Europe's Defence Without America: The Foundations Are Already Being Built
UK & European Defence | 7th November 2026
For decades, European security has depended heavily on the United States through NATO. However, existing European military partnerships, growing defence investment and new cooperation between Britain and France are gradually creating the foundations for a continent capable of defending itself with less American assistance.
The European Union's Defence Readiness 2030 programme is central to this transformation. Its ReArm Europe initiative aims to mobilise up to €800 billion in additional defence spending, including €150 billion in EU-backed loans through the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme.
The investment is intended to strengthen European weapons production, air and missile defence, drones, cyber security and military mobility. Planned European air, drone and space defence initiatives could also reduce reliance on American systems.
Britain's Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) already provides a separate European-led military framework. Its ten members cooperate across the Baltic Sea, North Atlantic and Arctic regions, conducting joint exercises and preparing rapid responses to emerging threats.
Unlike NATO, the JEF can act through smaller groups of participating nations without requiring unanimous agreement from the entire alliance. Canada has also applied to join, potentially strengthening cooperation across the North Atlantic.
Britain and France are strengthening Europe's nuclear deterrence arrangements. Their 2025 Northwood Declaration established closer coordination between Europe's two nuclear-armed states, while preserving independent national control over their weapons.
Meanwhile, the UK–France-led Coalition of the Willing is developing multinational security arrangements for Ukraine. Such cooperation demonstrates how European countries can organise military operations through structures outside NATO's formal command system.
European defence manufacturing is another important element. Joint procurement, increased ammunition production and multinational programmes such as the UK–Italian–Japanese Global Combat Air Programme are intended to strengthen technological capabilities and reduce dependence on external suppliers.
What remains to be achieved?
Despite this progress, Europe still relies significantly on American intelligence, strategic transport, missile defence, military communications and other specialised capabilities.
Neither the EU nor the JEF currently provides a complete replacement for NATO's collective defence arrangements. Britain's nuclear deterrent also retains important technological links with the United States.
Nevertheless, the foundations of greater European defence independence already exist. EU investment, UK-led military cooperation, Franco-British nuclear coordination and expanding European defence industries are addressing different parts of the same challenge.
The long-term objective is not necessarily to abandon NATO, but to ensure that European countries possess the military capabilities, industrial resources and political coordination needed to defend themselves even if American assistance is unavailable.
Whether these initiatives achieve that objective will depend on sustained investment, cooperation and the successful delivery of capabilities planned for the remainder of this decade.