EU Needs Own Military Capacity to Respond to New Crises

The fall of Kabul to the Taliban and the chaotic international evacuation effort shows that Europe needs to develop its own military capacity independent of the United States, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell argues.

In an interview with AFP, Borrell said European powers would struggle to evacuate their citizens and Afghan allies before the United States ends its operation at Kabul airport — perhaps as early as 31 August.

Several US allies have asked Washington to delay this departure, as NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Friday (20 August), as without the protection of the 6,000 US troops deployed at the airport, European operations may have to cease.

Read more at: https://www.novinite.com/articles/210949/EU+Needs+Own+Military+Capacity+to+Respond+to+New+Crises

Eastern Europe Cautiously "Welcomes" Larger U.S. Military Presence - by Rick Lyman

The Obama administration’s plans to quadruple military spending in Central and Eastern Europe, largely in response to recent aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, were greeted warmly but warily in the region recently..

“It is clear that the European Union can no longer adequately respond to Russia’s demonstrations of power, so it is comforting that at least the United States is finally stepping up,” Roman Kuzniar, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the University of Warsaw, said Tuesday.

Mr. Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and his continued support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine — along with provocative incursions into Ukraine’s airspace, increased submarine patrols and military maneuvers near Russia’s western borders — have unsettled many of the former Communist states in the region and have led to increasing demands for a concrete Western response. The news from Washington was welcomed by several government officials.

Note EU-Digest: Military show of force is never a good idea and will probably further increase the tension in that area. The emphasis should be more on economic sanctions and diplomatic  solutions.



Read more: Eastern Europe Cautiously Welcomes Larger U.S. Military Presence - The New York Times