It "will concentrate on how the EU plans at the strategic politico-military level for an envisaged EU-led operation with recourse to NATO assets and capabilities, where NATO as a whole is not engaged."

The issue of military action by the EU independent of NATO is highly sensitive since some countries, such as France and Germany, have been pushing for the creation of an independent headquarters for EU operations while the United States has warned against setting up a rival to NATO.

Washington fears that an EU defence initiative would rob NATO of some military capability and "double up" existing military structures.

But some EU states believe that the European Union, which is about to expand to 25 members, should have the ability to conduct its own military operations separate from NATO, whose top military commander is always an American.

The exercise will start from an imaginary crisis requiring the EU to undertake humanitarian, rescue and peacekeeping tasks and concentrate on the crisis management phases preceding a decision to take action. No troops will be deployed.

NATO and the EU have an agreement on a strategic partnership which allows the EU to use NATO operational planning facilities for its missions, such as that in Macedonia which it took over from NATO.

The exercise will take place from November 19 to 25 and be conducted in Brussels and national capitals.

WAR.WIRE