Will Donald Trump shake, or even trample, the relations between France and the United States, and beyond that with Europe in the field of defense? The recent past can provide some clues that challenge many preconceived ideas. Beyond the political differences, the French ministerial cabinets worked rather well with the Trump administration between January 2017 and January 2021, when he was the tenant of the White House, according to several sources interviewed.
It is true that there is a relatively dominant current in French diplomacy, symbolized by the former ambassador to the United States Gérard Araud, who wants to preserve relations between France and the United States whatever the administrations in place. The duo formed from Berlin and Paris “It should be especially open with the new American administration chosen by the American people”explained in Paris last week the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, in the presence of his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius.
The F-35 is the best-selling aircraft in Europe
In Europe, pragmatism prevails vis-Ã -vis Washington in view of the power of the United States in the field of defense and arms sales. Europe spends lavishly with American manufacturers on military equipment. According to Sipri, about 55% of arms imports from European countries in the period 2019-23 came from the United States, compared to 35% in 2014-18. “More than half of European states’ arms imports come from the United States”specified the director of Sipri, Dan Smith, “While at the same time, Europe is responsible for about a third of the world’s arms exports, a significant amount of which comes from the region, reflecting Europe’s strong military-industrial capacity.”.
Symbol of Europe’s dependence on the United States, the F-35, the best-selling fighter jet in European countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and Switzerland) despite its recurring problems and its exorbitant price, especially in terms of support. The three European aircraft (Rafale, Eurofighter and the Swedish Gripen) were crushed by the Lockheed Martin F-35, which is still criticized in the United States.
Why such a purchase? The purchase of a fighter plane is the strong symbol of a purchase that is intended to be political. This led the former Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, who had excellent relations with her American counterpart James Mattis, to ironically joke in March 2019 in Washington about the NATO solidarity clause that “it’s called article V, not article F-35”. This is also the case of Raytheon’s Patriot, the best-selling air defense system in Europe: GermanySpain, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.
The United States looks to the Indo-Pacific
In the mind of Donald Trump, an alliance, including that of NATO created during the Cold War, must necessarily bring something. He does not like this kind of comments made by Florence Parly in Washington: “The alliance must be unconditional, otherwise it is not an alliance”. Faced and aware of the new challenges posed by the arrival of Donald Trump, Germany, very Atlanticist, feels at the forefront.
Convinced that the center of gravity of the United States will migrate towards the Indo-Pacific, Boris Pistorius called during his visit to Paris to the Europeans. “close ranks” and “full” in a way “credible” the departure of Americans from Europe, where about 100,000 GIs are still stationed. “It’s something that’s going to happen.”he insisted.
