European Army

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Under the idea of a European army (also European army or European army ) is the establishment of armed forces at the level of the European Union , then a European Defense could be assumed.

As early as the early 1950s, the Pleven Plan and the European Defense Community were pursuing specific projects for such a supranational European army, which was initially dropped in favor of the Western European Union as an intergovernmental defense alliance . However, the topic has been discussed again since the beginning of 2000 and is actively promoted, for example, within the framework of permanent structured cooperation . Thanks to the mutual assistance clause in the Lisbon Treaty and the common security and defense policy , within the framework of which joint military missions are regularly carried out, the armed forces of the European Union are already closely interwoven.

history

René Pleven

As a result of the escalation of the Cold War due to the Korean War and an acute fear of a further expansion of the Soviet sphere of influence into Western Europe, Winston Churchill demanded a European army with West German participation in August 1950 . She should work with the US. Churchill had already spoken out in favor of a German defense contribution in March of the same year, so that the advisory assembly of the Council of Europe on August 11, 1950 supported the formation of a European army with German contingents. In the USA, the idea of ​​building a European defense force under the leadership of NATO began to gain acceptance. For the first time on September 11, 1950, the US Secretary of State Dean Acheson spoke out in favor of a common European army with German participation.

Pleven plan

The French Prime Minister René Pleven made a specific proposal in October 1950 to create a European Army under a European Defense Minister or Ministry. This should not be an alliance, but an army consisting of contingents integrated on a unit level. Each state should make a contribution to this army, but still be allowed to maintain its own units. In November 1950, the Bundestag approved a German defense contribution on the basis of the Pleven Plan with the votes of the governing parties . As a consequence of the plan, negotiations on the European Defense Community (EDC) dragged on for four years. In August 1954, however, the French National Assembly took the treaty on the EDC off the agenda, so the Pleven Plan had failed.

The European security and defense policy

With the Maastricht Treaty finally the "security policy" the jurisdiction of the newly established EU was assigned in 1992 explicitly - the albeit only under intergovernmental dominated the second column . The EU worked closely with the Western European Union (WEU) and has now also taken on their Petersberg tasks . Unlike WEU and NATO, however, the EU was not initially a military alliance . H. even in the event of an attack, the member states would not have been obliged to provide mutual assistance. This should address the concerns of the neutral EU Member States such as Ireland , Austria , Sweden and Finland .

In April 2003 representatives from Germany , France , Belgium and Luxembourg met again in order to start a new attempt at a summit to create a European army within the framework of the CSDP . The Eurocorps to be founded could serve as the core for a European intervention force , because in Kosovo the European armies have already proven that they can work well together, but better coordination would be desirable. Spain showed no interest in this, probably so as not to endanger good relations with the USA. Germany attached great importance to the participation of Great Britain , Elmar Brok ( CDU ) explained : “What is disturbing in this current political context is that these are all four countries that were in the anti-wing during the Iraq crisis and it would become Contribute to greater credibility if one or the other country that was in the other camp were there too. ”To create a Eurocorps, you would need money from the European budget to pave the way for this army.

In March 2007, the German Chancellor and EU Council President , Angela Merkel, said : “We have to come closer to a common European army. The European Commission will become more capable of acting, with clearly defined responsibilities. ”Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt also said :“ A European army of 100,000 soldiers would significantly improve European defense readiness and strengthen NATO. In addition, an EU army would save costs because the inefficient division of the Union into national defense markets would finally be overcome. "

The then President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pöttering presented a concept for an ever closer synchronization of the European armed forces under the name Synchronized Armed Forces Europe (SAFE) at the Berlin Security Conference in November 2008 .

Lisbon Treaty

Members of the CSDP , Denmark with an opt-out option

With the Treaty of Lisbon , which came into force in 2009, the ESDP was renamed the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). It included several reforms, including better coordination of arms policy and a mutual assistance clause ( Article 42, Paragraph 7 of the EU Treaty), to which the neutral states have now also consented.

At the Munich Security Conference on February 6, 2010, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle emphasized that Europe needs a common army: “The European Union must live up to its political role as a global actor. It must be able to operate crisis management independently and it must be able to act quickly, flexibly and in a joint network. "

According to a report by the news broadcaster n-tv from January 31, 2014, the German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is in favor of pooling and sharing the European armies, thus voting for a bundling and thus for a European army.

On March 8, 2015, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called for the establishment of a common European army. In this way, Europe could on the one hand react credibly to a threat to peace in a member state or a neighboring EU country, on the other hand, at the same time, due to the organizational and financial advantages, lead to intensive cooperation in the development and purchase of military equipment and bring about considerable savings.

In May 2015, the Austrian ruling party ÖVP decided in its new basic program that a key future question for the EU is the further development towards a defense union with the long-term goal of a common European army. At the same time, party representatives announced that they wanted to maintain Austria's neutrality . This is seen by constitutional experts as incompatible. As the only parliamentary party, only the NEOS are unreservedly committed to the establishment of a European army and the abolition of neutrality.

