Unfortunately, just a month into the campaign, the European-led NATO coalition is showing signs of strain, such as a shortage of precision bombs. These problems are probably more a matter of logistics than money. But they also highlight an inconvenient truth: Europe has been underfunding its defense capabilities for more than a decade.But wait my friends...it gets worse...
“I think there is a disconnect between the diplomatic ambitions of European countries and their military power,” says Antoine Gelain, leader of the aerospace and defense practice at Candesic, a London-based consultancy. “France and the U.K. still see themselves as the kind of countries that are able to bring law and order to renegade regimes. But the reality is they don’t have the means to do that anymore.”The worse part of all this is the face that Joe is a business reporter! He's looking at this from that perspective and as an explanation for why European companies are making a bee line to the US market place.
What he doesn't touch on, and what many don't want to see is this --- Unless Europe/NATO picks up more of the load, this Atlantic partnership is in serious trouble. The danger doesn't exist between the US and individual countries but more with the European Union and NATO. The US and UK, Poland, Romania, The Netherlands, Finland etc...will remain strong...but with the alliance...with the umbrella organization? Not so much.
10 years? Try 35. Ever since the fat from WWII and the Marshall plan burned off European armed forces have been in decline. The Germans may have taken a little longer, but they remembered the Russians...
ReplyDeleteNATO is nothing without the US. As is painfully obvious once again in Libya (we also saw it when Yugoslavia fell apart).
65 years of peace and the welfare state have taken their toll.
The only allies trying to pull their weight right now are the Eastern Europeans whose memory of death and repression are still rather fresh. Western Europe is not hopelessly lost, but they need a good smack to bring them around.
Whilst I agree with the sentiment expressed in the article - the over reliance on the United States is a disgrace - I have to challenge Craig on the notion that only the Eastern Europeans are pulling their weight.
ReplyDeleteLet's compare Poland to the United Kingdom: The UK has a defence budget (2010) of $73.36 bn and has the fourth largest declared budget in the world at 2.5% of GDP. It is also one of the five recognised nuclear powers. Poland has a defence budget (2010) of $8.7 bn or %1.95 of GDP.
Poland has 2,300 troops in Afghanistan the UK has 10,500. Poland operates two frigates and five diesel SSK's. The UK operates 20 frigates and destroyers and eight nuclear SSN's with a further 4 SSBN's.
This is in no way a criticism of the Poles (who I merely used as an example), but whilst I personally believe the UK defence budget should be %3 of GDP, it is a peculiar notion to state that the Eastern European nations are "the only allies trying to pull their weight".