Words must be translated into actions, EU High Representative Josep Borel stressed, speaking in Brussels on the Strategic Compass to a limited number of media outlets, including AP-MPA. It is a plan which if not implemented is meaningless, he noted, adding that "the real story starts now". The High Representative made it clear that the Rapid Deployment Capability and its 5,000 staff is not equivalent to the creation of a Euroarmy
"It is important to understand how it works because it is not a Euroarmy, it is a mixture of different capabilities, different European armies ready to act together depending on what they are called upon to do. It is completely different to secure an airport, to intervene as a mediation force or to protect civilians," he pointed out.
Borel replied that "different types of threats need to be addressed by different means. We don't fight cyber threats by deploying 5,000 people in the field. In cyber threats you sit at a table and work on a computer. As for hybrid threats, it depends on the elements of the hybrid threats. Imagine a hybrid threat that requires deploying people in the field. If, for example, you want to deal with a crisis like the one we had between Poland and Belarus maybe you can use people deployed in the field. Other hybrid threats don't need that."
"I will not stop emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity. It doesn't have a component that looks or troops bombing, but we need to emphasize our cybersecurity a lot. This is where Compass is very important," he stressed."
Explaining on how the Rapid Deployment Capability will work, the EU High Representative said that "we need to be ready to act. This is the Rapid Reaction Capability. To be ready to face any mission and according to the mission to build the force by inviting Member States to provide the elements we need for that particular mission. From here on what member states have to do is to propose to us what capabilities they are ready to participate with."
He added that "the first thing is for member states to commit if there is a need, that they can assist with 'X' and then we have a whole list and it depends on the threat to mobilize a set that will fit the mission."
He added that "the first thing is for member states to commit if there is a need, that they can assist with 'X' and then we have a whole list and it depends on the threat to mobilize a set that will fit the mission. That means that these people have to be trained together and once they are made available they have to follow the exercises so that they are ready if the situation comes up."
Josep Borel also explained that "they should not be 24/7 ready to intervene, but they should be at the disposal of the Force Commander who will have the organization." Regarding the role of the North Atlantic Alliance, he said that "nobody is discussing the role of NATO. NATO is the answer of the territorial defence of Europe. What we are trying to do is to create a complementarity with NATO. What is happening today in Ukraine is an example of this complementarity in practice."
Finally, Josep Borel noted that "under the present circumstances it would be myopic and would show that we are a bit out of touch with reality to talk about security and defence and not underline that there is a country called Russia which has started a war and it is not the first one. There is a long series of attacks in our neighborhood."
Source: APM
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