NATO Joint Military Exercises: A Strive for Military Interoperability

Current geopolitical challenges are ever so complex because of their scope and scale. Therefore, they require highly developed technologies and a multilateral approach as single militaries cannot face a multi-layered strategy alone. Military experts within NATO agree that successful missions presuppose cooperation between member states in the form of efficient information exchange and coordinated activities as well as interoperability between the industrial and military sectors. Accordingly, the military exercises conducted by NATO to connect member states’ forces and improve the innovation of military capabilities.

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The EU in Kosovo*: Consolidating European Military and Defence Identity

For decades, the European security policy has been an open question, as its highly political relevance never conceded a fully supranational approach that would enable comprehensive interoperability. All security aspects are grounded in an intergovernmental logic dating back to the conception of the ‘second pillar’ established in Maastricht in 1992. The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) remains ‘common’ only in some aspects, leaving wide discretion to a single MS. The same was likely to be the case for the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Being specifically designed as the military component of the CFSP, the CSDP was decisive in offering Europe the opportunity of independently taking charge of its security issues on the military level by enhancing interoperable mechanisms among national forces.

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Europe’s Role in the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force

Targeted interoperability may be understood through the ongoing development of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force. This brigade-size rapid response force is designed to deploy its lead elements within 48 hours, ensuring prompt response to conflict. This multinational unit is unique in its very tight deployment timeline, which implies functional interoperability between several alliance members to a degree so far unseen within NATO.

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Counterterrorism in the EU: The New Agenda 2020-2025 and its Impact on Armed Forces Interoperability

Following the wave of terrorist attacks that shook Europe in 2015, policymakers in the EU realised the necessity to outline a comprehensive strategy to trace the path to fight against political extremism. Whether fuelled by ethnonationalism, religious, or ideological reasons, everyone wants to avoid the hundreds of deaths that plagued that year, and the following ones.

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EUFOR Crisis Response Operation Core: Enhancing Resilience through Interoperability

Following the Juncker’s Commission White Paper Scenario “Who Wants to Do More, Does More”, the Permanent Structured Cooperation’s (PESCO) 25 members are currently developing 47 projects covering the areas of training, land, maritime, air, cyber, and space. Among land initiatives, EUFOR stands out in fostering a coherent full spectrum force package as envisaged by PESCO’s core aim.

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