Enhancing cooperation, improving effectiveness, ensuring coherence

Europe  and  North  America,  NATO  and  the  European  Union  face  unprecedented  challenges  and  threats  from  multiple  directions.  To  the  east,  Russia’s  aggressive  actions  aim  to  destabilise  and  intimidate  neighbours  and  Allies  and  undermine  NATO  and  the  EU.  To  the  south,  instability,  continuing crises, regional conflicts and wars  across  North  Africa  and  the  Middle  East  have  fuelled  terrorism  and  caused  mass  migration  affecting  Europe’s  stability.  In  addition,  China’s  global  aspirations,  economic  potential  and  growing  military  power  increasingly  challenge  the  transatlantic community.

NATO’s adaptation and the implementation of the EU Global Strategy

NATO has developed a dual response, namely  to  strengthen  its  deterrence  and  defence  posture  (essentially  by  enhancing  its  responsiveness  and  the  readiness  of  Allied  forces)  and  to    project  stability  to  its  neighbourhood  by  means  of  assisting  partners  in  their  efforts  to  provide  for  their  own  security  and  defence.  The  NATO  Defence  Planning  Process  (NDPP),  a  new  cycle  of  which  has  just  started,  will  review  the  quantity  and  quality  of  all  Allies’  forces  and  capabilities  needed  to  implement  NATO’s  overall  posture.  In  general,  NATO  needs  heavier,  more  high-end  capabilities  and  more  forces  and  capabilities  at  higher  readiness  as  well  as  enhanced  cyber  defence capabilities.

The  EU,  in  turn,  is  working  to  implement  the  EU  Global  Strategy  in  the  area  of  security  and  defence.  From  a  NATO  perspective,  this  essentially  is  about  (1)  enhancing  the  capabilities and structures needed for the  types  of  civilian  missions  and  military  crisis response operations the EU wants to  be  capable  of  undertaking  as  well  as  protecting  the  Union  and  its  citizens;  (2)  improving  coordination  of  Member  States’  capability  development  and  promoting  multinational cooperation; in doing so, (3) strengthening  Europe’s  defence  industry;  and  (4)  taking  forward  partnerships,  including  with  NATO.  This  implementation  work  has  made  significant  progress  with  the  setting-up  of    the  necessary  tools  –  e.g.  with  the  refined  Capability  Development  Plan (CDP) identifying the required capability priorities;  the  Coordinated  Annual  Review  on  Defence  (CARD)  promoting  transparency  and cooperation among Member States; the Permanent  Structured  Cooperation  (PESCO)  advancing  development  of  multinational  capabilities,  collaborative  programmes  and multinational force packages; and the European  Defence  Fund  (EDF)  supporting  research and development and multinational capability projects.

Close EU-NATO cooperation 

It is clear that capability development in NATO and the EU necessitates close coordination. 22  Allies  are  also  EU  Member  States  and  five  other  EU  members  are  close  NATO  partners. They all have one set of forces and capabilities each to meet the requirements of both collective defence and crisis response. 

EDA  plays  a  key  role  in  assisting  nations  to  develop  required  capabilities,  strengthening  the CDP and acting as an interface between Member  States  and  the  Commission.  When it comes to NATO-EU cooperation on capability  development,  EDA  therefore  is  a  key  counterpart  to  NATO  at  staff  level.  EDA  and NATO’s two International Staff divisions in  charge  of  capability  development,  the  Defence  Policy  and  Planning  Division  and  the  Defence  Investment  Division,  have  a  collegiate,  constructive  and  mutually  beneficial  working  relationship  with  regular  coordination  meetings  at  all  levels.  This  has  become  part  of  a  new  era  of  interaction  between the two organisations that led, inter  alia,  to  the  Joint  Declarations  signed  by  the  Presidents  of  the  European  Council  and the European Commission and the NATO Secretary General to promote cooperation in areas that are crucial for the security of both the  EU  and  NATO,  such  as  countering  hybrid  warfare, cyber defence, defence capabilities, enabling  military  mobility,  capacity  building  of partners and others. 

European Defence reinforces European pillar of transatlantic security

In  light  of  the  growing  strategic  challenges  facing  both  North  America  and  Europe,  the European nations together must increase  their  contribution  to  transatlantic  security  and  take  their  fair  share  in ensuring  security  for  their  own  continent.  This  means  increasing  defence  spending  (up  to  at  least  2%  of  GDP  by  2024)  by  all  Allies,  as  pledged  by  their  political  leaders,  investing  in  high-end  capabilities  and  enhancing contributions to operations and  missions  that  serve  Europe’s  security.  The imbalance between the commitments by  the  US  and  European  nations  must  be  adjusted.  With  this  in  mind,  while  Collective  Defence  remains  NATO’s  sole  responsibility,  strengthening  European  Defence  enhances  the  EU’s  contribution  to  Europe’s  security  and  thus  reinforces  the  European  pillar  of  transatlantic security. Conversely, enhanced defence  spending  for  improved  forces  and  capabilities  developed  within  NATO  and  usable for the whole mission spectrum also benefits European Defence.

Coherence and complementarition

In  this  context,  EDA  and  NATO  staffs  have  been  working  to  ensure  that  the  capability  priorities identified in both organisations are  broadly  coherent  and  complementary.  Capabilities  developed  within  the  EU  are  also  available  to  NATO  and  vice  versa,  upon nations’ decisions. Also, the biennial NDPP  review  of  Allies’  efforts  to  implement  their  NATO  Capability  Targets  and  CARD  are  complementing  each  other  in  terms  of output  coherence  –  with  the  first  focusing  on nations’ individual efforts and the second highlighting opportunities for multinational cooperation and promoting convergence of capability development. The two processes and timelines are being coordinated to spare the European nations duplicative reporting. It is also essential to ensure full transparency and  fullest  possible  involvement  of  Non-EU  Allies in CSDP capability development, since they  provide  substantial  contributions  to  Europe’s  security.  This  has  become  particularly  relevant  in  the  context  of  Brexit  as the United Kingdom’s armed forces remain among Europe ́s most capable ones.

The way ahead

Looking  at  the  future,  the  growing  strategic  challenges  require  both  NATO  and  the  EU to  increasingly  focus  on  those  capability  areas  that  are  essential  for  the  whole  mission  spectrum  –  situational  awareness,  responsiveness, readiness and resilience. PESCO projects supported by the EDF should therefore  help  meet  both  CDP  priorities  and  NATO defence planning priorities. 

Due  consideration  should  also  be  given  to  defining  the  set  of  forces  and  capabilities  the  European  nations  should  provide  together,  in  quantitative  and  qualitative  terms.  NATO  and  EU  staffs  could  explore  ways  and  means  and  advise  nations  accordingly.  Improving  military  mobility  is  a  case  in  point:  NATO  and  EU  staffs  are  working  together  to  create  the  legal,  logistical and infrastructure conditions to  enable  movement  of  forces  to,  across  and from Europe. The EU will spend several billions  of  Euros  improving  the  transport  infrastructure  across  Europe:  roads,  railways,  bridges,  harbours,  airports.  This  will  strengthen  Europe’s  economic  cohesion, facilitate deployment of European forces for crisis management, and enable rapid reinforcement for the defence of Europe as well as deployment of  US  forces  to,  across  and  from  Europe,  thereby  contributing  to  transatlantic  burden sharing.