ArmInfo. It is possible that Pesco is being created as a possible reserve in case of NATO's breakdown, the upheavals and cataclysms of the next decade. The scientific director of the German-Russian forum, political expert Alexander Rahr, expressed his opinion to ArmInfo.
On November 14, more than 20 EU member states solemnly signed a letter to the EU Council and the head of the community diplomacy of Federica Mogherini with the agreement to participate in the new program on Permanent Structured Cooperation in the field of security and defense (Pesco).
Officially, the Council of the European Union is to launch the program providing for the creation of an independent European defense, with common property, joint military allocations and deployment of troops by the end of the year. Analysts estimate Pesco as a prototype of a pan-European army, created with the goal of liberating Europe from the US in defense matters. German political scientist causes the creation of Pesco requirements of US President Donald Trump to increase defense spending, giving the consent, the Europeans wanted to decide for themselves what to spend. According to Rahr, after that a little conflict arose between Brussels and Washington, which was the initiative of Pesco. The political scientist, at the same time, believes that the United States will do everything to prevent the creation of a NATO competitor in Europe.
At the same time, Rahr believes that in reality Europeans need not in their own army, but a new powerful, militarized police structure with the aim of protecting the borders of the EU, primarily from refugees and migrants from Asia and primarily from Africa. "Given the lack of coordination within Europe to combat Islamic terror, Pesco is called upon to contribute to the creation of a common center for combating terrorism: data exchange, intelligence coordination, but the same Baltic countries and Poland live in the EU, where their security will depend on Germany and France, and not the United States does not want, and it is because of these differences that the concept of a common European army has remained on paper until recently, "the German political scientist summed up. After the actual withdrawal from the UK, Germany and France are the most powerful armies of the Old World. In the Bundeswehr there are 180 thousand military, in reserve - 145 thousand, and the number of combat ground equipment is 6481 units. The French army has 200 thousand troops and a reserve of 195 thousand. The number of combat ground equipment is 7888 units.