Missions and Challenges of the European Battlegroups

摘要

The European Union (EU) has developed European Union Battlegroups (EU BGs) designed to be a rapid response force dedicated to small-scale crisis management situations. The EU BGs are 1500-man task forces capable of short- duration standalone operations that can be deployed on short notice (5-10 days) and that are self-sustainable for 30 days. There are 15 battlegroups established consisting of multi-national contributions. The groups rotate on 6- month standby deployment cycles, meaning that 2 groups are ready for deployment at all times. The battlegroups are under the direct control of the European Council of the European Union. Each EU BG is outfitted by the contributing countries in both personnel and equipment. The standard EU BG will normally include a headquarters company, three infantry companies, and corresponding support personnel. The type of specific units may include mechanized infantry, combat support units, and combat service support elements to include medical capabilities. This paper will discuss the history and development, possible missions, and expectations of the EU BGs, and the operational and political challenges the EU BGs face as a European Rapid Reaction Force. The missions the EU BGs are currently designed for are bridging operations, initial entry operations, and stand-alone operations such as noncombatant evacuation and election security. These missions follow the guidance of the Petersberg Tasks, the European Security Strategy (ESS), and the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). This paper will discuss how the EU will manage its forces with NATO and its interaction with the United Nations (UN). Finally, the paper will reflect on the future of the EU BGs and the potential credibility it gives the EU as a political entity with the ability to provide an element of 'hard power.'.