- The European Union plans to increase defence spending by EUR 800 billion to aid reconstruct neglected military potential
- EC Head Ursula von der Leyen announced the establishment of a European Defence College to improve strategical governance
- General Bogusław Pacek believes that Europe is working besides late, but the steps presently taken supply hope for a real improvement in security
- More specified stories can be found on the Onetu homepage
“Our European values, democracy, freedom, the regulation of law: these values are at risk,” warned the Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday, summarizing a 100 days of the European Commission. She announced that the EU would allocate EUR 800 billion to defence spending. A peculiar body is to be established to deal with this area. “I will set up a college for the defence of Europe,” she said at a press conference.
Is EU action is not late after years of neglecting defence policy under the motto of believing that the US will always defend us? “For certain Europe wakes up very late in terms of these defensive attributes, due to the fact that the EU Combat Groups were alternatively powdering reality alternatively than building a real military force,” says Onet Prof. Bogusław Pacek, General of the Retired Division, manager of the Polish Military Museum (MWP) in Warsaw.
— Let me put it this way: it is time for Europe to see through. And she saw that we were facing a real threat on both sides. Firstly, from Russia, and secondly, the threat is real concerns and an equally realistic script that The United States, NATO's top ally, will leave us due to the fact that it will change — or alternatively has already changed its priorities regarding defence policy and who is friend and who is the enemy “ General Pacek says. “What the Union and the European Commission are doing present fills hope, due to the fact that they have yet stopped talking there and started to act,” he points out.
— I know the Union as a man who has tried to participate in various debates and actions in the past to convince these structures to give money for the essential defence measures. And there was always a problem with that. And now we have good actions, concrete actions,” he points out.
— However, this militarisation plan of Europe should not take place in a confrontation with the US. I know that any people would like to be offended by this U.S., someway biting off, due to the fact that they have been ignoring us recently, even if it were through boycotting American arms companies, so that they would not get a europen. This cannot be done due to the fact that we must remember that America has been talking about this for a long time, that it wants the Union to guarantee its defence potential, so that it can be militaryly stronger, says Gen. Pacek. “ And in this direction, Ursula Von Der Leyen, who speaks openly, goes ahead and does so since she was the head of the defence department in Germany,” he stresses.
When can the Union replace the US militarily in Ukraine? And could he? ‘Unreal’
“It is completely unrealistic to have the Union replace the US as militarily as technologically in Ukraine,” says Gen. Pacek. “It is unrealistic to consider a European force mission to defender the border of a possible truce between Ukraine and Russia. This debate should be over, due to the fact that in order to organise specified a mission, 2 countries — Ukraine and Russia — request to be compatible. And the second said that she did not imagine NATO-WW States taking part in specified a mission and proposed China, which is not even worth commenting on,” says the manager of the MWP.
“The situation is stale in this area, and it is the United States that has to push Russia to make specified an operation at all, to make forces to watch the truce border, to consider. It was Trump who wanted to establish specified forces, without NATO-wish guarantees and without US participation, and the Russians as if they played on his nose, says Gen. Pacek. — A The Kremlin of this war ends at all, as you can see, does not want, here Trump's plans to rapidly end the conflict turn out to be dreams. Russia is counting on Ukraine to lift the white flag and Moscow to gain ground for further expansion,” he stresses.
"Based on the Union itself, a strong defence strategy will not be built. It takes Britain or Turkey, for example"
“Today, however, we observe an epic thing. Well, the Union, for years geared towards economical and social policy, abruptly shifts its vector to defence. This is significant, says Gen. Pacek.
— Only that in this discussion we are inactive not clear who intends to prepare for Russia’s aggression — or the EU, or part of NATO, straight territorially threatened? This needs to be clarified, he points out.
— Especially since we do not talk 1 language in the Union. We, Poland or the Baltic States, Finland, have had strong pro-defense attitudes for any time now, but Spain can not scope a 2% ceiling on defence GDP in 4 years' time," he emphasises.
— That is why a strong defence strategy cannot be built in the Union itself. The United Kingdom, and Turkey are essential for this “ General Pacek says. “ Therefore, I propose 2 solutions. Or make 2 command, 2 separate NATO components — European and American, which is little real. The second solution is to search for partners and make defence alliances within the framework of common interests between States. For example, Poland has specified interests connected with the Russian threat, with Germany, Sweden, Finland, Romania, the Baltic countries, Ukraine. And as a result, you can build something together. Not against NATO, due to the fact that it's impossible, but it's like next to him, parallel, necessarily with a deterrent atomic umbrella from the US. To work together, he concludes.
