ABSTRACT
The creation of a European security and defence policy separate from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is a goal that has been pursued with varied upheavals and limited success since the 1950s. The roots of improving the defence capabilities of the European allies can be traced back to the burden sharing' debates of the late 1960s and 1970s. However, in 1991, when the idea of a European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) was re-launched at a Franco-German initiative, this was not taken to heart by the United States and Britain. After the accession of Germany into NATO in 1955, the Western European Union's (WEU) transitory role ceased to exist, and for the next thirty years it remained a dormant organization. The completion of NATO's Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) concept, paved the way for enabling the WEU to undertake Petersberg type operations.
