Common Security and Defence Policy
Member state Main battle tank Armoured fighting vehicle Artillery Attack helicopter
Austria 54 364 73
Belgium 0 226 133 27
Bulgaria 362 681 1,035 12
Croatia 75 283 127 10
Czech Republic 123 501 182 24
Denmark 46 229 56 12
Finland 180 1,080 722 25
France 450 6,256 349 283
Germany 815 1,774 401 158
Greece 1,622 2,187 1,920 29
Hungary 30 400 12 8
Ireland 107 36
Italy 1,176 3,145 1,446 107
Lithuania 88 96
Netherlands 16 634 135 21
Forces -- National
This section needs to be updated . Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information . ( November 2018 ) The Leopard 2 main battle tank Combined , the member states of the European Union maintain large numbers of various land-based military vehicles and weaponry . Guide to table : The table is not exhaustive and primarily includes vehicles and EU-NATO member countries under the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty ( CFE treaty ) . Unless otherwise specified . The CFE treaty only includes vehicles stationed within Europe , vehicles overseas on operations are not counted . The `` main battle tank '' category also includes tank destroyers ( such as the Italian B1 Centauro ) or any self-propelled armoured fighting vehicle , capable of heavy firepower . According to the CFE treaty . The `` armoured fighting vehicle '' category includes any armoured vehicle primarily designed to transport infantry and equipped with an automatic cannon of at least 20 mm calibre . According to the CFE treaty . The `` artillery '' category includes self-propelled or towed howitzers and mortars of 100 mm calibre and above . Other types of artillery are not included regardless of characteristics . According to the CFE treaty . The `` attack helicopter '' category includes any rotary wing aircraft armed and equipped to engage targets or equipped to perform other military functions ( such as the Apache or the Wildcat ) . According to the CFE treaty . The `` military logistics vehicle '' category includes logistics trucks of 4-tonne , 8-tonne , 14-tonne or larger , purposely designed for military tasking . Not under CFE treaty .
The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) is the European Union's (EU) course of action in the fields of defence and crisis management, and a main component of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The CSDP involves military or civilian missions being deployed to preserve peace, prevent conflict and strengthen international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter. Military missions are carried out by EU forces established with secondments from the member states' armed forces. The CSDP also entails collective self-defence amongst member states as well as a Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in which 25 of the 28 national armed forces pursue structural integration. The CSDP structure - headed by the Union's High Representative (HR/VP), Josep Borrell, and sometimes referred to as the European Defence Union (EDU) in relation to its prospective development as the EU's defence arm - comprises:
The EU C2 structures are much smaller than the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Command Structure (NCS), which has been established for territorial defence. It has been agreed that ACO resources may be used for the conduct of the EU's CSDP missions. The MPCC, established in 2017 and to be strengthened in 2020, is the EU's first permanent military OHQ. In parallel, the newly established European Defence Fund (EDF) marks the first time the EU budget is used to finance multinational defence projects. Decisions relating to the CSDP are proposed by the HR/VP, adopted by the FAC, generally requiring unanimity, and then implemented by the HR/VP.