Permanent structured cooperation

dark blue: Pesco members
light blue: other EU members

On the occasion of the EU ministerial meeting in Bratislava at the end of September 2016, the idea of ​​an EU army was revived. First, Germany and France spoke out in favor of strengthening the EU as a unit after Brexit . This was followed by further proposals from Italy that provide for a permanent, joint headquarters and EU research funding for military projects as a European defense research program. The British and the three Baltic states showed resistance to the project. Whereby to Art. 42 , para. 6 and Art. 46 at any time of the Lisbon Treaty in the permanent structured cooperation ( english Permanent Structured Cooperation , shortly PESCO ) many of the Member States of the CSDP can freely agree on these wells without hindered by the other Member States To be able to become, only stipulations for the further development of the common defense policy of the entire EU require unanimity.

According to a plan dated November 30, 2016, the European Commission would like to set up an EU defense fund, for which EUR 3.5 billion will be diverted from the EU budget between 2021 and 2027 in order to launch a joint defense strategy . In addition, the Commission is planning to allow the European Investment Bank to finance armaments projects .

The foreign and defense ministers of 25 of the 28 EU countries informed the European Council in November and December 2017 that they would go together in defense in the future. The two EU states Denmark and Malta as well as the still-EU state Great Britain are not included.

Existing cooperation

The Nordic Battlegroup during an exercise in 2010
The commanders of an EUFOR mission discuss the tactics. The EU flag is clearly recognizable as a shoulder badge
Changing of the
guard ceremony of the Eurocorps in 2013
The Italian frigate ITS Maestrale is part of Operation Atalanta in 2015/2016
The Charles de Gaulle is state 2015, the largest aircraft carrier in the EU. The UK is currently building two larger Queen Elizabeth class carriers .
The Leopard 2 here in the A6 version is the most widespread battle tank in the EU.
Integration into European defense institutions
Member states of the EU and NATO
  • EU member only
  • NATO member only
  • NATO & EU member
  • As part of the common security and defense policy , a number of institutions have already been established that closely link the EU's armed forces. These include the EU Military Committee (EUMC), the EU Military Staff (EUMS) with the civil / military cell, the Committee on the Civil Aspects of Crisis Management, the European Defense Agency , the European Union Satellite Center (EUSC) and the Institute of the European Union for Security Studies (ISS). All states of the European Union participate in the CSDP institutions (some with opt-ins from Norway and opt-outs from Denmark ). The armed forces of this EU-wide agreement are at least 1,500 rotating members of multinational units in the EU battlegroups .

    There are also a number of multinational (not EU-wide) armed forces:

    Finable Eurocorps European Gendarmerie Force European Air Transport Command European Air Group European Maritime Force Movement Coordination Center Europe Organization of Conjointe de Coopération en Matière d'Armement
    abbreviation Finable Eurocorps EUROGENDFOR, EGF EATC EAG EUROMARFOR, EMF MCCE OCCAR
    coat of arms Coat of arms of Finabel.svg EC Eurocorps.svg Coat of arms of the Eurogendfor.svg Coat of arms of the European Air Transport Command.svg Coat of arms of the European Air Group, svg Coat of arms of the European Maritime Force.svg Coat of arms of Movement Coordination Center Europe.svg OCCAR logo.svg
    Armed forces army Air Force marine overarching
    description Organization for the further development of the cooperation corps Gendarmerie Command for air refueling and transport aircraft Cooperation between European air forces Cooperation between European naval forces Logistic control center Organization for cooperation in armaments programs
    founding 1953 1992 2006 2010 1995 1995 2007 1996
    Seat Brussels Strasbourg Vicenza Eindhoven Buckinghamshire rota Eindhoven Bonn
    capacity - 60,000 soldiers 2,300 gendarmes 220 aircraft - - - -
    reaction time - - 30 days - - 5 days - -
    motto Reflection serving military action - Lex Paciferat Integrated, Innovative, Effective Improved capability through interoperability At sea for peace - -
    membership
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium 1953 1993 - 2010 1997 - 2007 2003
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria - - - - - - - -
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark - - - - - - 2007 -
    GermanyGermany Germany 1956 1992 - 2010 1997 - 2007 1996
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia - - - - - - 2007 -
    FinlandFinland Finland 2008 - - - - - 2007 -
    FranceFrance France 1953 1992 2006 2010 1995 1995 2007 1996
    GreeceGreece Greece 1996 - - - - - - -
    IrelandIreland Ireland - - - - - - - -
    ItalyItaly Italy 1953 - 2006 2015 1997 1995 2007 1996
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia - - - - - - 2011 -
    LatviaLatvia Latvia - - - - - - 2007 -
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania - - - - - - - -
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg 1953 1996 - 2012 - - 2007 -
    MaltaMalta Malta 2010 - - - - - - -
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 1953 - 2006 2010 1997 - 2007 -
    AustriaAustria Austria - - - - - - 2010 -
    PolandPoland Poland 2006 2016 2011 - - - 2008 -
    PortugalPortugal Portugal 1996 - 2006 - - 1995 2010 -
    RomaniaRomania Romania 2008 - 2009 - - - 2008 -
    SwedenSweden Sweden - - - - - - 2007 -
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia 2006 - - - - - 2015 -
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia - - - - - - 2007 -
    SpainSpain Spain 1990 1994 2006 2014 1997 1995 2007 2005
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic 2012 - - - - - 2010 -
    HungaryHungary Hungary - - - - - - 2007 -
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom 1973 - - - 1995 - 2007 1996
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus 2008 - - - - - - -

