In this section, you will find an overview of Eurocorps' exercises and alert periods related to the European Union (EU).
A FORCE FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION
In May 1993, France and Germany made Eurocorps available for “Petersberg” missions (crisis response operations) to the former Western European Union. At the European Summit in Köln (3 and 4 June 1999), the European Union expressed its intention to develop multinational forces for future military crisis management. Eurocorps was well positioned to support this objective and to foster closer relations with the European Union. The subsequent signature of a Letter of Intent between Eurocorps and the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) on 18 January 2016 further demonstrated Eurocorps’ commitment to closer cooperation with the EU.
EUTM MALI
EUROPEAN UNION TRAINING
MISSION IN MALI
EUTM RCA
EUROPEAN UNION TRAINING
MISSION IN RCA
EUTM Mali is the military pillar of the EU’s integrated approach to Mali, which also includes political and humanitarian components. The mission was launched in 2013 in response to the need to strengthen the capabilities of the Malian Armed Forces, with the long-term objective of creating self-sustaining armed forces able to defend their population and territory. EUTM Mali was Eurocorps’ first operational engagement for the European Union. Key personnel, led by Brigadier General Pfrengle, deployed to Mali at the end of June 2015 to take command of the mission. This marked the beginning of further deployments in both Mali and the Central African Republic, and laid the foundation for close cooperation between Eurocorps and the EUMS.
Two additional six-month rotations followed in 2021, during which Eurocorps again provided the Mission Force Commander, along with key multinational staff and leadership for both the Advisory Group and the Training Task Force. With more than 1,000 personnel from up to 26 nations, EUTM Mali became the largest military mission conducted by the European Union to date.
Role : In lead of the mission
Period : 2nd semester of 2015
Participation : Soldiers including the Mission Commander
Role : In lead of the mission force
Period : 1st and 2nd semester of 2021
Participation : Soldiers including the Mission Force Commander
EU Battlegroups are multinational, military units, usually composed of 1500 personnel each and form an integral part of the European Union’s military rapid reaction capacity to respond to emerging crises and conflicts around the world. Like any decision relating to the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) their deployment is subject to a unanimous decision by the Council. Battlegroups have been fully operational since 2007 and have proven their value as a tool for defence cooperation and transformation.
For the second semester of 2016.
June 2016
During the exercise European Endeavour 16. From 23 May to 3 June 16 exercise participants gathered in the Aubert de Vincelles barracks for the exercise European Endeavour 2016. This final Command Post Exercise served to certify the Force Headquarters ((F)HQ) of the European Battlegroup 2016-2, composed by Headquarters Eurocorps and the Troop Contributing Nations Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It aimed at evaluating the capabilities and performance of the (F) HQ acquired throughout a challenging exercise series, which already started in November 2015.
For the first semester of 2017.
October 2016
From 12 to 21 October 2016, more than 200 soldiers from HQ Eurocorps, along with troops from the troop-contributing nations France and Belgium, participated in Exercise European Spearhead. The exercise tested Eurocorps’ ability to plan and conduct an EU-led crisis response operation in close coordination with other missions. European Spearhead 16 served as the certification exercise for Eurocorps to assume the role of Force Headquarters (FHQ) for the European Union Battlegroup during the first half of 2017.
The first rotation of the European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM-RCA) was launched on 16 July 2016 at the request of the Central African government. The mission’s primary objective was to support the development of a modern, effective, credible, ethnically balanced, and democratically accountable Central African Armed Forces (FACA), following an approach similar to that used in Mali. Eurocorps provided the first three rotations of the new EUTM-RCA. With around key personnel under the leadership of a brigadier general, Eurocorps served a central role in establishing the mission.
During the first and second semesters of 2017, Eurocorps Headquarters deployed personnel to support the European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA). For the second rotation, Brigadier General Herman Ruys, Deputy Chief of Staff Support & Enabling, led the team from Eurocorps that formed the core of the EUTM RCA Mission Headquarters in Bangui. The full headquarters comprised military personnel from Belgium, France, Romania, Serbia, Poland, Portugal, and Spain.
In September 2021, Eurocorps has again assumed responsibility for 2 rotations in EUTM RCA. Due to the local, political and military conditions.
Role : In lead of the mission
Period : 2nd semester 2016
Participation : Soldiers including the Mission Commander
Role : In lead of the mission
Period : 1st and 2nd semester of 2017
Participation : Soldiers including the Mission Force Commander
Role : In lead of the mission
Period : 2nd semester 2021 and 1st semester 2022
Participation : Soldiers
As of 1 July 2025, EUROCORPS officially entered the Express Readiness Phase as the Force Headquarters (F)HQ for EU Battlegroup 2025 (EUBG 25). This designation places Eurocorps on heightened alert, fully prepared to mobilize within 10 days to support EU missions or respond to emerging crises worldwide. This operational milestone confirms Eurocorps’ key role within the European Union’s rapid reaction architecture.
December 2024
In December 2024, Eurocorps conducted MILEX 24, a Command Post Exercise (CPX) held at the Bergen Training Area in Germany. The scenario focused on a crisis management operation beyond EU borders, with the primary objective of validating Eurocorps’ ability to operate within the framework of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The exercise included operational planning in coordination with the Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) at the strategic level, the development of a Joint Operations Plan, and the command of a military mission in a complex civil-military and multinational environment.
April 2025
As part of its continued operational build-up, Eurocorps carried out a second exercise in Hungary in April 2025. This iteration focused on theatre entry and tactical-level command of deployed forces. The central focus was on multinational logistical maneuver, a critical component of any large-scale deployment. The training validated Eurocorps’ ability to command forward-deployed units during the initial phases of an operation, to coordinate multinational logistic flows and sustainment, and to maintain mission readiness during early entry under real-world constraints. Following the successful conclusion of this exercise, the European Union formally declared the Rapid Deployable Capacity (RDC) operational.
EUBG 2025
In recognition of its operational excellence, the European Union has entrusted Eurocorps with the role of Force Headquarters for two additional consecutive alert periods:
