European Military is more desirable than ever before.

Lately, leaders of the European Union have been stressing the need for a European Union military. Among them were France's president Sarkozy and earlier this year, German's chancellor Merkel elaborated her opinion on one European Union Military:

In an interview with the mass-circulation German tabloid Bild Zeitung, German Chancellor and current EU president Angela Merkel marked the EU's 50th birthday celebration by revealing that her wish list includes a European Army. What Merkel and other EU leaders want is not a perpetuating of existing arrangements, but an "European fighting force" independent of, but working with, NATO.

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The European Union has developed itself into a strong economically and technologically advanced force. However, the union lacks the power to be militarily capable of defending the Union.

The main motives for creating an EU military force:

The US has always been the EU's brother in arms, however, the severe state of its economy will likely lead to a collapse of the US economy and likely we will see a similar scenario to that of the Russian army after the bankruptcy of the Soviet Union. As economic superpower the EU cannot rely on others, in case this scenario would become reality, the Union should be capable of defending its territory

The battle for the natural resources is starting. Russia is trying to prevent the Union from securing its energy supplies from former Soviet States. No one wants to think of what will happen to Middle Eastern countries with nuclear capabilities once they run out of oil. The chances of wars are getting bigger, to me personally, it feels like we're waiting for the final count-down.

China will definitely join the race for natural resources. As a matter of fact they've already begun occupying former European colonies to increase the supply of natural resources to mainland China.

If the EU would form one military it would have an extreme budget, more than halve of the US military budget as the following graph indicates:



The difference between the US and the EU is the state of economy. The US has been pumping extreme amounts of borrowed money into its military, while the EU would be able to finance its military in a healthy way.

The EU is technologically very advanced, current co-operation agreements between member states have lead to e.g. the Eurofighter and the A400M military transport & tanker plane.

Synergies would lead to a cheaper, more efficient way of production, it would create new jobs and strengthen the military force as a whole. German and Italian tank battalions would be deployed in for instance the Baltic states , while British fighter jets would be deployed in Germany. Depending on the location a strategy could be worked out to improve defensive capabilities as much as possible. Military bases would be turned into European Union bases all over Europe.

One problem that came to my mind is the question of who would be in command. In my opinion there should be one central command in Brussels with three commanders in chief for the air force, navy/coastguard and army from respectively: France, Germany and Britain.

The hostile attitude of Russia, the battle for the resources and the loss of US military strength in the long-term should be motives for preparing for one united military.




[edit on 17-12-2007 by Mdv2]

It would be a good thing if the EU actually did this, though I think they shouldn't wait for the American economy to collapse(which it may not), as European dependence on America weakens rather than strengthens the trans-Atlantic alliance.

So do you think all of the member states would disband their own militaries to create this super-military? or would they scale them down?

An European army would act like one military if treathened.
Meaning we have the largest army on paper, exept for china ofcourse.
And weve got something you americans dont have: germans!

Developing a single military is going to happen sooner or later the question becomes for what purpose?

It seems to me that everyone who is a gloom and doomer about the US and all that and how the EU is the greatest thing since sliced bread needs to mind histories lessons.

Europe has been the most violent place on Earth over the past 1000 years.
So what is this Super military going to do
differently than the US or USSR and now the Russians?

As far as resources Russia is sitting pretty with plenty of natural resources and China, well they will have to pay for it.

I think as both the EU and Chinas economies grow they will be the two to watch conflict may arise between the two.


[edit on 8-12-2008 by SLAYER69]