    There is also extensive bilateral and multilateral cooperation in armaments .

    practicability

    A fully integrated EU army that replaces all national armed forces would entail the transfer of considerable sovereign rights to the member states. This would mean handing over budgetary rights over the defense budget, as well as the authority and sovereignty over one's armed forces in the hands of a European institution.

    However, there are concepts to gradually integrate and increase the efficiency of the European armies by means of so-called pooling and sharing . For example, the division of labor in military capabilities, international planning, implementation and management of operations or the formation of joint intervention forces could significantly improve defense capabilities.

    Pooling

    National capabilities are made available by setting up a multinational structure that consolidates these contributions and coordinates their use. Pooling can e.g. B. take place in the development of common devices, in their procurement and later operation.

    Sharing

    A GTK Boxer of the Bundeswehr is loaded into an
    Antonow An-124
    at Leipzig / Halle Airport within the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution for transport to Afghanistan (2012)

    One or more countries provide the partners with an already existing capability or equipment (e.g. transport aircraft) or take on a task for others. In this way, partners can alternately save this ability, which also leads to correspondingly reduced costs. This concept requires detailed agreements so that there is no duplication in any area - a first pillar on the way to comprehensive European coordination.

    standardization

    The standardization of European military equipment is a cornerstone of any scenario of European cooperation. This alone already has potential that can be quantified to a 30 to 50 percent increase in performance. However, these advantages only arise if not too many national change requests are incorporated. Since the individual member states of the EU are currently developing and building their own trucks, tanks and missiles instead of setting up standardized technical military systems, the costs for this increase considerably. A report from 2015 confirmed that 90 percent of all arms development and 84 percent of all procurement programs within the EU are limited to the national level. As a result, the EU has 17 different types of main battle tanks. Russia has 8 types of main battle tanks, one type is sufficient for the US Army. Europe has 20 types of combat aircraft, the USA only 11, Russia only 9. The number of destroyer and frigate types results in 29 for the EU, 9 for Russia and 4 for the USA.

    Evolutionary model

    Another option is the creation of an armed force, which is subordinate to the EU and is made up of voluntary Union citizens , which performs tasks that are undisputed and then slowly develops further in the sense of incrementalism . For example, from a volunteer force set up only for undisputed watch and protocol tasks , a kind of permanent EUFOR would develop, which could later be consensually entrusted with slowly growing tasks in Kosovo ( KFOR ) or as part of the rapid reaction force within the EU. This development would be comparable to that of the European Parliament , which began as a supervisory board of the coal and steel union and has developed into a recognized parliament.

    Perspectives

    The first step on the way to a European army would probably be for the EU states as a whole, or at least in small groups, to show themselves ready to integrate into security policy. This also includes a clear division of responsibilities among the participating states.

    A common foreign policy and a common defense budget are effective prerequisites for a real European army. The authority to control the joint armed forces would then have to lie with the European Parliament and be implemented by a European government with corresponding competencies.

    A realistic perspective would be if, in addition to a European army, armies with national responsibility would continue to exist, since the large European states will not completely renounce their own sovereignty. Within this scenario, it would still have to be decided on the one hand how large the total strength of all remaining national armies and a common European army should be and on the other hand how one would like to weight this.

    advantages

    The (partial) unification of the armed forces of the EU states would greatly increase efficiency, improve defense capabilities and significantly reduce costs for the individual countries. For comparison: The number of soldiers in all EU countries at the beginning of the 2000s was 1.9 million, about 150% of the manpower in the US Army . Nevertheless, the defense capability of the European Union is far worse: it is said to be around 15% of the effectiveness of the US armed forces.

    A uniform European army would have a completely different economic market power than national and correspondingly small armies in the procurement of armaments, weapon systems, equipment and material. Purchase prices could be depressed and discounts demanded. If the number of weapon systems with the same function is reduced, the costs fall again, since the development costs can then be distributed over higher quantities. The cost advantages through synergies would also be possible in the development, operation, maintenance and repair of weapon systems. In a 2013 report by the European Parliament , the cost of a missing European army is estimated at 26 billion euros annually. A study presented by the CEPS ( Center for European Policy Studies ) in Brussels at the beginning of March 2015 estimates that in view of the intensified threat situation, foregoing a common European army would even cost 130 billion euros a year.

    On the other hand, there is the possibility of bundling the common financial resources to enable previously for national budgets to costly projects, such as the development and operation of fleet aircraft carriers , the development of air superiority - fighters of the sixth generation or a very rapid attainment of higher quantities of Main battle tank of the next generation.

