Do European Union Defense Initiatives Threaten NATO? Strategic Forum. Number 184, August 2001
Abstract
European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) is now the main item on Europe's security agenda because of a focus on establishing a crisis management force capable of acting independently of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Although transatlantic policies will be colored by issues such as the Kyoto treaty, missile defenses, and relations with Russia, ESDP is likely to dominate defense debates as the European Union (EU) tries to meet the Helsinki Headline Goal of developing a corps sized expeditionary force that can deploy military forces capable of ensuring diverse tasks and establish new political and military structures that will enable the EU to guide and direct such operations To meet the Helsinki Goal, the European Union must surmount three problems: ensuring sufficient forces, building confidence in the quality of their performance, and finding substitutes for critical NATO assets The approaches that EU members take to these tasks may indicate how serious they are about meeting the goal in fact as well as in name As the Bush administration develops policies on transatlantic relations, it should move away from efforts to restrict EU development The United States will benefit if EU states are more able and, even more importantly, willing to take responsibility for solving security problems without relying on US involvement The extent of European dependence on the United States poses a greater threat to US interests than what might develop if the European Union becomes a more independent actor in defense policy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA404903
Entities
People
- Kori N. Schake
Organizations
- National Defense University