Swedish European Union Battle Group in Urban Operations

The European Union's role as a security organization in Europe is growing. The latest initiative was the decision to form a rapid reaction force, the so-called European Union Battle Groups. Sweden is the framework nation for one of these, scheduled to be operational on 1 January 2008. The spectrum of possible missions for the Battle Group ranges from humanitarian assistance to peace enforcement. This thesis focuses on the necessary capabilities a Swedish led battle group needs in order to successfully conduct offensive urban operations: seizing terrain, during a peace enforcement mission. Using the capabilities deemed as necessary by a NATO study in 2002 as a foundation, this thesis compares the suggested organization of the battle group to find any shortfalls and capability gaps, if it is to carry out a peace enforcement mission in an urban operation in 2008.