Fast, but not furious

The Strategic Compass is an ambitious plan to reinforce the EU’s security and defence policy by 2030. Within the Compass, the EUMC and the EUMS have had the major task of:

• Establishing a EU Rapid Deployment Capacity (RDC) of up to 5,000 troops for various crises

• Strengthening the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) to take on command and control (C2)

• Conducting regular live exercises on land and at sea.

More than two decades after EU leaders sought to set up a 50,000-60,000-strong force – the Helsinki Headline Goal – the RDC is the most concrete EU effort to create a deployable, standalone military force to intervene in a range of crises, not relying on U.S. assets.

The RDC is set to combine EU Battlegroups, where a 1,500-strong force is on standby for half a year, with logistical support across all the domains, creating a joint force capable of responding to crises outside Europe. The RDC has five generic scenarios:

• Initial Phase of Stabilisation

• Rescue and Evacuation

• Military Support to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

• Conflict Prevention

• Peace Enforcement

The two battle groups stand by on a five-day and on a 20-day readiness. For a specific mission scenario, the right force will be based on these operational structures, reinforced through enablers and modules as required. Though 5,000 troops may seem limited, the RDC is designed for initial responses, with follow-up forces needed for longer engagements.

“When it comes to operations, if there’s a commitment of more than 60 days, you will have to have a follow-on force. So, the RDC is foreseen as a first responding mechanism,” General Robert Brieger says. “Then European armed forces (EU RDC) would need a follow-on EU force, or it could be a United Nations force, depending on the situation.” Brieger expects the PSC to declare full operational capability in early 2025.

Use it or lose it?

NATO has its spearhead force: the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) that can be deployed most rapidly. Brieger says he knows both the EU and NATO must avoid duplication. However, both organisations have their remits, too. “In the case of an evacuation of EU citizens, it could be a clear task for the EU RDC, rather than NATO.”

The question remains whether the new deployment capacity will be more successful than the EU Battlegroups, which have been operational since 2007 but never deployed.

Brieger is hopeful because the deployment capacity should benefit from some shared European financing. He is also sanguine. “The success of the RDC depends on its use, to underline Europe’s true capacity,” he says. “Member States do know that this is their tool to act. I am sure we will not be afraid to use it in future.”