Analysis: Problems facing Europe's rapid reaction force

By Robin Oakley, CNN.com European Political Editor

BRUSSELS,Belgium, (CNN) -- European Union countries have pledged the troops and equipment required to launch a new Rapid Reaction Force which will take on conflict resolution, peacekeeping and humanitarian duties where Nato chooses not to get involved.

At a Capability Commitment Conference in Brussels the 15 EU nations made their promises of personnel and weapons with the aim of having the new force of 60,000 up and running by 2003 and capable of sustaining any operation for at least a year.

But since many of the troops involved and much of the equipment to be used will have to be borrowed from the 19-nation Nato organisation, which includes Canada, the United States and other non-EU countries like Turkey, negotiations about precise roles will continue between the 15 EU countries and Nato.

Javier Solana, the EU's "High Representative" in charge of foreign and security policy, said that the pledging session had been a "serious first step" for a EU determined to play a bigger role in tackling crises.

Officials confirmed that more than 100,000 troops, 100 ships and 400 combat aircraft had been promised to the force.

The foreign and defence ministers of the EU countries will still have to do some juggling of commitments however as the new force will be short of transport aircraft and precision-guided missiles.

Only 10 roll-on, roll-off ships have been promised against an estimated requirement of more than 60 for a strategic sealift.

Wary of reactions from Washington, European defence ministers have been emphasising that there will be no duplication of NATO's role and that NATO will remain as Europe's primary defence organisation.

But in the UK the opposition Conservative Party declared that the new organisation would undermine NATO and pledged that it would withdraw Britain from the new force if elected.

CNN.com Europe More news from our Europe edition    VIDEO EU and NATO will coordinate military efforts throughout Europe. CNN's Patricia Kelly explains why the French chose to concede Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

UK and Scandinavian leaders have promised that the Rapid Reaction Force will not become a European standing army and that no EU nations would be forced to contribute troops to operations in which they did not wish to participate.

Contributing units will remain under national control and there will not be a standard uniform, only a common insignia.

The Americans, the dominating contributors to NATO, have long called for that organisation to shoulder a bigger proportion of the defence burden in Europe. But when the French and British first began to develop plans for a new European defence identity they were uneasy about a potential sidelining of NATO.

European diplomats now say that Washington's fears have largely evaporated and that the Rapid Reaction Force plans are being welcomed in the Pentagon.

With precise national totals yet to be announced in some cases EU officials were expecting contributions at a minimum level of 13,500 from Germany, 12,500 from the United Kingdom and France, 6,000 from Italy and Spain, 5,000 from the Netherlands,3,500 from Greece, 2,000 from Finland and Austria, 1,500 from Sweden and 1,000 each from Belgium, Ireland and Portugal.

Luxembourg was pledging 100 troops but Denmark had pledged none.

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