Ronan Wordsworth
For years, Europe has been notoriously slow in developing a coherent strategy for its defense industry. And it never really had a reason to formulate such a plan, so long as the United States guaranteed its safety. But the second Trump administration – specifically, its transactional approach to international affairs and its eagerness to end the Ukraine war – has convinced Europe that it may no longer be able to rely on the United States for its defense needs. Other U.S. allies, including Canada, South Korea, Japan and Australia, are asking themselves the same question, especially in light of the seemingly punitive measures such as tariffs the Trump administration has imposed on them. In this context, many policy changes are underway, perhaps none so important as those in the defense industry.
Through NATO, the U.S. has been Europe’s security guarantor since 1949, a position that has been a boon to the U.S. defense industry. In addition to run-of-the-mill global arms sales, companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman have become leading defense manufacturers because the weapons systems they produce have become NATO standard. The pressure Washington exerted on European allies to buy American often hampered domestic research and development. When the F-35 and F-16 fighter aircraft, for example, became NATO standards, they depressed demand for European alternatives such as the Eurofighter or Rafale. U.S. firms were thus able to achieve technological superiority through Pentagon R&D funding and, critically, were able to ensure that U.S. makers continuously filled order sheets.
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