The Defense Union is the only possible answer to this crisis. This is the central issue of the intervention of the President of the Military Committee of the European Union, General Claudio Graziano , interviewed by Elisabeth Braw for Foreign Policy. “Russia has brought the war back to Europe – said Graziano – something so serious and dangerous that it was not considered possible”, the shock of this event had as an “unwanted” response the raising of Brussels ambitions to become a leading security actor. “Now the European Union is more united than ever, this will give a boost to the construction of a concrete and credible defense Union. It’s a long journey, but we know we have to do it, ”Graziano continued.A European army
To Braw’s provocation, on the prospect of a “European army”, Graziano concretely replies: “Integrating the armed forces is extremely difficult, but it is not impossible”. What is needed, however, is political will. Until then, what Europe can do is strengthen interoperability between continental military forces. “The US and Russian armies use only one type of battle tank; we Europeans use 17 different types ”. As the general further explains, this creates huge maintenance, supply and training problems. Marine and air forces have similar problems, with 180 different platforms, compared to 30 in the United States. “This is really anachronistic and unacceptable, we need to spend more, but also to spend better”.New operational capabilities
According to the general, part of this effort will be the development of a rapid deployment capacity of the European Union, which will give the possibility to field an ad hoc and multidomain force of about 5 thousand units, capable of intervening even in so-called “non permissive “, that is in the presence of hostile actions. “This force will also have strategic elements that in the past were normally provided by the United States” explained Graziano, referring to the command and control structures, strategic transport including air, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, cyber defense, drones, vehicles of space communication, electronic warfare systems, anti-missile defense. For the capabilities of the future: “I hope new generation tanks and fighter jets,” said the general.A European deterrence
Already on the columns of Airpress, General Graziano described the operational needs of the European intervention force: “The need is to equip the Union with a full spectrum force package, a package of capabilities capable of operating in all domains operational “. A joint, multinational and joint force whose “size and nature will depend on the type of task to be performed and the operating environment in which it will be called upon to act”. The objective, therefore, is to go beyond the European battlegroups, with forces capable of being used in realistic exercises in anticipation of operational use in crisis areas and that are “representations of deterrence and European political will” wrote Graziano. The pincer maneuver of the Kremlin
Graziano had also recently intervened in the “Beyond the Mediterranean” panel organized by the Farefuturo Foundation, the Italian Atlantic Committee and the International Republican Institute (Iri), focusing on the danger of a pincer maneuver by Russia aimed at encircling the Europe: “Georgia 2008, Crimea 2014, Syria 2015, then Libya, Mali, Central Africa. Russian assertiveness is taking the form of a multi-level maneuver ”. In Africa, the Kremlin’s strategy rests on flagless armies and militias. “In the Sahel, in Mali and in the Central African area – explained the general – there is also a serious growth in the destabilizing presence of Wagner, which operates with hybrid tactics already seen in Crimea”, referring to the army of mercenaries in the service of the oligarch Evgenji Prighozin , Vladimir Putin ‘s “chef” .
