Division 3 Role

It is the source of the EU's military expertise;

It assures the link between the EUMC on the one hand and the military resources available to the EU on the other, and it provides military expertise to EU bodies as directed by the EUMC;

It performs three main operational functions: early warning, situation assessment and strategic planning;

It provides an early warning capability. It plans, assesses and makes recommendations regarding the concept of crisis management and the general military strategy and implements the decisions and guidance of the EUMC;

It supports the EUMC regarding situation assessment and military aspects of strategic planning^f1, over the full range of missions and tasks referred to in Article 17(2) of the TEU, including those identified in the European Security Strategy, for all cases of EU-led operations, whether or not the EU draws on NATO assets and capabilities;

It supports (upon request of the SG/HR or the Political and Security Committee (PSC)) temporary missions to third countries or international organisations, in order to provide, as required, advice and assistance on military aspects of conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict stabilisation;

It contributes to the process of elaboration, assessment and review of the capability goals, taking into account the need, for those Member States concerned, to ensure consistency with NATO's Defence Planning Process (DPP) and the Planning and Review Process (PARP) of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) in accordance with agreed procedures;

It works in close coordination with the European Defence Agency;

It has the responsibility of monitoring, assessing and making recommendations on training, exercises and interoperability in connection with the forces and capabilities made available to the EU by the Member States;

It maintains the capacity to reinforce the national HQ designated to conduct an EU autonomous operation, primarily through the Civ/Mil Cell;

It has the responsibility, through the Civ/Mil Cell, of generating the capacity to plan and run an autonomous EU military operation, and maintains the capacity within EUMS rapidly to set up an operations centre for a specific operation, in particular where a joint civil/military response is required and where no national HQ is identified, once a decision on such an operation has been taken by the Council, upon the advice of the EUMC.