EUROCORPS Press Chief Booghs to EuroFora: Flexibility+PluriModality to boost EuroArmy embryo's role?

*Strasbourg/Alsace Region-Strasbourg's Press Club/Angelo Marcopolo/- Even if the latest EU Brussels' Summit's official conclusions, in principle focused on EU's Security/Defence Policy, nevertheless, didn't specifically mention the notorious Strasbourg-based embryo of a European Army Headquarters' joint staff  (Etat Major), known as EUROCORPS, nevertheless, its "Flexibility", "Inter-Modality"  and rare Experience, (added also to a traditionally Strong Support by EU Parliament), normally should guarantee that it remains a potentially important tool, ready to be efficiently used at a variety of challenging Missions, at the disposal of European Poilitical Leadership, said in substance EUROCORPS' New Director of its Press Service, Colonel Eddy Booghs, from Belgium (the Member Country which currently holds the rotating Commandment of EUROCORPS), told "EuroFora".

He was speaking at Strasbourg's Press Club's Annual Reception, in Strasbourg Region Alsace's Headquarters, facing EU Parliament's buildings, where we were invited and welcomed by the President of the Region, former Minister Philippe Richert, by a timely outlook on the New Year's main Perspectives.

- At first, EUROCORPS, which is normally able to command up to 65000 Soldiers, has already received an exceptionaly important Experience, without any comparison to the way that any other Mutltilateral Grouping of various Military Forces in Europe has been used, or not, sinc it was sent for Missions of Crucial Importance, both to Kosovo (Twice) and to Afghanistan (also Twice, during the latest one, having even assumed the role of Head of the International Forces' Joint Staff, via its formet Commander the French General Bavinchove (Comp. General Bavinchove's statements to "EuroFora", about Topical Questions in the Past).

But it's true that EUROCORPS' new Commander, the Belgian General Guy Buchsenschmidt, speaking earlier to Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", (Comp. f.ex. : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/eurocorpscommandersoneuautonomytools.html ) had already warned against an eventual attempt to, at least for the Time being, underestimate and/or not make a normal and full use of its capabilities, to the obvious detriment of EU Defence's Strategic Autonomy, (strongly supported by all recent EU Parliament's Resolutions, and formally even by the latest EU Brussels' Summit, where it was briefly mentioned), and Buchsenschmidt's concern, initially expressed last June,  apparently proved rather premonitory, given the December 2013 EU Brussels' Summit Conclusions strange silence as far as any EU-related Military Force is concerned, (notoriously because of a systematic and explicit opposal mainly by Brittish Prime Miniser Cameron, who pursued  further UK's traditional policies in this regard), so that, in fact, there was nothing really new, there...

- Moreover, EUROCORPS' "Flexibility" allows for it to be able to become a Tool either of NATO, or of the EU, eventualy even of its 5 (soon 6, after the forthcoming Entry of Poland, scheduled for 2016) Member Countries, (France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg), for any purpose or Mission that they might deem necessary. Therefore, if it's not used by one among those 3 main Actors, for a given period of Time, nevertheless, it can be used by the other Actors, the Press Director of the European Corps stressed to "EuroFora" Today. Politically, at any case, it all depends mainly from the Foreign Policy's strategy and/or tactics, since, in fact, the Military's basic role is to succeed to realize and reach the Targets chosen by those Responsible to determine a given entity's (EU, NATO, Member States, etc) Foreign Policy, he added.

- "EuroFora" reacted by observing the fact that this Fits well also with the recent adoption of €uro-Area's Treaty, (prepared betweenAugust and December 2011, but Signed at the Beginning of 2012 and Ratified later that same Year : Comp. relevant "EuroFora"'s NewsReports, at those times, from Brussels, Paris, etc), which introduced, for the 1st Time in History, also an Article allowing for €uroArea's 18 Heads of State/Government to practically Discuss and/or Decide on any Issue of Interest for their Countries, and Not Only on exclusively Economic, Financial or Monetary issues, but also on anything else they might believe necessary, f.ex. also Security/Defence matters, right at EU's Franco-German core, (progressively enlarged to willing Allies among EU's various Member Countries : F.ex. already : Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, soon also Poland, while Greece and Italy, for the moment they are just "Associated" EUROCORPS' Countries, having already sent 2 or more "Liaison Officers" at its Strasbourg HearQuarters). This already includes the 7 more relevant among €uroArea's 18 Membe States, to which would soon be added also an important 8th one : Poland (from 2016), taken among the remaning EU Countries.

     +  By the way, at least as far as EU's Common Security and Defence Policy's developments are concerned, Colonel Booghs also observed that the EU had just decided, only a few Days ago in Brussels, to officialy adopt an "EU Mission" status for the Peace-Keeping Operation in Central Africa, (i.e. as the French President Hollande and the German Chancellor Merkel had both stressed to Journalists in Brusselss, during the latest EU Summit of December 2013 : Comp. "EuroFora"s NewsReports from the spot), while also attributing its responsibility to the Larissa-based HQ, in Greece, the Country which has started to Chair EU Council for the period of January - June 2014.

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    ++ But, even more important could prove to be Today, EUROCORPS' reported Multi-Modal Capacity to associate, combine and use, at the same Time, in a well coordinated way, many and Various Categories of Military Forces, going from Land to Air and/or even Sea/Maritime Forces, taken all Together :

    - Indeed, this seems o be, by a positive coincidence, perfectly in tune with the incoming Greek 2014 EU Presidency's declared Priority to boost the Maritime Security and Defence Policy of the EU, (particularly as far as Protection of EU's Oil/Gas Offshore Natural Resources in Energy are concerned, f.ex. in Cyprus, Greece, or even France's DOP TOM Sea Areas, Spain's, UK's, etc) : As it is well known, the latest, December 2013 EU Brussels' Summit, explicitly decided to develop such EU Capabilities, ordering to prepare Final Conclusions for EU's Maritime Security/Defence Policy, at the forthcoming June 2014 EU Brussels' Summit.

    => This move Timely Fits with EUROCORPS' already declared Intention to Boost its capacities to serve also as a Multi-Modal Force's HeadQuarters in the foreseable Future, able to Combine the Direction of Land, Air and Sea Military Forces, taken all Together at the Same Time : Already, at least 2 New, real nature Exercices are currently prepared for EUROCORPS in the for, one near Strasbourg, and another one, a bit further away, at France's Marmelon area, around October 2014, where the 5 EU Nations' Military Body will have to definitively Test and prove its recently acquired Capacities to work also as a kind of "Joint Task Force" (JTF), its Spokesman, Colonel Booghs told "EuroFora".

    Obviously, such a positive "Coincidence" between the forthcoming June 2014 EU Summit's already declared official Aims, in terms of Security/Defence policy Development towards Maritime SDP, (Comp. Supra), and EUROCORPS' crucial Breakthrough as a Multi-Modal, Land, Air and*Sea "Joint Task Force" capability's Test, scheduled for October 2014, cannot but even Better reveal its Important Potential as EU's CSDP's main tool in the foreseable Future, "EuroFora" suggested, and EUROCORPS' Press Director clearly acknowledged, therefore, giving Rendez-Vous for an assessment of relevant developments, and their practical consequences, in just a few Months' time...  


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