“My center is giving way, my right is retreating, excellent situation, I attack.” French Gen. Ferdinand Foch pronounced these desperate words in September 1914 as German troops massed 25 miles from Paris for their final assault. The same words could be used today by analysts and diplomats still willing to promote greater cooperation between the United States and its European allies. Just like Foch's lines, international arms development seems in full retreat as European leaders express unease about their dependence on American weapons and technologies—from the F-35 to digital services. And yet, the case for more defense-industrial cooperation has arguably never been stronger. What we might increasingly see, however, is cooperation between smaller groups of selected partners for limited but strategic industrial sectors. Such “minilateral” frameworks could hold the key to NATO allies successfully ramping up their capabilities, not least in the technologically complex and costly realm of shipbuilding.
NATO's Neglected Child
NATO is currently faced with a degraded security environment, with Russia's ongoing assault against Ukraine as well as continuing pressure in Eastern Europe and the Arctic. Confronted with intensifying competition with Russia and China, NATO's strategic posture has evolved toward forward presence and rapid response. The shift reflects not only the growing likelihood of conventional conflict in Europe and the North Atlantic, but also an upsurge in attacks on critical undersea infrastructure such as telecommunications cables and energy pipelines.…
The remainder of this commentary is available at warontherocks.com.