    Overall, these advantages of an increased price-performance ratio of a European army within the framework of NATO could on the one hand strengthen the security of its members as well as the partnership with the friendly nations.

    Sizes of the total armed forces of the EU in 2010 compared to other armed forces
    Armed forces Military budget Workforce Aircraft carrier undersea
    boats
    Frigates /
    destroyers
    Combat
    aircraft
    Transport aircraft Air refueling aircraft Main battle tank Armored vehicles Attack helicopter
    Billion euros % GDP € per head Thousand ‰ population number Aircraft
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union 182 1.5 365 1,683 3.4 7th 200 69 140 2,088 603 77 5,325 22,038 460
    United StatesUnited States United States 562 5.0 1,819 1,555 5.0 11 1000 71 99 4,000 520 260 6,200 27,500 1,100
    RussiaRussia Russia 35 3.1 248 1,027 7.3 1 50 66 33 1,800 300 20th 20,000 26,000 350
    China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China People's Republic of China 66 1.6 47 2,285 1.6 1 40 65 80 1,750 350 25th 6,500 6,000 140
    IndiaIndia India 46 2.4 38 1,325 1.1 3 65 16 25th 717 236 13 3,300 3,750 122
    JapanJapan Japan 45 1.0 354 217 1.7 0 0 16 52 250 40 5 800 950 200
    TurkeyTurkey Turkey 16 2.2 210 640 8.2 0 0 14th 16 348 80 7th 2.126 9,710 70

    Advocates

    As part of the commemoration celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War , Emmanuel Macron called for the establishment of a “true” European army in early November 2018. He also proposed a common defense budget and doctrine. Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke out in a speech to the EU Parliament in November 2018 in favor of the idea of ​​a European army: “Old allies are questioning tried and tested connections. [..] A common European army would show the world that there will never be war between European countries again, ”said Merkel.

    Votes against

    A poster that warns of the militarization of Europe

    Above all, the United States , under the neoconservative administration of President George W. Bush, spoke out against a European army in 2003 because the United States had lost its defense-political influence over the EU. On November 9, 2018, US President Donald Trump , who always emphasizes his own national interests, described a proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron to form a European army in order to become more independent of the United States in defense policy as "very offensive" . Trump erroneously claimed that Macron had proposed a European army to protect against the United States. However, Macron's alleged quote was misrepresented by the Agence France-Presse agency and then circulated by the media around the world, and thus also reached Trump.

    NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg criticized the plans for an independent European defense policy. Admittedly, he welcomed greater European defense efforts. “But that must happen within the NATO framework,” he explained. According to Stoltenberg, European security still depends on American security guarantees. Stoltenberg therefore pleaded for transatlantic unity.

    The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair and the Prime Minister of Spain José Aznar also spoke out against such an army during their respective terms in office because of the threat they see of a possible weakening of NATO . The European left had also rejected a European army when they criticized the treaty and the like during the referendums on the EU constitution . a. claimed that he was promoting the militarization of the Union.

    Current EU national armed forces

    Expenditure and troop strength

    The figures come from publications by the European Defense Agency in 2012.

    Member country Armed forces Expenses (€ m) Per capita (€) % of GDP Troop strength
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union - 192,535 387 1.55 1,551,038
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium Belgian armed forces 3,986 363 1.08 31,894
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria Bulgarian armed forces 545 73 1.42 28,767
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark Danish Armed Forces 3,020 535 1.16 24,509
    GermanyGermany Germany armed forces 32,490 397 1.23 180.143
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia Estonian Defense Forces 340 254 2.00 3,190
    FinlandFinland Finland Finnish armed forces 2,654 493 1.40 8,844
    FranceFrance France French armed forces 39.105 597 1.93 268,000
    GreeceGreece Greece Greek armed forces 3,272 290 1.69 109.070
    IrelandIreland Ireland Irish armed forces 881 196 0.55 9,450
    ItalyItaly Italy Italian armed forces 20,600 338 1.32 184,318
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia Croatian armed forces 610 146 1.41 18,000
    LatviaLatvia Latvia Latvian National Armed Forces 210 102 1.04 4,832
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania Lithuanian Army 462 83 1.11 15,800
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg Armed Forces of Luxembourg 201 386 0.47 1,057
    MaltaMalta Malta Armed Forces of Malta 40 96 0.62 1,698
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands Dutch armed forces 8,156 489 1.35 44,655
    AustriaAustria Austria Federal Army 2,453 291 0.82 27.110
    PolandPoland Poland Polish armed forces 6,754 175 1.95 120,000
    PortugalPortugal Portugal Portuguese Armed Forces 2,669 251 1.56 35,254
    RomaniaRomania Romania Armata Română 1,713 80 1.26 68,340
    SwedenSweden Sweden Swedish Armed Forces 4,331 459 1.12 13,949
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic 763 140 1.10 13,501
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia Slovenian Armed Forces 478 233 1.32 7.107
    SpainSpain Spain Spanish armed forces 10,059 218 0.95 124,561
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic Armed Forces of the Czech Republic 1,820 173 1.17 22,129
    HungaryHungary Hungary Hungarian armed forces 1,000 100 1.00 18,088
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom Armed Forces 43,696 691 2.30 205.810
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus Cypriot National Guard 345 400 1.92 12,392

