France urges Europe to seek independent aerial defense capabilities, avoid relying on U.S.-Israeli military platforms
French President Emmanuel Macron urged European states on Monday to develop independent aerial defense capabilities instead of relying on American-Israeli defense platforms. After years of disarmament, European nations are currently beefing up their defense capabilities amid Russia’s continued war against Ukraine.
The French leader addressed defense ministers and senior representatives of some 20 European states at the annual International Paris Air Show in the French capital.
“We need to know what the threat situation is … And then, what are we, Europeans, able to produce? And what do we then need to buy?” Macron said.
The French president argued that Europe’s reliance upon American military systems was related to America’s standardization and lack of sufficient subsidies to European defense enterprises.
“Why do we still need to buy American too often? Because Americans have standardized much more than we have, and they themselves have federal agencies that provide massive subsidies to their manufacturers,” stated Macron.
Germany, Europe’s most economically powerful nation, recently revealed its intention to invest an estimated 4 billion euro to acquire the U.S.-funded Israeli Arrow-3 missile defense system amid continued tensions between Russia and the Western nations.
The Arrow-3 system is designed to intercept and neutralize long-range ballistic missiles outside of the earth’s atmosphere.
In April, the new NATO member-state Finland announced it would buy Israel’s David Sling anti-missile system in order to boost its aerial defenses.
“The David’s Sling system will extend the operational range of Finland’s ground-based air defense capabilities significantly,” read the official statement.
France has long been in favor of a pan-European defense that is not dependent on Washington. However, in practice, the European nations remain dependent on the vastly greater American military capabilities in confronting potential enemies such as Russia.
The tiny Jewish state is also punching significantly above its weight.
The Israeli military reportedly ranked as the world’s fourth strongest army, behind Russia, the U.S. and China, according to the January 2023 issue of US News & World Report.
The Israel Defense Forces reportedly have more modern fighter jets and battle tanks than Great Britain, which was once the world’s most powerful nation.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
