Resources from the European Union budget will be put towards nonlethal support of foreign militaries for the first time, following a reform intended to create the “missing link” between security and development.

The regulation, introduced this weekend, points to situations in which military actors are needed to support development work in unstable environments.

The EU says it aligns with its commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals and the new European Consensus on Development.

But critics warned of the risk of reinforcing armies’ war-time capacity, and claim the decision is incompatible with EU law. They say that such efforts, if necessary, should fall under the EU’s foreign and security policy, rather than under development assistance.

Under the regulation, which entered into force Saturday after approval from member states earlier this month, 100 million euros ($117 million) will be made available until 2020 under the pre-existing Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, or IcSP, to go towards capacity building for security and development of military actors in partner countries. The European Commission has not set out which countries will benefit from the new support.

Read the full article on investing in military capacity by Vince Chadwick at Devex International Development