House of Lords - European Union - Minutes of Evidence

Select Committee on European Union Minutes of Evidence

Supplementary memorandum by the Ministry of Defence

The Committee requested further details on where those UK forces that will make up the Battlegroup have been deployed prior to the JRRF

1. The EU Battlegroup will be based on the Small Scale Focused Intervention (SSFI) Battlegroup. The SSFI will be found from two battalions:

— 2 RRF (2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers) from 01 Jul to 01 Oct 08.

— 4 RIFLES (4th Battalion The Rifles) from 01 Oct to 31 Dec 08.

Until recently, 2 RRF were based in Cyprus and were the Theatre Reserve Battalion for Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2006 two Companies deployed for two months to Iraq, one Company deployed to Afghanistan for six months and the Battalion Headquarters and two Companies deployed to Iraq for four months. In 2007 there have been two four month deployments to Afghanistan, the first was split between two Companies and the second was for one company.

4 RIFLES are based in Bulford. Their most operational commitment was as a Battalion to Iraq from 01 Jun 07 to 01 Dec 07.

The Committee requested confirmation on how many days a Battlegroup should take to deploy and become operational

2. According to the EU Battlegroup Concept paper (5 October 2006), an EU Battlegroup is held at a readiness status of 5-10 days. This means that following the approval of a Crisis Management Concept (CMC) the Council has five days to decide whether to launch an operation; the Battlegroup must then start implementing the decision in the Joint Operations Area (JOA) within 10 days.

The Committee requested further information on the level of UK engagement in the EDA project teams and initiatives and how this compares to our European partners

3. The EDA Activity database currently contains 92 separate areas of activity including Integrated Development Teams, Project Teams, Projects and Programmes in the Capabilities and R&T directorates. Of these the UK is active in 31 areas. In comparison France and Italy are active in 60 areas, Sweden 42, Netherlands 41, Spain 39, and Germany 37. In addition we are taking a leading role in the Capability Development Plan and the Research and Technology Strategy.

4. The UK is also working with the EDA Armaments directorate in the area of Standardisation and UAV insertion into controlled airspace and with the Industry and Markets directorate in the area of European Bulletin Board, Code of Conduct on defence procurement, European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and rationalisation of the European Defence Technology and Evaluation Base.

The Committee requested details on the medical capabilities offered to the EU in the Headline Goal 2010 Force Catalogue

5. The medical capabilities offered to the EU in the Headline Goal 2010 Force Catalogue are summarised as follows:

Strategic medical evacuation:

— 3 strategic air transport aircraft (MEDEVAC);

Tactical medical evacuation:

— 16 medium/heavy transport helicopters (MEDEVAC);

— 11 companies of ground-ambulances (MEDEVAC);

— 7 intra theatre airlift aircraft (MEDEVAC).

Integrated health and medical treatment:

— 11 companies providing medical logistics;

— 8 teams providing medical Communication & Information Systems;

— 8 companies providing a medical treatment facility (role 3);

— 20 companies providing a medical treatment facility (role 2 enhanced);

— 4 medical task force head-quarters;

— 10 companies providing a casualty staging unit (CSU).

The Committee requested details on Permanent Structured Cooperation in the area of the ESDP

6. The principle of "Permanent Structured Co-operation" was established with capability development in mind. It is designed to encourage the development of more effective military capabilities amongst EU Member States and is in line with UK objectives for improving the capabilities available for EU-led operations. It has always been part of our thinking that improved military capabilities developed by the 21 Member States that are also members of NATO will also be available to the Alliance.

7. To join Permanent Structured Co-operation Member States need to commit to fulfil the entry criteria in the Protocol. The criteria include committing to more intensive and substantive capability development, including through the EDA, and contributing to a Battlegroup. Permanent Structured Co-operation was designed to create political pressure for further capability development. This is consistent with UK objectives of getting other Member States to develop better capabilities, enabling them to shoulder more of the EU's burden in the areas of security and defence.

8. To make Permanent Structured Co-operation easier to set up, easier for Member States to join and easier for Member States to be suspended from if they no longer meet the criteria, these decisions are taken under Qualified Majority Voting (QMV). All other decisions in the field of ESDP will still be taken by unanimity. Council will adopt a decision by QMV on:

— Establishing Permanent Structured Co-operation and determining the list of participating Member States (QMV amongst the whole of the Council).

— Confirming participation of a Member State that subsequently wishes to participate (QMV amongst those members of Council already participating in Permanent Structured Co-operation).

— Suspending participation of a Member State should it no longer fulfil the criteria or its commitments (QMV amongst those members of Council already participating in Permanent Structured Co-operation).

The Committee asked us to confirm whether A400M had flown

9. We can confirm that the first A400M military aircraft is currently under construction and has not flown yet.

12 February 2008

1 Deployed secondary treatment facility, four surgical teams, 50-200 nursed beds. Back

2 First stage of casualty treatment, usually integrated in a unit Back

3 Facilities that receive or collect casualties from Role 1, refine treatment, resuscitate and priorities casualties for onward evacuation to Role 3 facilities. Back