European Defence Force

uk 75

uk 75

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Not trying to provoke either side of the current debate but
I am old enough to remember a time when the 6 original
members of the European Community discussed the
setting up of a full blown EDF in the 1960s.
It was never a runner politically but had it been, I imagine
the following equipment
Naval Component
6 SSBN French Redoutable class
3 aircraft carriers French Foch class
4 Helicopter cruisers Italian Vittorio class
12 destroyers Italian Audace class
36 frigates Dutch Standard class
Air Component
4 strike squadrons Mirage IV
12 Fighter Ground Attack squadrons Fiat G 91 or Mirage III
20 Fighter squadrons with Mirage III and Mirage G replacing F104
Land Forces
Leopard as standard tank including 155mm artillery variant
Pluton tactical missiles on Leopard chassis
 
The Vittorio Veneto-class cruisers would more than likely have had VAK-191B VTOL strike fighters as part of their airgroups.
 
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Interestingly, the idea can be traced back to 1950, during the Korean War. Ironically, Britain was then one of those countries in favour of the idea (Attlee and Labour were still in power), going so far as to sounding out West Germany about contributing a contingent of troops. This caused something of a firestorm in Bonn however, with the Minister of the Interior resigning in protest at the idea.

Despite this, the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Defence Community that was initially intended as the political basis of the EDF, was signed two years later by the 'Inner Six', including West Germany. Real progress on setting up the EDF itself more or less stalled until the early 1960s however, due to the effective collapse of the EDC thanks to the French government's failure to get the Treaty ratified by the National Assembly in 1954. On a side note, the revival of the EDF concept may have been in part a reaction to the 1961 Fouchet Plan, though it was the NATO Multilateral Force (MLF) plans that arguably provided the primary impetus for said revival.
 
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I thought I would bring back this old thread.
It is NOT a place to discuss whether it could or should exist. Like a fantasy Football team lineup just take it that it exists and see if you can do a better lineup than mine in the introduction.
I have left the UK out of my list as it allows for more European stuff.
Updating it a bit
Naval Forces
France and Italy collaborate on a conventional aircraft carrier looking like a larger Cavour.
Spain joins in the Horizon project so the finished ship has PAAMS but looks like the Spanish AEGIS ships.
The Koertenaer class S frigate is replaced by a German/French design fusing the Brandenburgs and Aquitaines.
The SSBN and SSN are still the French designs, though Italy and Netherlands may contribute to the design. SSK are the German designed boats.
 
uk 75 said:
I thought I would bring back this old thread.
It is NOT a place to discuss whether it could or should exist. Like a fantasy Football team lineup just take it that it exists and see if you can do a better lineup than mine in the introduction.
I have left the UK out of my list as it allows for more European stuff.
Updating it a bit
Naval Forces
France and Italy collaborate on a conventional aircraft carrier looking like a larger Cavour.
Spain joins in the Horizon project so the finished ship has PAAMS but looks like the Spanish AEGIS ships.
The Koertenaer class S frigate is replaced by a German/French design fusing the Brandenburgs and Aquitaines.
The SSBN and SSN are still the French designs, though Italy and Netherlands may contribute to the design. SSK are the German designed boats.
Click to expand...
Well for start give each EU country a function, like engineers for one country, armor for another and so on, then group them into divisions. ore is that a wrong idea for a EU defense force.
 
Come to think of it, if the EDF had come to fruition, HNMS De Ruyter would have more than likely ended up receiving her Terrier conversion after all and being assigned to the naval component.
 
Time to update this old thread.
The Euroforce line up is still pretty much French in origin but Italy makes a strong naval contribution.
One nuclear carrier (DeGaulle until 2038 PA NG afterwards)
One light carrier. (Cavour design)
Four LHD. ( Mistral Juan Carlos etc)
Well you get the idea..
 
NATO tried to bring its leading maritime nations together to build NF90 the NATO Frigate for the 90s which was actually closer to an anti air/missile warfare ship.
The other frigate roles, general purpose and ASW were simply too tied to national industries to lead to joint designs.
West Germany adopted the Dutch Koertnaer S frigate design in the 70s but both countries have since built national designs.
The NF90 evolved into the TriNational Horizon air defence ship used in different forms by France and Italy and evolved into the Type45 by the RN.
Given this lamentable track record it is not likely that a past or future Euro Navy would be anything more than an assembly.of national designs.
Italy would be likely to provide the bulk of the Mediterranean Fleet with a French carrier group rotating from the Atlantic as required.
France and Spain would share the Eastern Atlantic role. Spain has good ASW and amphibious warfare ships as well as AEGIS ships.
The Netherlands and Belgium with good links to the RN would handle the N Atlantic, Channel and N Sea with France contributing of course.
Germany's main focus would be the Baltic but protecting the sea lanes into Bremerhaven and Hamburg would also be important.
Outside the Continental European area the European Defence Force would also be operating outside the NATO area.
Assuming good relations with the two big Non EDF navies the USA and UK joint or individual EDF navies would operate much as now.
France would be the clear beneficiary of such a scheme as its aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines could receive more resources leaving less prestigious tasks to other EDF members.
 
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