PNN – Referring to the role of America in supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the last 75 years, the Financial Times wrote: The return of US President-elect Donald Trump to the White House has raised the specter of war in Europe, where NATO allies may no longer be able to count on US support.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, this newspaper started its report with the fictional narrative that it is the year 2030 and Russia and China have held their first major military exercise in the Arctic. This joint exercise called Vostok 2030 includes thousands of troops, tanks, and planes. This is the latest manifestation of the “historic partnership between Moscow and Beijing”.
This report added: Russia recently announced that it has expanded its control over the Arctic continental plateau, and China recognizes this claim. Russia, in turn, declares that China’s “historical claim” on the South China Sea is legitimate. Immediately after that, Chinese and Russian forces attack the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. NATO forces mobilize but lack the US logistical power to retake it. NATO allies now face a strategic dilemma: Give up control of Svalbard or use the power of your defense pact and launch a nuclear retaliatory strike. The prime ministers of Britain and France, who both control Europe’s nuclear arsenals, are faced with a terrifying decision.
The Financial Times wrote: This apocalyptic notion is not prophetic, but it is not completely implausible either.
NATO’s top commander, Christopher Cowley, warned last month that Russia’s military would emerge stronger from the war.
This report added that since the American elections, the Europeans have demanded more measures to defend this continent. French President Emmanuel Macron said this month that “we must be able to defend ourselves” and warned that Europe must not be weakened.
But Europe’s actions so far have been limited to rhetoric. Some defense planners on the continent have returned to the thinking of the 1970s, when NATO warned Moscow that it would use nuclear weapons if attacked to compensate for its weak contractual deterrent.
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A senior European security official (who was not named in the Financial Times report) said: The Europeans will bear the brunt of the defense pressure. The question is, can they manage it, or will it be a chaotic situation.
The think tank of the International Institute for Strategic Studies warned in its latest report: Fulfilling NATO’s commitments require the member states of this alliance to significantly increase their level of readiness. They should strengthen their industrial and defense bases and invest heavily in defense innovation and forces. Quickly addressing these European weaknesses is an ambitious goal.
But these are apart from the needs that Europe must meet in case of US withdrawal from NATO. In the event of the scenario of America withdrawing from NATO, America should provide what the former general of the British Army, Edward Esringer, considers important in the field of ammunition supply, transportation and logistics.
According to this newspaper, some things that America provides to NATO are irreplaceable; Like the fleet of C17 cargo planes, each of which costs $340 million and can carry 75 tons of equipment almost 4,500 kilometers without refueling. F35 aircraft are also increasingly present in NATO air forces, with more than 500 fighter jets expected to operate in Europe by the mid-2030s.
In a part of its report, the Financial Times described one of Europe’s problems as the continent’s weak defense industry and wrote: Another problem that Europe must solve in the event of America’s withdrawal from NATO is the lack of leadership.
The third important issue is financing. NATO allies have increased their defense spending by a third from 2022. However, considering the limited budget, the high level of public debt and the priorities of these countries in health and education issues, it is not clear how these countries are committed in this field.
The report noted that Trump is not the first US president to complain about Europe’s financial burden. John F. Kennedy had previously asked the National Security Council of this country why America should have more equipment in Europe. But Trump is the first president to “encourage Russia to attack NATO countries that have failed to pay their bills,” as he said in February.
The report added: Many Europeans hope that maintaining US support will be solved with money. The Kiel Institute for Global Economics wrote in a report: The United States has spent 66 billion euros in military aid to Kyiv since February 2022, while NATO allies have contributed 85 billion euros. Completely replacing this amount of US military aid is equivalent to 0.3% of Europe’s GDP. A European defense official claimed that the UK and Europe could afford it, although the decision would be particularly difficult as much of the equipment is bought from the US.
In the end, this report has emphasized the need for Europe’s quick actions due to Washington’s increasing focus on its priority.