On Thursday the head of NATO issued a warning to member countries against allowing outside forces to step in between Europe and the United States as some believe Washington's commitment to Europe could wane if Donald Trump is reelected to the presidency.
Military vehicles including trucks and support vehicles, all belonging to the 7 Light Mechanised Brigade unit of the British Army, aka 'The Desert Rats', are loaded by members of the Royal Logistics Corps' 17 Port & Maritime Regiment onto the MV Anvil Point, at the Marchwood Military Sea Mounting Centre near Southampton, southern England, on February 13, 2024, to take part in military exercises in Europe under the NATO umbrella exercise, 'Steadfast Defender'. Some 90,000 NATO troops will take part in the months-long Steadfast Defender 24 exercise designed to test its defences in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine. The exercise is designed to simulate the 31-nation alliance's response to an attack from a rival like Russia.
European leaders and senior officials have warned their parties that they must invest more in defense and in new technologies, in addition to an uptick in weapons production.
The war in Ukraine has steadily drained the military and financial resources, and with American aid still tied in Congressional infighting, the stakes are about as high as they've ever been.
"I welcome that the European allies are investing more in defense, and NATO has called for that for many, many years," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the alliance's Brussels headquarters at a meeting for defense ministers.
"But that's not an alternative to NATO. That is actually a way to strengthen NATO. And we should not pursue any path that indicates that we are trying to divide Europe from North America," he said.
Europe is even considering a nuclear umbrella with France and the United Kingdom, Europe's only nuclear-armed countries, to form a nuclear deterrent against aggression.
Traditionally, France has not been one to blindly follow the United States, whether as a member of the United Nations or as a NATO member.
France doesn't even participate in NATO's nuclear planning group.
"NATO has a nuclear deterrent, and this has worked for decades," Stoltenberg said. "We should not do anything to undermine that. That will only create more uncertainty and more room for miscalculation and misunderstanding."
France's President Emmanuel Macron believes France must maintain a measure of independence when it comes to nuclear weapons. In December he said France has a "very special responsibility" as a nuclear power in Europe and "stands by" its allies and neighbors.
A European nuclear umbrella has long been given lip service to by, among others, German members of the European Parliament. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz believes there is no alternative to a NATO nuclear umbrella.
Last week, former U.S. President Donald Trump said he once warned NATO that he would allow Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO members that are "delinquent" in devoting 2% of their GDP to defense.
Though remarks were immediately countered by President Joe Biden as "dangerous" and "un-American."