    Land Forces

    Member country Main battle tank Protected vehicle artillery
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union 7,695 18,819 9,817
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium 226 133
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria 362 681 1,035
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark 46 229 56
    GermanyGermany Germany 815 1,774 401
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia
    FinlandFinland Finland 128 1,080 656
    FranceFrance France 525 2,876 638
    GreeceGreece Greece 1,622 2,187 1,920
    IrelandIreland Ireland
    ItalyItaly Italy 1,176 3,145 1,446
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia 75 283 127
    LatviaLatvia Latvia
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg
    MaltaMalta Malta
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 16 634 135
    AustriaAustria Austria 54 364 73
    PolandPoland Poland 1,675 3.110 1,580
    PortugalPortugal Portugal 220 425
    RomaniaRomania Romania 857 1,272 1,273
    SwedenSweden Sweden
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia 30th 327 68
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia 54
    SpainSpain Spain 484 1.007 811
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic 123 501 182
    HungaryHungary Hungary 155 597 30th
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom 296 1,368 305
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus

    Air Force

    (Status: end of 2018)

    Warplanes

    Member country Typhoon tornado Mirage 2000 Grip F-16 F / A-18 MiG-29 MiG-21 Harrier II F-35 Other total
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union 330 155 179 123 404 146 58 36 28 20th 267 1,736
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium 52 52
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria 15th 15th
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark 44 44
    GermanyGermany Germany 141 80 221
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia No fighter planes
    FinlandFinland Finland 62 62
    FranceFrance France 137 142 Rafale 279
    GreeceGreece Greece 42 153 33 F-4 228
    IrelandIreland Ireland No fighter planes
    ItalyItaly Italy 94 75 15th 11 40 AMX 235
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia 12 12
    LatviaLatvia Latvia No fighter planes
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania No fighter planes
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg No fighter planes
    MaltaMalta Malta No fighter planes
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 68 9 77
    AustriaAustria Austria 15th 15th
    PolandPoland Poland 48 31 32 Su-22 111
    PortugalPortugal Portugal 27 27
    RomaniaRomania Romania 12 24 36
    SwedenSweden Sweden 95 95
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia 12 12
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia No fighter planes
    SpainSpain Spain 70 84 13 167
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic 14th 20 L-159A 34
    HungaryHungary Hungary 14th 14th
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus No fighter planes
    former
    member countries
    Typhoon tornado Mirage 2000 Grip F-16 F / A-18 MiG-29 MiG-21 Harrier II F-35 Other total
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom 160 16 176

    Air refueling and transportation

    Member country A330
    MRTT
    A310
    MRTT
    KC-130 KC-135 KC-767 (K) DC-10 A400M C-130 C-160 C-27J CN-235 /
    C-295
    L-410 Other total
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union 4th 4th 12 14th 4th 1 58 80 36 40 84 12 120 469
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium 10 1 A321
    3 ERJ-135 / 145
    14th
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria 2 1 An-26
    1 PC-12
    4th
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark 4th 4th
    GermanyGermany Germany 4th 33 15th 1 A310 53
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia 2 M-28 2
    FinlandFinland Finland 2 3 Learjet 35
    6 PC-12NG
    11
    FranceFrance France 2 2 14th 17th 16 21st 27 3 A310
    6 DHC-6
    15 TBM 700
    123
    GreeceGreece Greece 11 8th 19th
    IrelandIreland Ireland No tank or transport planes
    ItalyItaly Italy 4th 4th 15th 18th 3 Do 228
    12 P. 180
    56
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia No tank or transport planes
    LatviaLatvia Latvia No tank or transport planes
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania 3 1 4th
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg No tank or transport planes
    MaltaMalta Malta No tank or transport planes
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 2 1 1 4th 7th
    AustriaAustria Austria 3 8 PC-6 11
    PolandPoland Poland 5 23 21 M-28 49
    PortugalPortugal Portugal 4th 7th 11
    RomaniaRomania Romania 3 7th 2 An-26 12
    SwedenSweden Sweden 1 5 1 Saab 340
    1 Sabreliner
    7th
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia 2 5 7th
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia 1 2 PC-6 3
    SpainSpain Spain 5 8th 21st 9 C-212
    7 Citation II / V / VII
    3 King Air 90
    53
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic 4th 5 9
    HungaryHungary Hungary 2 A319
    4 An-26
    3 Boeing C-17 1
    9
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus 1 BN-2 1
    1 NATO aircraft with national registration and markings.
    former
    member countries
    A330
    MRTT
    A310
    MRTT
    KC-130 KC-135 KC-767 (K) DC-10 A400M C-130 C-160 C-27J CN-235 /
    C-295
    L-410 Other total
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom 14th 20th 16 8 Boeing C-17
    5 BAe 125
    2 BAe 146
    65

