The Paradox of a European Army: A Force That Won’t Fight
11th October 2016
In the past month, the real specter of a European Union-controlled army has finally appeared. At his European State of the Union address in Strasbourg on September 14th, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declared that Europe needs to “toughen up.” He proposed that Europe create a single headquarters for military operations, and consider common military forces one of the aims of the “ever closer union” which is the EU’s longstanding goal. The governments of Europe’s largest military powers—France, Italy, and Germany—have publicly expressed support, and added proposals for a single EU military research budget in the name of efficiency, among others.