Military

SHAPE News Summary & Analysis

1 December 2003

CBRN

• NATO unveiled Monday a rapid response unit to tackle nuclear, biological and chemical attacks, a key part of its transformation in to a global security force, reports AFP. The dispatch adds that the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Battalion was unveiled at a two-day meeting in Brussels of NATO defense ministers. It quotes Gen. Jones saying: “The formation of this core unit is an excellent example of our Alliance’s ability to draw on the highly skilled and experience niche capabilities from within the armed forces of our member states.” The dispatch adds that the unit will coordinate with the NRF and notes that the CBRN unit can be deployed with the NRF or separately.

NRF

• Lisbon’s Diario de Noticias, Nov. 29, quoted “an official source” saying Portuguese Defense Minister Portas has assigned one Vasco da Gama class frigate, one C-130 transport plane and a special operations army command to the next stage of preparatory exercises of the NRF. The newspaper stressed that the move reflects Lisbon’s heightened commitment to the field of special operations, an area in which Portugal already plays an important role at the EU level, specifically by leading the consultation and planning arrangements on the subject.

NATO

• According to AFP, German Defense Minister Struck insisted in Brussels Monday that European plans to form a joint military planning cell should be “in the interest of our American friends.” On arrival at a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Struck reportedly told reporters he believed the agreement with Britain and France would strengthen the European part of NATO. “This is in no way in competition with NATO and SHAPE. Rather it is a complement,” he stressed.
• An emerging plan to enhance the EU’s defense capabilities is generating high interest. Media generally understand that the plan provides for the establishment of an EU planning cell at SHAPE for EU operations involving the use of NATO assets while in parallel, a strategic unit based in Brussels would plan for independent EU military operations, such as the recent EU operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  “Britain won agreement for having a cell in SHAPE. That will be used for operations the EU will carry out either with NATO or under ‘Berlin Plus’ rules in which the EU will use NATO assets and planning if it wants to lead a mission,” writes the Financial Times. A group of countries will form a vanguard, or “structured cooperation” to pushing forward European defense. It will be open to all, provided they meet strict criteria related specifically to improving military capabilities. Decisions over launching a mission will be unanimous, adds the newspaper.
  A compromise agreed by France, Germany and Britain is as follows, wrote Le Monde, Nov. 29: The EU planning cell at SHAPE, presently temporary, will become permanent and be responsible for EU operations carried out using NATO resources. The headquarters already available to the EU for the purposes of “strategic planning,” located in Brussels will be strengthened and acquire an “operational” dimension. This body will not just manage autonomous European military operations (without using NATO resources), but also civilian crisis management. The range of missions for which it would be responsible would include civil protection, police missions, and purely military missions, for example such as that in Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  Britain has agreed with France and Germany that the EU will set up its planning cell at SHAPE, reported Deutsche Welle. From there, the network said, EU military planners would, with the Alliance’s backing, draw on NATO assets—notably transport planes, satellite intelligence and the Alliance’s communications network-fore peacekeeping missions.
  The Times stresses that under the new proposal, there would be four options before a military mission is launched: first, a NATO-only operation; an EU mission but using NATO assets including the full operational planning capability; an EU mission planned by existing European national headquarters; and finally the new proposed set-up at an EU headquarters in Brussels. “Its skeleton staff of 30 would then be beefed up with staff from member states. Under the deal, the additional staff will have to leave the headquarters once military operations are complete, to ensure that it does not become a ‘standing’ military headquarters,” adds the article.
  The Independent stresses that the text of the defense deal between London, Berlin and Paris has still not be agreed, apparently because Washington has not given Britain the green light to sign up. The Sunday Times, Nov. 30, said the plans’ details were expected to be finalized by EU foreign ministers on Dec. 8.
  
  AP observes that NATO defense ministers opened talks in Brussels Monday under pressure to provide more troops and equipment for their peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan or risk destroying the Alliance’s credibility. It adds that the two-day meeting was also set to discuss plans to cut SFOR by almost half over the course of 2004. A related AFP dispatch remarks that NATO may have taken the political decision to expand ISAF beyond Kabul but it is struggling to drum up the necessary hardware. The dispatch speculates that the “embarrassing shortfall” in contributions could cloud the defense ministers’ meeting. Another AFP dispatch stresses that since taking over ISAF, NATO has had shortfalls in capabilities required by the peacekeeping mission in Kabul—helicopters, troops, transport and intelligence—that it is only now beginning to correct. It quotes Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns saying, however, that members of the Alliance had made commitments to provide most of the needed capabilities. On Bosnia, the dispatch suggest that a decision to reduce SFOR by half is a steep in the direction of an expected takeover of the Bosnia mission by the EU, which, diplomats say, could be on the ground by the end of next year. The dispatch ads, however, that no formal decision is expected before the NATO summit in Istanbul next June, where the Alliance will formally welcome seven new countries into its ranks.