British general comments on idea of creating European army

The creation of a European army would require resolving a number of fundamental issues, which could take years.

This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Sir Rupert Smith, former NATO Deputy Supreme Commander Allied Powers Europe (DSACEUR).

“Whether a European standing army is the correct answer? In the short term, I very much doubt it. And my reasons for doubting it is the sheer practicalities of forming a supranational army. This isn't a private military company, this is an army of the European Union,” the British general said when asked to comment on the idea promoted by European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius.

He explained how such a force would have to function.

“I was a British soldier. I swore my loyalty to my then Queen. A Frenchman has sworn his loyalty to the Republic. We are bound by the laws of our state, and that state pays us. But here, does the EU pay them? Are they swearing their loyalty to Brussels, or Strasbourg? And what court covers their actions? The legal aspect is crucial because that is the fundamental authority that allows a soldier in the British army to kill a soldier in another army, or even to carry weapons on the street,” Smith believes.

He is not convinced that citizens of individual European countries would “accept soldiers from the EU army, the stateless force, to be stationed on their soil.”

“These are very fundamental questions. I’m not saying they can’t be answered but it might take years to find answers,” Smith said.

The general suggested that Europe could try to create a contingent made up of national armies and develop a certain command structure.

“But the European Union doesn't really have any command arrangements like NATO has and there's no reason why that can't be part of the European bits of the NATO structure,” the general noted.

According to him, if Europe wants to create highly mobile forces, some issues need clarification: “Are those contingents separate from the ones the nations have allocated to NATO? There's only one set of armies, navies, and air forces. No one can afford two sets. And we can barely afford one with our current lifestyles.”

As reported by Ukrinform, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius said that to address security challenges and enable rapid decision-making, Europe needs to create a European Security Council and have a standing army of 100,000 troops to be ready to replace the existing U.S. contingent should Washington decide to withdraw its forces.