US embassy cable - 05BRUSSELS379

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000379 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/ERA AND S/CRS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MCAP, MOPS, EAID, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: S/CRS ASSESSES THE EU'S CRISIS RESPONSE 
CAPABILITIES 
 
Classified By: USEU Political Military Officer Jeremy Brenner for reaso 
ns 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C/NF) Summary:  The European Union has developed 
deployable capabilities in police monitoring and training, 
civil administration, rule of law, and civil protection. 
Under the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), there 
is an evolving capacity to do early warning of failed or 
failing states or regional conflict combined with an ability 
to do contingency planning for an integrated crisis response. 
Some of the missions envisioned within the EU would involve a 
military component in a range or roles. These structures are 
developing rapidly, and it is likely that some ESDP missions 
will be deployed over the next months in order to demonstrate 
as yet untested capabilities. End Summary. 
 
2. (U)  John Schmidt, S/CRS Deputy Coordinator for Security 
and Governance and Tod Wilson, Director of Transitional 
Security, met January 11 with EU officials for discussions of 
EU crisis response capabilities.  Within the Council 
Directorate General for External Relations and Common Foreign 
and Security Policy are Directorates for Civilian Crisis 
Management and Coordination and for Defense Aspects. 
 
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ESDP: Creating a Global and Integrated Crisis Response 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
3. (C/NF) In a meeting with Didier Lenoir, planner for 
military aspects of crisis management, Schmidt and Wilson 
explored the existing structures and capabilities for 
planning and running an integrated crisis management 
operation under the European Security and Defense Policy. 
Lenoir explained that most of the strictly civilian 
mechanisms for humanitarian relief and reconstruction reside 
within the European Commission, where there are significant 
budgets established for ongoing programs.  ESDP seeks to 
create a global and integrated approach to crisis response as 
part of its security mandate.  The 2003 European Security 
Strategy identified failed states and regional conflicts as 
key security threats to the EU. 
 
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Commission and Council: Two sides of the EU Response 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
4. (C/NF) According to Lenoir, the ESDP role in crisis 
response is part of a "grey zone" between the humanitarian 
competencies of the Commission and the security function of 
the Council. He explained the division by saying that money 
spent for the local population comes from the Commission, but 
deploying people to undertake a mission on the ground is a 
Council function. While acknowledging that the EU itself is 
"stovepiped" along these lines, he insisted that within the 
Council Secretariat there is full coordination among the 
military and civilian components of crisis response planning. 
While there are Commission representatives on the 
newly-created civ/mil planning cell staff within the 
Secretariat, the cell will not have the authority to draw 
 
SIPDIS 
directly upon Commission assets. Its role will be as a 
central clearinghouse and planning body to coordinate 
individual member states responses as well as those from 
within the EU. 
 
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The Military Options 
-------------------- 
 
5. (C/NF) Lenoir explained that the planning cell will use a 
watch list as a basis for contingency planning. The cell can 
be tasked by the Secretariat with preparing a contingency 
plan for a particular country. He foresees a range of ESDP 
operations that cover three options. One option would be a 
military component as part of a civilian humanitarian or 
stabilization operation. This would entail a logistics and 
transportation role with planning support for the civilian 
teams. A second option would involve military units in 
support of the civilian mission. Such a role would involve 
the previous elements, but would add a security function. The 
third option would be a military operation designed to "kick 
in the door" and establish a safe and secure environment in 
order for the civilian operations to be established.  The 
first two options, according to Lenoir, could be planned and 
run from within the Operations Center, scheduled to be 
operational in January 2006. The third option of a purely 
military operation would probably be planned and run at 
SHAPE. 
 
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Missions Defined by End Date, Not End State 
------------------------------------------- 
 
6. (C/NF)  Lenoir reminded us that the assets that could be 
marshaled under ESDP are national assets, and as such they 
could be made available for other operations, such as a 
request by the UN Security Council. He cautioned that such 
ESDP operations are conceived as short duration operations, 
with both an end date and a hand-off to another institution 
established as part of the planning process. He said that an 
end-date, rather than an end-state would dictate the 
termination of the operation, noting that contributing 
nations are more comfortable in offering assets if they know 
when it will finish. 
 
