From Camille Grand, New York Times:  The alliance must also address the serious challenges associated with fiscal austerity as defense spending is rising almost everywhere except in Europe and the United States. Most of the Europeans are on the brink of falling into military irrelevance because of a lack of political will and fast declining defense budgets.

As Europe is more and more becoming a coalition of the unable and the unwilling, U.S. defense cuts signal that America is unlikely to devote significant resources to fill the gaps in European military capabilities. These two trends could harm the alliance’s ability to address both conventional and unconventional threats (weapons of mass destruction and missile proliferation, cybersecurity).

NATO needs to develop a sustainable military model, probably involving a much closer relationship with the European Union, as both organizations have a lot to bring to this debate.

Ultimately, the preservation of a strong defense relationship between North America and Europe remains a cornerstone of stability. This is not only because our nations share the same values, but because in a world marked by the plurality of players, we can, if united, continue to shape the security environment and preserve international security when emerging powers are either reluctant to do so or are challenging international security by their behavior.

Camille Grand is the director of the Foundation for Strategic Research. He has previously held senior positions in the French ministries of defense and foreign affairs. He is on Twitter.   (photo: Bundeswehr/Bienert)

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