What will be the focus of EU projection of force, once the US Base-Network Empire collapses? Anti-piracy? Support of UN peace-keeping missions ... where the frictions caused by millions of climate crisis refugees are likely to increase the need for peace-keeping, but may undermine the ability to put them together. Fending off the actions of aggressively hostile states in the immediate neighborhood while playing balance of power politics further abroad?

I would say the focus will be on preventing people from following their resources into the EU. Thus Frontex started the other year:

Frontex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Special European forces of rapidly deployable border guards were created by EU interior ministers in April 2007 to assist in border control, particularly on Europe's southern coastlines.^[2] Frontex's European Patrols Network began work in the Canary Islands in May 2007.^[3]

Though the main thrust continues to be making sure our friendly dicatators south of the Mediterrenean keeps those migrants from coming through. That might give reson to prop them up once in a while, bombing some village with locals who oppose the central power etc. You know, fighting terrorism.

And then we also have the protection of direct resuorce extraktion. Somewhere down the line locals may take shoots at subsidised european fishing fleets vacuuming the seas. Then an anti-pirate force is necessary. Like outside Somalia today. And speaking of Somalia lets not forget dumping toxic waste, that is also someting that can get locals pissed and require naval presence.

This is not what EU should do (that list has Jake formulated), but what it will do. As the EU structure limits the publics power to a minimum - in particular when it comes to deciding the forms for decisions - it will continue the current trends of protecting institutionalised interests.

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