PPRuNe Forums - EU structure to replace NATO: We're already commited

PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/)

- Military Aviation (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation-57/)

- - EU structure to replace NATO: We're already commited (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/621013-eu-structure-replace-nato-were-already-commited.html)

EU structure to replace NATO: We're already commited

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnglianAV8R (Post 10459124)

https://facts4eu.org/static/media/br...pj9db6ZKyX7pEw Discuss.

I call fake news. We have just handed over Op ATALANTA to the Spanish due to BREXIT - in preparation of the UK exiting the EU.

https://www.janes.com/article/87589/...piracy-mission

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnglianAV8R (Post 10459124)

https://facts4eu.org/static/media/br...pj9db6ZKyX7pEw Discuss.

Discuss: it's up there with £350M/week for the NHS, this being the easiest thing we've ever done, we hold all the cards, Merkel will come grovelling when BMW realises how important we are. In short, it's misleading crap and it's being widely peddled by the hard line BREXITEERs on a lot of comments sections as evidence. Most of it concerns PESCO which is the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation part of the EU defence policy. PESCO doesn't really do warfighting, it's more capacity building, training, disaster response, standardisation etc. The UK will always have NATO and FVEYs at the core of its defence activities exactly because we are a full spectrum force with a warfighting, expeditionary role.

As for signing up to things. Well May could well have agreed to these funds and structures, but that doesn't mean the UK is signed up to them. Why would we block the when we are on the way out. And once we are out and are therefore a 'third nation', we can't take part in PESCO without agreement - about as far from the UK being commited to an EU army as you can get. Frankly, it's just not worth losing any sleep over. Stick it in the bottom of the kids' rabbit hutch.

NATO is not guaranteed to last forever. One thing about coalitions that I learned after studying political and military history going back to about the Peloponnesian War: coalitions last about as long as they are politically useful to their members. Heck, Napoleon faced five different coalitions in 20 years time.
Would I rather see NATO survive? Yes. Warts and all, I think that the Transatlantic link matters.
But there needs to be a political reason, a compelling political reason, to keep any coalition together.
What is it?
Answer that question, and you have the answer on how to keep it together.
As ever, answers on a post card ...

But if NATO folds for whatever political reason, the EU and WEU need to be ready to stand up.
Are they?

".......WEU need to be ready to stand up "
Bit late now I'm afraid. Absorbed into the EU in the early 2000's.