The abrupt shift in the United States' foreign policy since Donald Trump's return to the White House is a shockwave shaking both military leadership and the entire European defense industry. Beyond the potential gap left by the withdrawal of 20,000 US troops from the continent – a figure cited by some Pentagon officials, which would bring troop levels back to their pre-Ukraine war numbers – it is Washington's growing alignment with Moscow's interests that is causing deep concern and prompting an unprecedented review in many capitals of how to reduce dependency.

Following the meeting in Paris on Wednesday, March 12, of the defense ministers from the informal "E5" group (Poland, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy), established in the wake of the US presidential election, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that he had been proposing a "roadmap" on the issue to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth since mid-February. The document aims to help structure the new arrangement demanded by Washington while avoiding "gaps in capabilities" and "organiz[ing] burden sharing progressively, to know who does what." The "ReArm Europe" plan, presented on March 4 by the European Commission with the aim of raising up to €150 billion for new investments on the markets, is in the same spirit.

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