Civil-military Coordination in the Common Security and ... - ETC Graz

Markus MÖSTL*
Civil-military Coordination in the Common
Security and Defence Policy of the European
Union
Abstract
The concept of human security draws attention to the broadened scope of security
threats and emphasizes the need for more comprehensive approaches to tackle
these threats. With the civilian and military tools available for its Common Security
and Defence Policy, the European Union is often considered to be in a particularly
good position to offer the right mix of instruments required for comprehensive crisis
management. But is the EU really able to live up to such expectations? What
progress has the European Union made in coordinating its civilian and military tools
for crisis management? By reviewing the Union’s progress in defining and
conceptualizing civil-military coordination, analysing the developments made for the
institutionalization of civil-military coordination, discussing pertinent questions related
to capability development and reviewing some practical experiences, this contribution
gives an overview of the progress the European Union has made in civil-military
coordination. Overall, this paper will argue that the frequent conclusion that the
European Union is already able to provide integrated responses to today’s threats
and crises is premature. Despite some real progress made in terms of concepts and
institutionalization, learning by doing is still the name of the game in the operational
practice.
Table of Contents
A! Introduction ....................................................................................................... 31!
B! The CSDP Approach to Civil-military Coordination .......................................... 32!
C! Institutions and Structures Relevant for CMCO ................................................ 34!
D! The Implications of CMCO for Civilian and Military Capabilities ....................... 35!
E! Practical Examples of CMCO in the CSDP ...................................................... 36!
F! Conclusions ...................................................................................................... 38!
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