    Reconnaissance aircraft and maritime patrol aircraft

    Member country E-3 P-3 CN-235 /
    C-295
    King Air BN-2 AN-30 Other total
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union 20th 15th 16 4th 2 3 77 137
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria 1 1
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark 3 Challenger 604 3
    GermanyGermany Germany 8th 2 Thu-228 10
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    FinlandFinland Finland 1 1
    FranceFrance France 4th 2 C-160
    22 Atlantic 2
    3 E-2
    5 Falcon 20
    8 Falcon 50
    44
    GreeceGreece Greece 2 C-130
    1 CL-415
    4 EJR-145
    7th
    IrelandIreland Ireland 2 1 3
    ItalyItaly Italy 1 2 ATR 72
    2 C-27J
    2 G550
    7th
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    LatviaLatvia Latvia No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg 16 1 16
    MaltaMalta Malta 3 1 4th
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    AustriaAustria Austria No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    PolandPoland Poland 5 M-28 5
    PortugalPortugal Portugal 4th 5 9
    RomaniaRomania Romania 2 2
    SwedenSweden Sweden 2 Gulfstream IV
    2 Saab 340
    4th
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia 1 L-410 1
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    SpainSpain Spain 3 8th 5 C-212
    2 Falcon 20
    18th
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    HungaryHungary Hungary No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus No reconnaissance planes or maritime patrols
    1 NATO aircraft with national registration and markings.
    Member country E-3 P-3 CN-235 /
    C-295
    King Air BN-2 AN-30 Other total
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom 6th 6th 11 4 Sentinel
    3 RC-135
    30th

    Combat, transport and liaison helicopters

    Member country AH-64 AW129 tiger Wed-24 AW101 AW109 AW139 CH-47 SA316 /
    319
    SA341 /
    342
    SA330 /
    H215 /
    H225M
    NH90 UH-1 UH-60 /
    S-70
    Wed-8 Other total
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union 57 59 127 62 51 60 27 81 60 189 343 271 345 62 126 539 2,480
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium 20th 3 8th 31
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria 2 12 3 2 Bell 206 19th
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark 14th 9 12 H125 35
    GermanyGermany Germany 53 75 29 66 CH53
    13 H135
    15 H145M
    22 Lynx
    21 Sea King
    294
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia 4 R44 4th
    FinlandFinland Finland 20th 7 OH-6 27
    FranceFrance France 56 18th 185 212 49 28 AS365 / 366
    16 Lynx
    564
    GreeceGreece Greece 29 24 12 11 101 11 11 Bell 206
    18 Hughes 269
    217
    IrelandIreland Ireland 6th 2 H135 8th
    ItalyItaly Italy 59 25th 20th 15th 23 62 150 2 OH-6
    31 Bell 206
    387
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia 23 16 OH-58 39
    LatviaLatvia Latvia 5 5
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania 3 3 AS365 6th
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg No attack, transport, or liaison helicopters
    MaltaMalta Malta 3 3 6th
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 28 17th 12 20th 77
    AustriaAustria Austria 21st 23 9 11 OH-58 64
    PolandPoland Poland 30th 2 41 64 Mi-2
    9 Mi-14
    62 W-3
    24 SW-4
    4 SH-2
    256
    PortugalPortugal Portugal 12 8th 5 Lynx 25th
    RomaniaRomania Romania 7th 62 69
    SwedenSweden Sweden 20th 17th 15th 52
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia 2 13 2 Wed-2 17th
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia 4th 8th 4 Bell 206 16
    SpainSpain Spain 18th 17th 41 9 22nd 14th 15 H120
    14 H135
    8 S-76
    8 Sea King
    5 MD500
    171
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic 17th 24 2 Wed-2
    9 W-3
    52
    HungaryHungary Hungary 2 14th 2 H125 18th
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus 11 3 4th 2 Bell 206 20th
    former
    member countries
    AH-64 AW129 tiger Wed-24 AW101 AW109 AW139 CH-47 SA316 /
    319
    SA341 /
    342
    SA330 /
    H215 /
    H225M
    NH90 UH-1 UH-60 /
    S-70
    Wed-8 Other total
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom 49 52 1 54 23 22nd 6 AS365
    57 AW159
    264

    Naval forces

    (Status: end of 2019)

