§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many service personnel they intend to commit to the proposed United Kingdom-French defence force. [HL1398]
§ Lord BachThere are no plans to set up a joint Franco-British defence force. There have, however, been recent trilateral proposals to develop capabilities in support of the EU's ability to undertake rapid crisis response operations. These advance the declaration made on 24 November at the Anglo-French Summit, and the greater demand for rapid reaction peacekeeping forces from the UN. As part of the Helsinki Headline Goal, member states agreed to develop rapid response elements available and deployable at very high readiness. The British, French and German Governments are proposing that EU member states create battle group-sized forces (1,500 strong including combat support and combat service support), deployable within 15 days, and sustainable for 30 days (but extendable up to 120 days). These battle groups would be available by 2007, and designed for compatibility with typical UN Chapter VII mandates (to restore international peace and 9WA security). Member states would be able to offer such formations individually—as is likely to be the case for the UK—or on a multinational basis. There is, however, no standing European army or European rapid reaction force, nor any EU agreement to create one.