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This is BIG since the EU can now have a joint military budget, a common doctrine to act, and can have independence of the United States. This force will be a substantial demonstration of European will.
https://www.rt.com/news/409724-eu-army-agreement-signed/
Some key developments:
Another article:
https://qz.com/1127984/eu-army-bloc...itary-integration-to-shake-off-us-dependence/
I think that this is going to further militarize the region (duh), but the rise of the EU Army is a response to the migration crisis and Trump saying that Europe doesn't invest much in NATO. I'm interested in how the US and the UK will react to this.
Is this a sign of a major war (internal and possibly external to the EU) over the horizon?
https://www.rt.com/news/409724-eu-army-agreement-signed/
Some key developments:
The agreement on PESCO, or Permanent Structured Cooperation, was signed in Brussels by 23 members of the 28-strong European Union on Monday."
"European heavyweights Germany and France are leading the effort to bring the EU closer to having a permanent joint armed force. The UK, which has been opposing a pan-European military force for decades, is not part of the agreement. Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, and Malta opted out; while Austria, not a member of NATO, agreed to join at the last moment.
Another article:
https://qz.com/1127984/eu-army-bloc...itary-integration-to-shake-off-us-dependence/
The UK had always resisted the idea of joint EU defense, fearing some kind of big “European army,” but the country’s planned exit from the bloc has removed that hurdle, allowing 23 other EU countries to move forward. Once Brexit happens, the UK could still possibly be involved, but for a price.
The group will have a €5 billion ($5.8 billion) European Defense Fund to buy weapons, a different fund for operations, and also get money from the EU budget for research. In the end, it means that the EU would have stronger, better synchronized national military forces to respond to crises together. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called it a “milestone in European development.”
Co-development of weapons could be good news for European defense companies. “I think it is a potential game-changer,” Haman Buskhe, the CEO of Swedish defense company Saab told the Wall Street Journal(paywall). “This could develop new products and help increase efficiency in Europe.”
I think that this is going to further militarize the region (duh), but the rise of the EU Army is a response to the migration crisis and Trump saying that Europe doesn't invest much in NATO. I'm interested in how the US and the UK will react to this.
Is this a sign of a major war (internal and possibly external to the EU) over the horizon?