Peace Time: December 22, 2001

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When NATO sent its Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps (RRC) to Bosnia in 1995, it found itself with no other rapid deployment corps. The situation has not changed, the ACE RRC remains the only quick-reaction unit. Efforts to form three high readiness headquarters (which could deploy a command structure in two weeks and a full corps of troops in 90 days) and six medium-readiness corps (which could deploy in six-twelve months) have gone nowhere. While various member nations offered nine corps headquarters, there has been no political agreement on which ones to accept. Even worse, members of the Alliance are having difficulty determining what the missions should be and what kind of forces would be needed to meet them.--Stephen V Cole