US officials object to European push to buy weapons locally
US officials object to European push to buy weapons locally
www.reuters.com
reuters.com
5 comments
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This was posted elsewhere but it's relevant to mention the US already stated it would sell inferior versions of jets. Im sure these countries realised the current US mentality of "why stop there" and will probably cost cut further - lesser quality munitions and firearms, land vehicles, specialty fuels, etc.
Also in the face of tariffs and regular insults, being less inclined to purchase from someone increasingly hostile to them. This isn't "out of the blue", it's the response step.
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But but but...but we make the weapon!
Finally, Buying foreign made weapon isn't wise strategically speaking. Not only jobs goes away, but if things get bad, you may struggle to get "spare parts".
I understand that for some stuff you may have no choice (Electromagnetic catapults for aircraft carrier sounds like a US only technology) but in many case we do.
Electromagnetic catapults are a "least concern" technology I would say, but that aside, currently our defence industries are intertwined. Thinking the EU is fully dependent on the US is delusional.
People are about to find out that even when the US often leads the way, there are also EU companies critical to US weapon systems.
Sure, you can "DIY" everything, but massively altering your supply chain is rarely a good idea. Will Orangeman realise that? We will see.
We don't really need EM catapults though, IDK if they are even better than steam ones. To be honest, I don't even think we need aircraft carriers in general, we should get submarines instead to sink carriers and other ships and carry nukes for defense and deterrence.