So ! A military mission for Haiti or not? explanations

(BRUXELLES2) Will there be a military mission in Haiti? Yes and no one might say. Yes in the sense that there is a development of the EUCO mission - of coordination of the military means of the EU (one could speak of EUCO II). No in the sense that there is not really a "new mission", and even no "mission" at all (in the sense of the PeSDC). In fact, the Commission got a little tangled up in the military thing (or wanted to do a comm' will say the nasty tongues). As summed up quite diplomatically, an expert on the matter “ the communication from the Commission is a bit muddlede ". A few explanations are in order...

A little "hiccup" in communication. Let's go back to the thread of events. Yesterday (Thursday) the news fell on the "tickers" (on our emails): the High Representative of the EU is preparing a new military mission for Haiti. As a Reuters dispatch confirms: The European Union is preparing to send a military mission to Haiti to provide before the rainy season, which begins in March, shelter for the victims of the January 12 earthquake, announced Catherine Ashton, the representative of European diplomacy. (1). Taken aback, a Commission spokesperson approaches me and tells me that well, that's not quite it... Rebelote, however, a few hours later, another press release from the Commission comes out, concerning the humanitarian aid, which states: Together with the upcoming EU military
mission aiming to provide shelter this funding will further contribute to alleviating the suffering of the Haitian people ". There is no doubt. Apparently...

Not a mission but an action. In fact, there is no new mission as such. Simply the action of European coordination of military means (EUCO), set up at the end of January (read: The 27 approve the coordination cell (EUCO Haiti)) continues his work. An initial list of needs had been communicated by the UN at the time. In the meantime, agents from Euco have gone to the scene. And a second list of needs has just been drawn up in conjunction with the Haitian authorities and the United Nations (see below). It is not a PeSDC mission in the proper sense but rather an emergency action with military means. One might think that we are playing on words. No...

Why soldiers? What are the soldiers going to do? in Haiti ? Concretely, the most urgent need is to shelter the population, with the rainy season advancing. We need to be able to rehouse several hundred thousand people as quickly as possible. To go quickly, only military means can intervene. According to my information, the list of needs, distributed by EUCO Haiti (made last night) includes: transport needs, materials, earthworks, construction capacities of sanitary means, building engineering. We are still awaiting formal confirmation from the Haitian government.

What is the difference between mission and action? In the first case (mission), there is a decision, drawn up jointly, legally approved and published in the OJ, with rules of engagement and intervention defined in advance (in particular to respond in the event of winning, etc.) , capacities and an otherwise common but at least shared budget. All under an integrated European command: a force commander who has a certain latitude of action (in particular to react in the event of an emergency or in self-defence), an operation commander (who in particular gives the authorization to apprehend a individual, example pirate in Somalia, or shooting), and lastly, the High Representative of the EU who (in any case) is warned. In the event of slippage, it is the responsibility of the EU which can be engaged (in the literal sense: budgetary speaking). In the second case (action), each State comes with its troops, its modus vivendi, its
intervention rules. But simply to avoid a duplication of means and an "impression" of anarchy, the European Union centralizes the requests and needs of each other and relays them to everyone. Thus a British or Belgian plane could transport Slovak or Polish relief resources and Spanish or French boats could be made available to others. Basically, use strengths wisely and play together rather than split up.

Some comments

On communication. Yesterday, the European Commission was criticized for not doing enough communication. Today, we still do not blame him for doing a little too much. In reality, it's simpler, the Commission has a little trouble understanding the military thing, which is new to it. In itself, it is not serious. But all the same, it would be a question of not renewing the exercise and of being more serious. Because, as much, we can communicate on GMO authorizations (by manipulating the information a little, distorting it if necessary). As much in military matters, it is a little more delicate or a little more dangerous. And you have to be careful with the terms used. At this price, there, we can find ourselves at war with Costa Rica for a little verbal skid...

A new kind of mission: EULOG? If we push the reflection a little further, beyond words (mission, action...), this "action" inaugurates a new mode of operation. Alongside the military missions of the PeSDC, strictly speaking, we will more often than in the past resort to the military for various support missions — civil security missions, humanitarian aid missions, missions to evacuate citizens... C This is the very consequence of the integration desired by the Lisbon Treaty where the EU has several areas of intervention (humanitarian, financial, ... and military). This, without necessarily triggering all the heavy "artillery" of the current mechanism
(decision, IMD, Conops, Oplan...). But with lighter coordination. It will be necessary to set up a new logic of operation - concept, organization, etc... -, rules of intervention, and to choose a term of communication more adapted for these missions more "logistical" than of interposition, training or of peacekeeping. Why not a logistics operation, EU LOG (as logistics) for short?

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)
(1) The Reuters colleague whom I know well is a serious and experienced person and would never have written this dispatch without confirmation from Catherine Ashton, of whom he is a compatriot.