**This article was originally published on November 21, 2018.

Summary

Brexit is one of many challenges that the European Union is facing today. There is much debate in the UK as well as in mainland Europe about what would be the best Brexit deal, fueled by the high number and complexity of the issues at stake. Yet these debates often neglect the impact of Brexit on the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, even though the military role of the Union recently hit the headlines after French President Emmanuel Macron called for the establishment of an “European Army,” a notion that was subsequently endorsed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The question remains: What will Brexit mean for EU initiatives on defense and security?