“Today we are writing a new chapter in the defense of the European Union,” declared the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, on Tuesday from the Rota naval base in Andalusia (south). It is there, in the south of Spain, that military exercises are being held from Monday October 16 until Sunday October 22 in real conditions prior to the formation, by 2025, of a European rapid reaction force. .
According to European diplomacy, these are “the first military exercises at EU level including a component” in “real” conditions. Around 2,800 military personnel from nine Member States, including Austria, Spain, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Romania; 25 planes and six ships are participating in this exercise simulating an intervention in a third country that has requested EU assistance. It will include a landing on a beach intended to secure a port in this fictional country.
According to a tweet from the French Navy, France notably sent to Spain a PHA Tonnerre amphibious helicopter carrier and a CMT Croix du Sud, i.e. a mine hunter.
“It is very important to move forward towards creating our rapid deployment capacity” and “today we are testing it in real conditions,” explained Josep Borrell, former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs. “We must be ready to act to protect our citizens and contribute to global stability (…) And for this, we must train together,” he added.
The European Union approved last year, after the start of the war in Ukraine, the creation of a rapid reaction force of 5,000 men in order to be able to carry out interventions alone by 2025.
This article is originally published on tf1info.fr
