Members of the IE Force Protection Company directing arriving vehicles in Bergen ahead of the commencement of EU RDC LIVEX.

Context

The EU has been carrying out crisis management military exercises since 2002, in order to test the effectiveness of military command structures and procedures. With the adoption of the Strategic Compass, we now see more regular exercises, including live exercises, which entail the use of joint military forces and capabilities of EU Member States.

Background

With the 2022 Strategic Compass, the EU Member States have adopted an ambitious action plan to strengthen the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) between now and 2030. Once fully operational in 2025, the EU RDC will enable the deployment of a European force of up to 5,000 soldiers, capable of responding to any crisis outside the EU’s borders. It will stand as a robust, flexible and scalable military instrument of rapid response. Within this framework, Eurocorps will be the Force Headquarters (FHQ), responsible for commanding the European Union Battlegroup (EUBG) for 2025.

MILEX 24 - The Crisis Response Planning Phase

MILEX 24 was a Command Post Exercise (CPX), which took place in Brussels from 8 April to 3 May. During this period we saw planners from the MPCC, together with Eurocorps in Strasbourg, carry out the Crisis Response Planning Phase for the deployment of the EU RDC to an exercise scenario outside of EU borders. This was the first part of a two-part exercise which culminated on Friday 3 May with the presentation of the Operations Plan (OPLAN). The OPLAN is the formal plan developed for military armed forces and their supporting elements to conduct joint military operations. In the context of MILEX 24, the OPLAN outlines the deployment of an EU Rapid Reaction Force to a fictional country called Seglia.

EU RDC LIVEX

Connected to MILEX 24, is the EU RDC LIVEX, which commenced today in Bergen, Germany. Over the next 14 days, the Operations Headquarters (OHQ) will once again be situated in the MPCC in Brussels, while FHQ, commanded by Eurocorps, will be situated in Bergen, simulating a deployed Forward HQ from Strasbourg. The EU RDC LIVEX will focus on the execution of the OPLAN developed during the Crisis Response Planning Phase.

The German-led Exercise EUROPEAN CHALLENGE 2024 in Bergen, will provide the platform for the conduct of the EU RDC LIVEX. This live exercise will train EU Battlegroup (EUBG) Force Package 25, as the Rapid Response Force tailored to a Military Rapid Response Operation in the fictional country of Seglia.

15 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Hungary, Croatia, Ireland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden) and more than 1,700 soldiers will participate in the EU RDC LIVEX with the aim of testing the interoperability in planning and conducting common operation at strategic, operational and tactical levels.

Germany provides the EUBG with the Core Battle Group under the command of the Mountain Infantry Battalion 231, a light/reinforced infantry unit, as well as medical supports of the Medical Task Force (MED TF). Austria provides the Combat Service Support Battalion while Ireland provides the Force Protection Company.

One of the highlights of this exercise will be the Distinguished Visitors Day (DvDay) which takes place on 4 December. The DvDay will see visitors from the political and military levels of the EU, as well as national and international media organisations descend on Bergen for exercise briefings and demonstrations on the capabilities of the EU RDC. A further report on the DVDay will follow after 04 December.

EUMS

FHQ Support Element infrastructure in Bergen, ahead of the commencement of EU RDC LIVEX