US gives Europe until 2027 to lead Nato Defence capabilities: Report

The US has given Europe until 2027 to take over the decisive bulk of NATO’s conventional defense capabilities, ranging from intelligence to missiles, Reuters reported on Friday, citing people it didn’t name. 

If European allies don’t meet this deadline, the US could stop participating in some of NATO’s coordination mechanism, according to the report. The message was conveyed by Pentagon officials to European diplomats in Washington this week, it said. 

The US has called for the burden within NATO to be shifted more toward Europe, which it deems over-reliant on American assets and troops. European allies and Canada have complied by agreeing to increase defense spending to 5% of their economic output by 2035. 

 

Washington isn’t yet satisfied with the progress, according to Reuters.  

While Europe is advanced in traditional war-fighting matters, sophisticated assets called “strategic enablers”, such as intelligence, logistic, air defense and deep strikes, are areas in which the US is still indispensable within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.