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DRC Security Sector Reform Mission 
---------------------------------- 
 
7. (C/NF)  Lenoir told us that planning was going forward 
quickly on a security sector reform mission in the DRC. Such 
a mission would involve a military component that would 
undertake Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration 
(DDR) tasks while working to reform the Army and instill 
principles of good governance. Lenoir anticipated that this 
may be the next ESDP mission to be deployed. 
 
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Civilian Assets 
---------------- 
 
8. (C/NF) Schmidt and Wilson next met with Veronica Cody, 
Deputy Director of the Directorate for Civilian Crisis 
Management, and Hannu Taimisto, Rule of Law officer, for an 
overview of the civilian assets available for crisis 
response.  Cody explained that her directorate coordinates 
existing resources and seeks to develop additional assets and 
capabilities on the civilian side of crisis response.  The 
civilian experts, like the military forces, are national 
assets pledged to EU operations by member states. The 
civilian crisis response directorate encompasses police, rule 
of law, civil administration, and civil protection resources. 
 These "instruments" are intended for a range of missions 
usually focused on monitoring, mentoring, and advising 
existing local structures.  Cody initially ruled out the use 
of these deployable experts for "substitution" missions, as 
might be required in an intervention in a failed or failing 
state where local structures no longer functioned.  When 
pressed, she agreed that circumstances might occur in which 
these civilian instruments could be used to substitute for 
local institutions as part of an integrated crisis 
intervention, perhaps even in conjunction with a military 
component. 
 
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Policing: The Most Advanced Instrument 
-------------------------------------- 
 
9. (C/NF) Taimisto pointed out that policing is the most 
well-developed of the civilian "pillars."  With the EU Police 
Mission in Bosnia and the Proxima mission in Macedonia the 
mechanisms designed to raise the standard of local policing 
have had considerable practical experience. Such missions are 
based on "co-location" of mentors throughout the chain of 
command to influence policy and management practices.  Rule 
of law missions, such as the current mission to Georgia, are 
designed around the same principle of co-location. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Civil Administration and Civil Protection 
----------------------------------------- 
10. (C/NF)  Cody pointed out that there has not yet been a 
civil administration mission, although there has been some 
training and exercises. For civil protection, there have not 
yet been either missions or exercises.  She said that 
national pledges total almost 1000 individuals for civil 
administration, but it is unclear how rapidly they could be 
deployed. She envisioned that in a case where records have 
been destroyed -- either deliberately or as the result of a 
conflict -- the civil administration experts could 
simultaneously substitute for critical services and mentor 
any remaining parts of the institutions. 
 
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Legal Authority for Deployment 
------------------------------ 
 
11. (C/NF) When asked under what circumstances planners could 
envision the deployment of these civilian experts, Cody said 
that such missions have only entered third countries at the 
request of that government.  In principle, in the event of a 
large crisis response operation mounted under the auspices of 
a UNSCR, the Council might be able to make its resources 
available.  She pointed out that it would be "cumbersome," 
and that it would likely entail the launch of an ESDP 
operation, requiring the approval of the 24 participating 
Heads of State and Government. (Note: Denmark has opted out 
of participation in ESDP. End note.) 
 
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A Growth Industry 
----------------- 
 
12. (C/NF) Cody said that civilian crisis management is one 
of the biggest growth areas for the Council, terming it a 
"boom area."  The 2008 Civilian Headline Goal aims to improve 
the quality and the quantity of rapidly deployable experts. A 
major objective is to pre-identify specific capabilities at 
an individual level, and to require a significant level of 
experience and language proficiency. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
13. (C/NF)  The EU member states have contributed billions to 
the development of these crisis response mechanisms and those 
programs funded via the Commission. In many respects, this 
crisis response role represents the lowest common denominator 
of achievable political consensus among the 24 participating 
states on the projection of EU "power" and influence.  These 
civilian missions -- with their military components -- are 
predicated on a relatively low risk environment, and they 
would be deployed as limited duration missions with a 
hand-off mechanism and end date pre-established prior to 
deployment.  The structures are advanced in some respects, 
but for now, quite limited in scope.  As similar crisis 
response mechanisms evolve within the USG and other 
international organizations, areas for mutually reinforcing 
cooperation and coordination will present themselves. 
.