It is an undeniable fact that European Union is dependant on America’s military forces. During the Cold War, Western Europe had been willing to live under the umbrella of the United States against the threat of the Soviet Union. The US and Western Europe formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 to provide the security apparatus ready to defend mainland Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. During the First and Second World Wars, the US's assistance was vital. The USSR possessed more troops than the whole of Western Europe, so US had to intervene to provide some parity. These proved that US dominates European security through military means. The Common Foreign and Security Policy was attempted by the EU during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in 1991-95 but US had to provide around 60%of the aircraft and resources. The war in Kosovo during 1999 demonstrated serious shortcomings in European Union’s ability to undertake a crisis management-type operation and demonstrated serious limitations due to differing national interests and a lack of proper capability to deploy military forces outside NATO. All these shortcomings proved the necessity for a common European Army which is to make European Union an independent force standing firmly against all threats.
The idea that the European Union should speak with one voice in world affairs is as old as the European integration process itself. But the Union has made less progress in forging a common foreign and security policy over the years than in creating a single market and a single currency. The first step was taken as the European Defense Community was established in 1954 followed in 1970 by a process called European Political Cooperation, whereby EU member countries tried to coordinate their positions on foreign policy issues of the day. As the union enlarged reaching a population of 15 and to 25 member states, it was agreed that a more effective policy was needed. The principle of a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) was formalized in the Maastricht treaty of 1992. As part of the CFSP, the Union also created a European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) with the potential, if agreed later on, for creating a common defense structure. In December 2003, EU leaders adopted a European Security Strategy and have since agreed on its basic mission and priority areas for action: the fight against terror; a Middle East strategy; a comprehensive policy on Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The establishment of new communities and signing of new treaties is thought to be the way of becoming a unified voice and a thorough political union. The actual solution is a lot simpler than all that has been done but still it is failed to be seen by people sitting on the highest rungs of European Union’s hierarchy. The only way of achieving this dream of being a political superpower is establishing a European Common Army. This army should be trained as a rapid reaction force and must consist of the best soldiers of all member states. A minimum number must be decided for each country proportional to the country’s population and the number of trained soldiers. The establishment of the common army is a three-stepped process and all these steps must be taken by each member state for the reunification of military forces.
The first step is to ensure that an atmosphere of European patriotism prevails in the country. It is impossible to talk about fighting for something that you don’t feel devoted to. An attitude of ‘I am a German why should I fight for Greece’ won’t help the European Union in the struggle of establishing a common army. The understanding of the concept of a European identity is the thing needed to provide an atmosphere of European patriotism. The existence of borders must be forgotten within Europe and everyone must feel themselves to be a European instead of a French or a Swede. By this way the question of ‘What am I fighting for?’ will be wiped off from the minds of the soldiers.
The second step is to standardize the military training in all member states. To talk about the establishment of a common army, it must be ensured that the soldiers are being trained in the same way. If the soldiers receive the same training, than it becomes easier for them to be unified in a common army. New standards must be adopted standardizing the military training and they must be implemented carefully.
The third and the last step is the creation of the common army by choosing adept soldiers after a careful evaluation. The number of the soldiers from each country must be decided according to the minimum number which is to be proportional to the country’s population.
As we are living in an era in which every mind is preoccupied with the question of international terrorism threats, the importance of being a firm political union is undeniable for the European Union. After the unpleasant experiences of the war of the Kosovo, the Cold War and the Iraq invasion, it became prominent that European Union is in a dire need of a common army to implement the decisions made by its common voice. If it is ensured that the concept of European identity is understood by all people and the military training is standardized, than there won’t be any obstacles in front of the creation of the European common army. The dream of a unified Europe came true in fifty years and European Union now stands as an effective economic power. To carry its power into the political platform, the union must have a common foreign and security policy and a common army to enforce its decisions.
