The Military Staff is to perform "early warning, situation assessment and strategic planning for Petersberg tasks including identification of European national and multinational forces" and to implement policies and decisions as directed by the European Union Military Committee (EUMC).
L'État-major doit assurer "l'alerte rapide, l'évaluation des situations et la planification stratégique pour les missions dites de Petersberg, y compris l'identification des forces européennes nationales et multinationales" et mettre en oeuvre les politiques et décisions selon les directives du Comité militaire de l'Union européenne (CMUE).