security consultant for the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Unit of the United Nations Development Programme in Kampala, Uganda. In 2009 he worked for the Transnational Crisis Project in Washington, D.C. as Deputy Analyst for the Niger Delta.

ty Council resolution but that could also see the EU go it alone in what is known in EU parlance as “variable geometry”. Each EU battlegroup will comprise 1 500 soldiers from at least two or three different countries, who will partake in joint military exercises and wear both national and EU insignia.

Who can be a peacekeeping force? Before turning to the issue of a CSDP capability, it should once again be pointed out that the EU, and the EU alone, is the last bastion of hope for countries immersed in conflict like that which we are witnessing in Mali today. The UN is flawed from top to bottom, both politically and militarily, although in recent years it has conducted a much-needed reform in an effort to address its shortcomings. Nonetheless much remains to be done in order to make the UN truly effective as a peacekeeping force. Given the many political challenges that this poses for the UN, it is unlikely that the serious issues will ever be addressed, at least in the foreseeable future. The US, for its part, cannot effectively tackle world conflict due to the overwhelming importance it attaches to geo-strategic resources and to governments, preventing it from being an honest broker and a successful peacekeeping force. This leaves us, finally, with the African Union, unable to act as an effective fighting force to clamp down on African conflict. We recently witnessed the ineffectiveness of this force in Sudan and Somalia due to its lack of resources and manpower, and of fighting troops with practical peacekeeping experience.

A favourable role for the EU The EU, particularly in light of its historical colonial ties, is the only one with both the real ability and the willingness to

effectively help a troubled region. But this also fits the EU’s own agenda perfectly: through Africa it has found a new “power projection” role with which it can forge a perception of itself on the world stage that better mirrors its new-found reality, not just as an economic and trading power but also as an emerging political power with foreign policy strength backed up by military muscle, enabling it to effect change –real change – where others cannot. One such example of this emerging EU prowess was in the Horn of Africa.

A400M transport aircraft

photo: Bundeswehr

corresponds to the raison d’être of Frenchmen like former Government Minister Bernard Kouchner, who was famous for his public displays of humanitarianism, one that other world leaders, most notably the US, are unwilling to accept. The French have traditionally provided the backbone for operations when it has been urgently necessary for the EU to fill the void left by a disinterested or distracted US and an incapable UN, in order to resolve conflicts and put a stop to the human misery that they inevitably bring in their wake.

Horn of Africa – a crucial test for CSDP missions The EU, unbeknownst to most, had already achieved a degree of power projection in military terms some time before the CSDP missions of recent years. In fact, the key player in the Horn of Africa was not the US or NATO, but, indeed, a new force on the scene: the EU. American commentators have often criticised European nations for not pulling their weight in defence matters. But there is no question about whose navies have the main role in the waters off the Horn of Africa. Most Americans, or Europeans for that matter, do not have a clue about the EU’s ability to project military power far beyond its borders. Indeed, those who are critical of the EU’s CSDP capacity would be surprised to learn that since December 2008, the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) has been involved in Operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia and in its coastal and internal waters in order to combat piracy, protect World Food Programme shipments and monitor fishing activity. Germany, a country not generally perceived as a projector of military force, is continuing to match its economic prowess with military projection, strengthening the CSDP as a result. Currently, Germany is providing both one vessel and one aircraft in a rotating mission for which an EU state normally provides only one or the other. The CSDP and humanitarianism Piracy does not stop at merchant shipping but is increasingly targeting humanitarian missions, making it necessary for EUNAVFOR to protect shipments to Somalia. In addition, the UN has a Responsibility to Protect, or “R2P”, that in turn Variable geometry – the future of the CSDP In my opinion and that of many others, a ray of hope for the future of the CSDP has already begun to shine thanks to its use of “variable geometry”; it must continue to grow towards greater power projection. France and Germany are clearly indispensable for that purpose; they have been the locomotive for EU integration since the days of the European Coal and Steel Community. The axis has been further strengthened by the recent British support for the CSDP as well as by the reforms to the EU Treaty. The UK and France are the most influential EU members in military terms and their cooperation is necessary in order to overcome the impasse that has periodically arisen since St. Malo in the efforts to push the CSDP forward towards greater strategic autonomy. Today with the group of five – France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland – we are witnessing renewed calls for strategically located military headquarters to become operational. I see variable geometry as the only way forward towards an autonomous CSDP. The EU is heading towards a situation in which its economic, political and increased foreign and military weight will give it greater equality with the US; a more stable and peaceful world will most certainly follow. The absence of a stronger power projection role by the EU is a recipe for instability in a world in which future conflicts will continue to unfold if the necessary peacemaking mechanisms are not in place due to an indifferent US, an incapable UN and an increasing focus on the part of other world leaders on securing economic growth for the benefit of their citizens alone. Middlesized cargo helicotper CH 53 G for operational logistics photo: Bundeswehr/Herholt cc The French MISTRAL projection and command vessel

photo: Yannick Le Bris, GNU Free Documentation license