Eric Beranger, CEO of European missile maker MBDA, stated on Monday that efforts to steer more defense spending towards European suppliers face political hurdles, with EU governments still divided over how much to rely on US security guarantees. Washington has been pressing European NATO allies to increase defense spending, while France has led calls to buy more European-made weapons amid questions over the US commitment to Europe's security.
Beranger, speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, questioned whether Europeans want to "take our own fate in our hands" and bring European capabilities to NATO, or simply increase capabilities by buying from outside the continent. He noted "different attitudes between the various governments" and that "the jury is still out" with "still some way to go."
Several European countries, including host Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands, have turned to US suppliers for equipment such as F-35 fighter jets. In February, the US mission to the European Union stated that "limiting American defense industry in European procurement programs threatens that partnership and weakens our mutual security."
Discussions at the forum also focused on nuclear deterrence amid Russia's renewed warnings about using nuclear weapons. Former British defence minister Ben Wallace commented that discussions on Europe's ability to strengthen its nuclear and conventional deterrence would be of most interest to Russia. Claudia Major, senior vice president for transatlantic security at the German Marshall Fund, emphasized that deterrence relies on perceptions of US commitment to European allies, stating, "I don't say give up on the US. I just say don't blind ourselves," citing recent friction with the US over Greenland, Russia, and Ukraine. NATO members reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense in the Ankara Summit Declaration in July. Beranger stressed that Europe already possesses the industrial base needed to strengthen its defenses.
