EU must create deployable rapid reaction force, Borrell says

The chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan is likely to be a catalyst for the European Union's attempts to develop its common defense, the EU's top diplomat said on Thursday, saying a rapid reaction force must be part of that.

"Sometimes there are events that catalyze history, that create a breakthrough, and I think that Afghanistan is one of these cases," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said before an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Slovenia.

"We have to look for something more operational," he said of his call for a "first entry force". "The need for more, stronger European defense is more evident than ever," he told reporters.