The European Union Operations Centre (EU OPCEN) was an ad-hoc, non-standing, non-commanding headquarters facilitating the planning and conduct of military

operations Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

deployed as part of the European Union's (EU)

Common Security and Defence Policy 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 the deplo ...

(CFSP) that was active between 2012 and 2016. The OPCEN would be operational five days following a decision by the

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

, and reach its full capability to command the operation after twenty days, at the latest. The EU OPCEN was not formally part of the EU’s chains of command.http://www.eeas.europa.eu/archives/docs/csdp/structures-instruments-agencies/eu-operations-centre/docs/factsheet_eu_opcen_23_06_2015.pdf From 2020, the OPCEN's role in executive operations will be transferred to the Military Planning and Conduct Capability.https://cdn4-eeas.fpfis.tech.ec.europa.eu/cdn/farfuture/aGKF41zrLDLuNeg8csm24scxmjEwj4JBvrRbaLeaY4M/mtime:1542656575/sites/eeas/files/mpcc_factsheet_november_2018.pdf

Mandate and tasks

According to the Council Decision, the Mandate and tasks of the EU OPCEN are: *To provide, using its military and specialised planning expertise, direct support to the Civilian Operations Commander for the operational planning and conduct of the civilian missions in the Horn of Africa and in the Sahel region. *To provide support to the military Missions and Operation Commanders in the Horn of Africa and in the Sahel region. *To provide support to the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate (CMPD), at its request, in its strategic planning for CSDP missions and operation in the Horn of Africa and in the Sahel region. *To facilitate interaction between the respective CSDP missions and operation and the Brussels-based structures. In relation to the "train and equip" pilot cases in Mali and Somalia, the EU OPCEN may usefully provide support to a functional coordination mechanism, in view of its implementation plan. *To facilitate coordination and improve synergies amongst the CSDP missions and operation in the Horn of Africa, in the context of the Horn of Africa strategy and in liaison with the European Union Special Representative for the Horn of Africa and the European Union Special Envoy for Somalia. *To facilitate coordination and improve synergies amongst the CSDP missions in the Sahel region, in the context of the Sahel Strategy in liaison with the European Union Special Representative for the Sahel.

Structure

An EU OPCEN that is activated for a particular predominantly military operation may consist of a total of 103 officers and civilians who start planning after five days following a deployment decision by the

. The EU OPCEN would reach its full capability to command the operation after twenty days, at the latest. The staff of an activated EU OPCEN is composed of: *Chief of Staff; the present Operations Directorate Branch Chief OPSCEN/WKC (Watch-keeping Capability) of the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), appointed by the

*Support Cells based in Brussels: **the permanent core team (the four permanent staff) **double-hatted personnel from the European External Action Service (EEAS), including the European Union Military Staff (EUMS), the

Management and Planning Directorate Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

(CMPD), the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) and the geographical desks *sixteen personnel seconded by

member states A member state is a state that is a member of an international organization or of a federation or confederation. Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) include some members that are not sovereign states ...

The present EU OPCEN Chief of Staff is Captain

Francisco Cornago Diufain Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name '' Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father o ...

. Diufain succeeded the first head, Captain

Ad van der Linde Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

History

In December 2004 the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) was tasked by the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...

to be ready to set up an EU OPCEN capable of planning and conducting an operation, in particular where a joint civil/military response is required and where no national HQ is identified. The responsibility for assuring this capability lies with the OPSCEN/WKC (Watching Keeping Capacity) Branch of the EUMS Operations Directorate. Since 1 January 2007, the EU Operation Centre is ready for activation by the Council for the conduct of autonomous operations. EU OPCEN was first activated on 23 March 2012 by the Foreign Affairs Council in relation to three CSDP

in the Horn of Africa. This mandate was later extended until the end of 2016 and expanded the geographical and functional scope to the entire

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid c ...

region.

References

External links

EEAS DescriptionLeaflet''The EU Military Staff: a frog in boiling water?''
Militaire Spectator {{Common Security and Defence Policy Military history of the European Union

Mandate and tasks

Structure

History

See also

References

External links