EU to create a rapid reaction force of up to 5,000 soldiers

The European Union’s foreign affairs and defense ministers agreed on Monday on a security strategy aimed at increasing the bloc’s military weight in case there is a new war in Europe, establishing a rapid reaction force with up to 5,000 troops to be deployed in case of crisis.

“The threats are increasing and the cost of inaction is evident.” said the head of EU foreign policy, Josep Borrell, who described “guide to action” the document that establishes the European ambitions in terms of defense and security that must be achieved in 2030.

Work on the strategy began in 2020, before the pandemic, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine. After the beginning of the Russian invasion, on February 24, the EU toughened its language towards Moscow.

“The EU has to be able to protect its citizens and contribute to international peace and security”, the bloc said in a statement. “This is even more important at a time when war has returned to Europe, following unjustified and unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as major geopolitical changes.”

Russia has described its invasion as a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine.

The EU has made it clear that it views its efforts as complementary to those of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and that it does not intend to compete with the US-led military alliance as an anchor of Western defense.

Germany is ready to provide the core of the new EU rapid reaction force in 2025, the year in which it is expected to be fully operational, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in Brussels.

The force will replace current EU battlegroups that the bloc has had since 2007 but has never used. The revision plans gained steam after European countries struggled to manage the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul in August.

EU leaders are expected to approve the security guidelines, called the Strategic Compass, at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.