PESCO: EU army one step closer after defense pact agreement

[Penelope]

PESCO: EU army one step closer after defense pact agreement

The prospect of a European army has gained momentum following a historic agreement by 25 member states. The new defense cooperation PESCO could reduce the EU's reliance on NATO.

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What does this entail?

Officials have earmarked 17 joint projects that will fall under the scope of the PESCO agreement, including:

· a pan-European military training center

· common standards for military radio communication

· the creation of a German-led European medical unit and logistics hub

· an initiative to build up faster crisis response forces

· intelligence exchanges on cyber threats

· submarine drones

· Why PESCO is being discussed now: The shift in US policy under President Donald Trump — who berated European partners on military spending at a NATO summit in May — has intensified efforts to reduce an over-reliance on Washington for protection.

· The member states involved: Only three EU member states refused to sign up to the pact: Malta, Denmark and the UK, which is set to leave the bloc in March 2019.

https://www.dw.com/en/pesco-eu-army-one-step-closer-after-defense-pact-agreement/a-4174182
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probably the UK is going to sign up and forego Brexit.

 

[Penelope]

Germany's NATO missions
Taking over the leadership
The Bundeswehr is due to take over leadership of NATO's multinational Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) at the start of 2019. The rapid reaction force has been set up to counter potential Russian aggression on the alliance's eastern flank.

Author: Lewis Sanders IV

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Trump wakens up the sleeping giant.

 

[Penelope]

Germany's NATO missions
Bosnia: Germany's first NATO mission
In 1995, Germany participated in its first "out of area" NATO mission as part of a UN-mandated peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the deployment, German soldiers joined other NATO member forces to provide security in the wake of the Bosnian War. The peacekeeping mission included more than 60,000 troops from NATO's member states and partners.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The EU with its own army makes commendable sense.