Abstract
As a whole, European militaries can rarely keep their allied commitments to defence spending as a set product of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This context paints a confusing picture in that while European states are asking their militaries to be smarter, more flexible and multi-dimensional, they are at the same time willing to pay less for their militaries. Moreover, the US military commitment to Europe is often perceived as being undermined by a European tendency to free ride. Despite recent events on Europe’s Eastern border, signalling from the US suggests there will be significant changes to the US commitment in Europe over the long term. Based on data collection in both European capitals as well as in Washington DC, this paper addresses how both (1) the United States perceives it’s Allies’ attempts at transformation as well as (2) European impressions of the extent to which the US ‘rebalance’ impacts on their defence planning processes. The paper also attempts to (3) establish how European Allies understand each other’s struggles to transform their armed forces under current budget constraints.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Unpublished - 23 Jan 2015 |
| Event | UACES CRN on the Common Security and Defence Policy - Egmont Palace, Brussels, Belgium Duration: 23 Jan 2015 → 23 Jan 2015 |
Workshop
| Workshop | UACES CRN on the Common Security and Defence Policy |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Belgium |
| City | Brussels |
| Period | 23/01/15 → 23/01/15 |