    Member country Fleet Aircraft Carrier /
    Light Aircraft Carrier
    Amphibious assault ship /
    helicopter carrier
    Amphibious support ship /
    landing craft
    destroyer frigate Corvette /
    FK speedboat
    Patrol boat Anti-mine vehicle Submarine with ballistic missiles Submarine total tonnage
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union 2 5 24 7th 92 54 124 114 4th 47 473 1,163,520
    BelgiumBelgium Belgium 2 2 5 9 10,458
    BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria 4th 3 7th 14th 12,449
    DenmarkDenmark Denmark 5 13 18th 53,771
    GermanyGermany Germany 10 5 10 6th 31 71,740
    EstoniaEstonia Estonia 3 3 1,800
    FinlandFinland Finland 4th 4th 7th 15th 8,860
    FranceFrance France 1 3 3 19th 17th 17th 4th 5 69 315.040
    GreeceGreece Greece 9 13 19th 10 4th 11 66 105,515
    IrelandIreland Ireland 9 9 15,408
    ItalyItaly Italy 1 1 3 4th 12 10 10 8th 49 194.084
    CroatiaCroatia Croatia 2 5 5 1 13 3,688
    LatviaLatvia Latvia 5 5 10 3,750
    LithuaniaLithuania Lithuania 4th 4th 8th 5,289
    LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg No naval forces
    MaltaMalta Malta 2 2 1,410
    NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 3 6th 4th 6th 4th 23 111.080
    AustriaAustria Austria No naval forces
    PolandPoland Poland 5 2 4th 1 20th 3 35 30,430
    PortugalPortugal Portugal 5 9 2 16 28,843
    RomaniaRomania Romania 3 7th 3 13 24,189
    SwedenSweden Sweden 7th 3 9 5 24 18,377
    SlovakiaSlovakia Slovakia No naval forces
    SloveniaSlovenia Slovenia 1 1 333
    SpainSpain Spain 1 2 11 20th 6th 3 43 145,576
    Czech RepublicCzech Republic Czech Republic No naval forces
    HungaryHungary Hungary No naval forces
    Cyprus RepublicRepublic of Cyprus Cyprus 2 2 1,430
    former
    member countries
    Fleet Aircraft Carrier /
    Light Aircraft Carrier
    Amphibious assault ship /
    helicopter carrier
    Amphibious support ship /
    landing craft
    destroyer frigate Corvette /
    FK speedboat
    Patrol boat Anti-mine vehicle Submarine with ballistic missiles Submarine total tonnage
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom 2 5 6th 13 6th 13 4th 6th 55 458.403
    Different types of aircraft carriers
    Size comparison with other naval forces
    Country marine Total
    tonnage
    Biggest ship
    tonnage Type Surname
    United StatesUnited States United States United States Navy 3,415,893 104,000 Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford
    European UnionEuropean Union European Union - 1,494,151 42,500 Aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
    RussiaRussia Russia Russian Navy 845.730 61,390 Aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov
    China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China People's Republic of China Navy of the People's Republic of China 708.086 67,500 Aircraft carrier Liaoning
    JapanJapan Japan Marine Self-Defense Forces 413,800 27,000 Helicopter carrier Izumo
    United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom Royal Navy 367,850 22,500 Helicopter carrier HMS Ocean
    FranceFrance France French Navy 319.195 42,500 Aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
    IndiaIndia India Indian Navy 317.725 45,500 Aircraft carrier Vikramaditya
    Korea SouthSouth Korea South Korea South Korean Navy 178.710 18,880 Amphibious assault ship ROKS Dokdo
    ItalyItaly Italy Marina Militare 173,549 27,910 Aircraft carrier Cavour
    TaiwanRepublic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan Navy of the Republic of China 151,662 9,780 Guided missiles - destroyers ROCS Kee Lung
    SpainSpain Spain Armada Española 148,607 27,079 Amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos I

    (Status: beginning of 2014)

