On Tuesday, 17 October, the European Union organised its first-ever joint military exercise in Rota (Spain).
“Today, we are writing a new page in [the history of] European Union defence”, stated High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell during a press briefing, explaining that this was another step towards making the EU fit to cope with crises and building security and defence policy and capabilities for the future.
In concrete terms, the exercise—called LIVEX—involves 2,800 men and women from Austria, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Romania, and Spain, according to Mr Borrell. A total of 19 Member States, 31 military units, and maritime, land, space, and cyber assets are participating in the operation.
LIVEX is meant to serve as practice for an ‘initial phase of stabilisation’: a deployment of troops to restore order in a destabilised environment, a scenario in which the future rapid deployment capacity could be used.
“Exercising together [...] enhances the readiness and interoperability of our Member States’ troops”, explained Mr Borrell. He added that while this strengthens the EU’s ability to act more quickly in response to crises outside the Union, it also helps build a common strategic culture on defence.
According to Mr Borrell, the exercise is also a “crucial” test of the EU’s Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), which is acting as the operation headquarters for the exercise. “It will allow [us] to prepare to be ready to act as the preferred European Union command and control structure for our missions in the future and for the rapid deployment capacity in particular”, explained Mr Borrell.
The High Representative moreover announced that the next LIVEX exercise would take place in the second half of 2024 with Germany’s support. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)