By Li Jiabao
Foreign Policy, an American news publication, recently cited a report by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) under the US Department of Defense (DoD) that in 2022, the US approved almost twice as many weapon sales to its NATO allies – at twice the price too – as in 2021, as the latter stocked up on weapons because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The sales, involving 24 major items and amounting to about US$28 billion, were celebrated by American military-industrial complexes, but it was a bitter pill for Europe to swallow on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Enormous military spending adds to European countries’ financial burden and disrupts their pace of economic recovery. To satisfy the US and NATO’s requirement to have their defense expenditure account for 2% of GDP, many European countries are forced to increase their military spending amid rising inflation and fiscal strait, and a large part of that will be used to buy American weapons.
Germany has earmarked EUR10 billion to buy F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, and countries like Switzerland, Britain and Poland have also signed large-sum orders for it. In 2022, the US State Department approved arms sales to several European countries including Estonia, Norway and Finland. The website EU Observer pointed out that huge amounts of capital that could have been invested in social services and other fields have been used to develop and purchase weapons, adding that basing Europe’s security on military-industry enterprises and their investors’ mercenary dream will only fuel future warfare and aggravate agony on humanity.
Dragging the security-anxious Europe onto its chariot through NATO, the US obstructs Europe’s process to strategic independence. There has been a rising call within the EU for greater strategic independence in recent years, but such efforts have been stymied as the US has tied Europe’s hands in diplomatic, military, energy supply and many other aspects since the Ukraine crisis broke out. By selling large quantities of weapons to Europe, the US promises to protect its collective security through NATO, thus having a tighter grip on the continent, while going to great lengths to hype up the so-called threats from rivals and drive a wedge between Russia and Europe, in the attempt to further contain the former and create division and confrontation within the latter.
In the final analysis, the US just wants to meet its multiple selfish goals – suppressing Russia, maintaining control over Europe, and bringing grist to its military-industry complexes’ mill. British website iNews commented that the US has turned the Ukraine crisis into a “proxy war”, one that will cause zero casualties to the US military while enabling it to empty Europe’s pocket in the muddied waters.
America adding fuel to the fire in Ukraine will further deteriorate the European security situation. Nowadays the Russia-Ukraine tension is showing a dangerous trend of spillover without any sign of ease, and Europe is faced with various challenges ranging from energy crisis, food shortage, increasing refugees to economic stagflation. While traditional and non-traditional security threats are piled upon each other, the US, on the excuse of “major country strategic threats” and “defusing regional crisis”, has continuously enlarged its weapon export orders and rocked the European security situation. All that American military-industry groups can see is just profit – when the cannon fires, money flows in. Phebe Novakovic, chairman of American national defense contractor General Dynamics, once mentioned bluntly that 2022 is a good start. Although the world became more dangerous, they could see a good sign of steady demand.
If Europe wants to enjoy true security, it should work on a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security architecture rather than join the confrontational bloc pulled together by the US to achieve its own selfish goals. Will Europe be clear-minded and cohesive enough to get back on the track of “strategic independence”? This is a question it has to work out on its own.
Editor's note: Originally published on haiwainet.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