    See also

    literature

    Individual evidence

    1. Rearmament and Pleven Plan ( Memento of December 10, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
    2. New attempt for European Army ( Memento of the original from March 17, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zdf.de
    3. EU policy: Merkel calls for a European army . March 23, 2007.
    4. ^ N-tv news: EU tax and EU army .
    5. http://www.ftd.de/politik/europa/:sicherheitskonferenz-westerwelle-will-eine-eu-armee/50070689.html ( Memento from February 8, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
    6. n-tv news: Should Germany allow itself to be defended by Europe? .
    7. tagesschau.de: Juncker wants an EU army and a euro finance minister .
    8. diepresse.com - "EU Army: Then Brussels decides about life and death"
    9. NEOS position paper on neutrality ( memento of the original dated June 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / neos.eu
    10. ^ Report in SPIEGEL on the meeting of defense ministers in Bratislava on September 26, 2016
    11. tagesschau.de: EU Commission plans defense fund .
    12. Markus Becker: 23 EU states found a military union. In: Spiegel Online. November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017 .
    13. tagesschau.de: Together powerful: EU on the way to a defense union .
    14. Also includes members outside the EU.
    15. a b c d Franz Josef Jung: European army: necessary future vision . March 25, 2014.
    16. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Schnell, GenLt a. D .: Budgets and military budgets of the EU member states against the background of the current dramatic financial situation - savings effects and increased efficiency through a European army? ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (2011) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.unibw.de
    17. Philip Gallhöfer: efficiency and effectiveness through defense cooperation: implications within the European Union
    18. a b Arming for America? at: zeit.de
    19. Andreas Würth: Why not, as has been proven, from simple to difficult? How common European armed forces could begin. Meeting Point Europe , August 27, 2018, accessed on November 22, 2018 .
    20. Matthias Dembinski, Dirk Peters: AN ARMY FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION? EUROPEAN POLICY CONCEPTIONS AND DEFENSE POLICY STRUCTURES. (PDF) In: hsfk.de: LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT HESSISCHE STIFTUNG PEACE AND CONFLICT RESEARCH (PRIF), PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE FRANKFURT (PRIF). January 2018, accessed December 5, 2018 .
    21. ^ A b Matthias Dembinski, Dirk Peters: For a European Army. (PDF) In: hans-peter-bartels.de. February 2006, accessed December 5, 2018 .
    22. Jürgen Groß, Andreas Weigel: Long-term goal: EUropean army. (PDF) In: ifsh.de: Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy. August 29, 2008, accessed December 5, 2018 .
    23. Reasons for the European Army (on: zeit.de )
    24. Philip Gallhöfer: efficiency and effectiveness through defense cooperation: implications within the European Union . Springer-Verlag, June 26, 2014, ISBN 978-3-658-06359-7 , pp. 73–.
    25. ^ A b Thomas Straubhaar: Defense: European Army would have many advantages . March 10, 2015.
    26. ^ Main Ground Combat System
    27. ^ Charles Heyman: The Armed Forces of the European Union, 2011-2013. Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley 2011, ISBN 978-1-84415-519-4
    28. https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/flugzeugtraeger-china-103.html . Northern German Radio. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
    29. wikipedia: Merging the numbers from Indian Armed Forces
    30. wikipedia: Merging the numbers from Turkish armed forces
    31. [1] sueddeutsche.de: Macron calls for "true European army"
    32. [2] blick.ch: Macron calls for the formation of a "true European army"
    33. Angela Merkel promotes European army. In: Spiegel Online . November 13, 2018, accessed November 13, 2018 .
    34. ^ A b Summit in Paris: Trump calls Macron's proposal for a European army "offensive" . In: Zeit Online , November 10, 2018.
    35. tagesschau.de: Merkel is promoting the European army in the EU Parliament. In: tagesschau.de. November 13, 2018, accessed November 13, 2018 .
    36. Lorenz Hemicker: Merkel supports Macron's idea of ​​a European army. In: FAZ.net . November 13, 2018, accessed November 13, 2018 .
    37. Europe, USA, NATO (Peace Council) .
    38. Donald J. Trump: Tweet. In: Twitter . November 9, 2018, accessed November 14, 2018 .
    39. Torsten Teichmann: Reconciling tones in the Élysée Palace. Tagesschau (ARD) , November 10, 2018
    40. Jens Stoltenberg: NATO Secretary General criticizes the idea of ​​a European army . Die Zeit online, November 13, 2018
    41. Jordan Shilton: Ex-Prime Minister Blair supports the demand for a European army .
    42. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac Defense Data Portal , Official 2012 defense statistics from the European Defense Agency
    43. ^ Federal Ministry of Defense : Strength: Military personnel of the Bundeswehr. Bundeswehr, August 5, 2015, accessed on August 15, 2015 .
    44. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Ministry of Defense - Vehicle & Aircraft Holdings within the scope of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty: Annual: 2013 edition , gov.uk, (pp.10- 13), accessed November 28, 2014
    45. Archive link ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / arhiv.braniteljski-portal.hr
    46. ^ The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland .
    47. Craig Hoyle: World Air Force 2019. Flight International , December 8, 2018, accessed February 1, 2019 .
    48. ^ Orders, Deliveries, In Operation Military aircraft by Country - Worldwide. (PDF) Airbus , April 30, 2020, accessed June 8, 2020 .
    49. ^ Karl Schwarz: First F-35 in Leeuwarden. In: Flight Revue . November 2, 2019, accessed November 7, 2019 .
    50. ^ Orders, Deliveries, In Operation Military aircraft by Country - Worldwide. Airbus.com , August 31, 2019, accessed October 2, 2019 .
    51. AIRBUS A400M PRODUCTION LIST. In: www.abcdlist.nl. June 23, 2020, accessed June 24, 2020 .
    52. Patrick Zwerger: LTG 63 celebrates 400,000 flight hours with Transall. Flug Revue, September 25, 2019, accessed on September 26, 2019 .
    53. Volker K. Thomalla: The second A330 MRTT for the MMU landed in Eindhoven. In: aerobuzz.de. August 11, 2020, accessed on August 12, 2020 .
    54. Bob Fischer: RNLAF has retired their first KDC-10. In: aorubuzz.de. November 4, 2019, accessed December 5, 2019 .
    55. 8. Report of the Federal Ministry of Defense on Armaments Matters. (PDF) Federal Ministry of Defense, December 7, 2018, p. 89 , accessed on February 4, 2019 .
    56. ^ Karl Schwarz: NH90 maintenance at Airbus Helicopters and Elbe Flugzeugwerke. Flug Revue, August 28, 2019, accessed on September 23, 2019 .
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