European Union Traning Mission in Mali – en insatsanalys

The EU has carried out a training mission in Mali (EUTM) since the beginning of 2013. By means of providing training and advice, the aim of the mission is to help restore the military capability of Mali to the level where Mali can secure and maintain its territorial integrity. The current mandate of the mission expires in April 2014. The purpose of this report is to analyse the extent to which the mission is achieving its goals and objectives, present the main challenges in achieving the mission objectives and reason about how the mission should evolve in the future. The analysis shows that the mission's goals and objectives are in part fulfilled solely by the fact that the mission is in place and that training is being carried out. Even though EUTM can be considered to have improved the capacity of the Malian Armed Forces (MAF), a range of deficiencies still remain regarding both the ability of the trained soldiers to carry out operations as well as broader command and control. To appropriately strengthen the capacity of the MAF, three main challenges need to be addressed. These are narrow time constraints and the scope of the training; difficulties in generating personnel to be trained; and a lack of equipment and materiel needed to appropriately carry out the training. The advisory role that EUTM has carried out in relation to MAF headquarters and the Malian defence ministry has been successful. Strategic level reform is nevertheless still in an initial stage. Civilian competencies will also need to be included in the advisory cell to strengthen the preconditions for well-functioning MAF under the control of civilian authorities.