EU Army: Is Europe Planning to Integrate Military Forces (or is it Just a Myth?) - TLDR News

During the Brexit debate and even since then, some have claimed that the EU is planning to integrate so far that the end up forming some kind of EU army. A combined defence force which would include servicepeople from all member countries and could be called to assist any nation in the union. The thing is - some say this is all a myth and would/could never happen.

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[sabinehahn]

Problem is - when you find proof that you need it, it may already be too late.

[PANDASANDRO]

The less we rely on the usa the better . . .

[misterblasty]

We should make a clone army, that can't backfire

[lacommission.-sitcom]

I am all in favour of more cooperation on defence between member states leading ultimately to an EU army. Naturally, this will take time as other areas of the EU need to move in sync to guarantee full support of the citizens and political legitimacy.

[marsupius]

Forget the army, how about a European Space Force? You know, for when the aliens attack.

[WolfpackPodcastOfficial]

Man, that EU-NATO flag is just sooo nice!

[lilldavid]

Rather Brussel than Washington, Peking or Moscow

[clementlassalle]

The real actual problem with a common EU army is doctrine : for what purpose would it be built ? Where should it be deployed and why ? Take the example of Germany and France.
France has many overseas territories it needs to protect, as well as a gigantic EEZ in which it needs to send patrols. As a consequence, our military doctrine emphasizes the need for a strong navy able to maintain a presence on all seas ; and all components of our ground forces were built with this doctrine of projection in mind. We also need to maintain and renew a fleet of submarines as part of our nuclear deterrence policy.
On the other hand, Germany has an entirely different military doctrine. The German armed forces were built for the purpose of a defensive war. Because of that, their military knows it can rely on local infrastructure, meaning they build tanks (for example) that are way heavier than ours, with all the advantages as well as logistical problems that come with that. As a result, their projection capability is very mediocre, which is perfectly normal considering their military doctrine.
Now, how are we supposed to deal with this reality ? France won't change its doctrine in the coming years, in actual fact it will probably strengthen it. Germany likely won't either, as it has virtually no popular support to do so. The best we can do right now in terms of cooperation is what we already do : to share the cost of new military programs set to replace our current planes and tanks (and maybe more in the future). Once we have the same kind of equipment, and only then, we can actually start to think of a European army.
(Of course this example also applies with other European nations, since right now every single one has its own national doctrine. For example in the Mediterranean, Italy is a big player, as well as Spain and Greece, but when it comes to literrally all other seas, the only European nation France can count upon is the UK which just left the EU... Also, Eastern European nations don't want a european army, as the russian threat on their borders makes them look towards the USA. All in all, it's a very complex matter that probably won't be solved soon)

[thecookooclimber]

I think they should have their own army. They have been around long enough to stand on their feet

[MrArgy]

Let's start with a common commitment to the bare minimum: protecting the EU state's borders from external threats. It just seems so absurd to me the fact that we are talking about a common army when a few months ago Turkish warships were sailing a few nautical miles away from Greek islands, threatening military action against an EU member, and yet only but a handful of fellow EU members were willing to actively stand by Greece. I do understand that sometimes the interests of the EU members may come to a collision but national defence (and European for that matter) should be a non debatable matter.

[davidmurphy]

_"with the future of the EU looking ever more uncertain"_

The EU has been extremely unified of late and have held firm with Brexit. The Frugal Four's concerns were met and a rescue package was agreed. Anti-EU sentiment is at an all time low and even major Eurosceptic parties no longer advocate withdrawal.

What exactly is "ever more uncertain" about it?

[stevenrienessl]

I believe it's the time that Europe stands even stronger together and gets fully independent, not from NATO itself but from the US Army. The current president Donald Trump made it clear that Europa can no longer releay on our US Ally. It is time to take our fate in our own hands so we can stand our ground between the powers of the USA, China and Russia.

[Ophaganestopolis]

The world: "You rely too much on the US for defense and you pay less than you should, you are too pacifistic".
The EU: "Ok, ok, we will form an EU army".
The world: "Heresy!!!"
The EU: "Hey, we don't want to abandon NAT...".
The world: "HERESY!!!"

[srfrg]

EU : What we need to unite our armies is a common threat.
Erdogan : Hello hello!

[syedbilalnafees]

I don't understand why the idea of a EU army is scary to people, think of what it could mean for European security and integrity. It would also better connect European countries together which would reduce any chance of conflict aswell as be a formidable force against Russia and any of its interests and proxies.

[HansHammertime]

We’ll likely need a serious and immediate outside threat in order to unify to that degree.

Cause only then will skeptical countries see the necessity of it

[gorgeousthing]

I am from Greece and I would love to see German tanks arriving at evros (border with the big red blob)

[hanneskabbannes]

I want an EU army, but I also want the EU to be part of NATO

[mishapurser]

I would love to see a United Federation of Europe and European armed forces.

[Blckjack]

An EU army is really perfect for eveyone involved. You can have bigger projects that benefit from economies of scale and have a Partner the US can treat as their own (at least kind of) otherwise the EU will never become a global player on its own.