Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson cautions against the idea of a European military force separate from NATO, warning that it could harm all NATO member countries.
“Anything that Europe does to increase the percentage of its GDP that goes to defense is a good thing,” Wilson said Monday during a talk at the Future Security Forum. She noted that most NATO member countries are not spending at least 2% of GDP on defense. Only 7 of 29 members are meeting that goal set by the alliance, according to a NATO report released last year.
“But I think the most important thing for Europe to consider, and NATO has always thought this way, is that it is vital for the security of Europe to maintain the close connection with Canada and the United States,” said the secretary.
There are “common values” shared by Europe and North America, said Wilson, warning that if a European force appears to be disconnected from its North American allies, “then that will weaken us all.”
Wilson’s comments follow French President Emmanuel Macron’s repeated calls for a “real European army” beginning last year. “We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army,” Macron said in November. He pointed to President Trump’s decision to remove the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, which banned certain certain nuclear missiles, in making his case for a standalone army.
“We need a Europe which defends itself better alone, without just depending on the United States, in a more sovereign manner,” he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel supports Macron’s idea, while Trump called the suggestion “very insulting” and suggested Europe should first meet its NATO spending requirements.
Alliances in general are a strategic strength for the U.S. and are no less vital to it than to any other country, Wilson said yesterday. She pointed to Article 5 of the NATO treaty as an example of the alliance benefiting the U.S.
“That article has only come into force one time, and that was when the United States was attacked on 9/11 and our allies came to our defense,” said Wilson.
