Lt Gen van der Laan DGEUMS/DMPCC, General Brieger CEUMC and Maj Gen Albl COSMPCC.

On 23 and 24 April 2024, the Director General European Union Military Staff and Director Military Planning and Conduct Capability (DGEUMS/DMPCC) Lieutenant General Michiel van der Laan, hosted the visits of the Chair of the European Union Military Committee (CEUMC), General Robert Brieger and the Chair of the Political and Security Committee, Ms Delphine Pronk to the EUs Crisis Management Military Exercise 2024 (MILEX 24).

Importance of MILEX 24

Both visits highlight the importance of MILEX 24 in the context of the Strategic Compass, which constitutes the second step in the incremental operationalisation of the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC) and the further development of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC).

MILEX 24 commenced on 8 April and will run until 3 May 2024. During this period, planners from strategic and operational level headquarters in Brussels (MPCC) and Strasbourg (EUROCORPS) will be involved in parallel planning for a deployment of the EU Rapid Reaction Force in a scenario outside its borders.

The Strategic Compass

The Strategic Compass for Security and Defence outlines that by 2025, an EU RDC allowing for a swift deployment of a modular force of up to 5000 troops in a non-permissive environment, will be fully operational. Delivering on the Strategic Compass, regular live EU military exercises with the progressive involvement of the MPCC, enhance the EU’s capacity to act to external conflicts and crisis.

Outline and Objectives of MILEX 24

The visits consisted of briefings on the outline and objectives of the exercise. The Chairs also had the opportunity to observe a MILEX 24 Assessment Working Group meeting whose purpose is to define measures of performance and effectiveness as part of the operational planning, thereby monitoring the progress and execution of the exercise. Afterward the Chairs conducted a back brief on their visit with Lt Gen van der Laan and Maj Gen Werner Albl, Deputy Director and Chief of Staff of the MPCC.

Finally, both Chairs engaged with military personnel from Member States, consisting of both permanent staff of the MPCC, and Augmentees specifically contributing to the exercise.