time for some european politics

[Occhidiangela]

Or why do you think there had been so much talk about a European foreign minister, or about building up a European military? Only to protect free trade? :lol:
-Kylearan
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Like this?

Source:  London Financial Times  June 6, 2005

France Says Europe Must Increase Military Spending

By Peter Spiegel

Europe is at risk of falling severely behind the US in weapons technologies unless it lifts spending on military equipment and research by as much as Euros 45bn (Pounds 30.4bn) a year, a panel appointed by the French defence minister will warn this week.  According to people who have read the panel's report, which will be presented at a symposium attended by Miche`le Alliot-Marie, the French defence minister, on Wednesday, it includes a call for increased transatlantic partnerships, urging French industry and officials to overcome past difficulties to work more closely with the US.

The report cites the UK as a model for several defence spending initiatives, particularly its recent push to outsource many Ministry of Defence activities - including some front-line missions, such as air-to-air refuelling tankers - to the private sector.  It notes that Britain's BAE Systems remains the only European defence company with a big US presence and provides encouragement to French and European groups to achieve a similar standing. The council consulted widely with UK officials, including Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, incoming chief of the UK defence staff, and Dick Olver, chairman of BAE, according to officials.

While the panel found that Europe's defence industry continues to be competitive in several sectors, including fighter aircraft, military helicopters and defence electronics, it warned that heavy US spending on high-technology networks that can link weapons could leave Europe's capabilities in so-called "systems of systems" far behind.  The report was compiled by the Defence Economy Council, a panel set up by Ms Alliot-Marie shortly after taking over the ministry three years ago to assess the health of France and Europe's defence industries.

It finds France and Britain have accounted for nearly half of all spending on military equipment in Europe over the past three years and more than two-thirds of all European Union defence research budgets.  France and Britain are also two of only four European countries that spend 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence (the US spends more than 3 per cent).

I wonder at how long it will be before Germany rids itself of the ghosts of a few generations past and moves forward on the defense support. The Germans I served with were well trained, well equipped professionals. I think it is a shame that the shackles of self doubt and anti German propaganda have prevented better valid use of German troops for peace keeping and other out of area operations. (I think there were some German units in Afghanistan as part of the NATO contribution there, don't remember. ) In parallel, I'd suggest the German industrial infrastructure is still in place and underappreciated.

(Tidbit: German bearings for certain helicopter swashplates were better than the American bearings for the same model, but our Congress blocked the contract for them. Old story, and a sad one: the lame bearings ended up getting a friend of mine killed.)

Do you think the French position is intended to cajole the Germans into upping their share of the "collective" European defense investment? How do you read German public opinion on that score?

Occhi