U.S. Warns Brussels Not to Threaten NATO with EU Army

Brussels must be careful not to weaken or undermine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as it builds a supranational European Union (EU) Army, American military leaders have told their EU lilies.

 

Last November, 25 EU states signed the Permanent Structured Cooperation on Security and Defence (PESCO), agreeing on a multi-billion-euro common defence fund and a shared military headquarters.

 

The European Commission’s president then demanded a “fully-fledged Defence Union” by 2025 before the bloc’s foreign minister revealed they were working at “full speed” to create a unified “defence force” on a “continental scale”.

 

U.S. leaders have now raised concerns that the EU Army could weaken the NATO defence alliance and block American military manufacturers from bidding on certain European projects at the Munich Security Conference on the weekend.

 

Aide to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Katie Wheelbarger, said: “We are supportive of [PESCO], as long as it is complementary to and not distracting from NATO’s activities and requirements.”“We don’t want to see EU efforts pulling requirements or forces away from NATO and into the EU,” Ms. Wheelbarger added.

Source: U.S. Warns Brussels Not to Threaten NATO with EU Army