Friendly Force Dilemmas in Europe: Challenges within and Among Intergovernmental Organizations and the Implications for the U.S. Army
Abstract
Over the last several years, European security has confronted major new challenges. Russias land grab in Ukraine and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-inspired transnational terrorism are two of the most obvious, but climate change, destabilizing migration, insufficient energy resources, a weakened European identity, and manipulation of the information space greatly complicate an already threatening security environment. Two of the most powerful, most successful intergovernmental security institutionsthe North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU)have each taken steps to ameliorate insecurity in Europe. NATOs Readiness Action Plan and the EUs Action Plan for Military Mobility are just two examples of how the transatlantic community and the countries of Europe have sought to leverage their collective strength to achieve security gains for all. Although these and other initiatives that were undertaken to date have been necessary, they have nonetheless proven insufficient in mitigating the aforementioned security challenges. This monograph identifies political divisions, a lack of shared threat perceptions, inadequate resourcing, insufficient capabilities and capacity, tedious decision-making procedures, insufficient interoperability, an incomplete operational picture, and inadequate maneuverability as the most problematic of the institutional shortcomings that collectively frustrate the ability of NATO and the EU to meet their security-related goals. These institutional shortcomings are critically important to the United States, given how prominently Europe sits within the United States vital national security interests. The 2017 U.S. National Security Strategy is clear on how a strong and free Europe is vital to the United States, on how NATO in particular forms one of Americas great advantages over its competitors, and on how a fractured NATO and a weakened EU only benefit U.S. adversaries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1056939
Entities
People
- Angus Mcafee
- Darryl Rupp
- Jose D. Madrid
- Jose L. Albero
- Kirk Gallinger
- Klaus Klingenschmid
- Markus Meyer
- Michael Mineni
- Stefano Messina
Organizations
- United States Army War College