Jason Moore27/09/2016 00:00
TW
1

The European Army, which the European Union wants to create, is a rather grand title for what is little more than a paper army. Also, I think it is rather a kick in the teeth for NATO and the United States, which is charged with the defence of the west. European nations spend little on defence; in fact the meagre defence budgets of some nations is almost laughable.

This is one of the reasons why the US continues to base large numbers of troops in Europe, even though they are needed elsewhere. Europe can't look after its own defence without the help of the Americans. Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw troops from Europe if he is elected. He argues that Europe should look after itself without the help of Big Brother from across the pond. And he is not wrong. Without the might of the US, NATO is not that powerful, so imagine a European defence force. It would be like Dad´s Army.

If the EU is serious about defence, then it should ensure that member states increase their defence spending. What Europe can't do is talk defence and grand titles but without the necessary muscle. To put the whole issue in perspective the US Marines Corps has more helicopters than all European nations combined. At the moment Europe has a single aircraft carrier and the US has at least ten. European nations only have a handful of large transport aircraft. The list goes on. The European paper army.