Looking for a new example of Europe's catastrophic under-investment in defense?
Well, look no further than Germany's announcement that only 17 of the more advanced Leopard 2A6 tank are available for Ukraine. As Bloomberg reports, this deficit means the European Union is unlikely to fulfill its pledge of providing Ukraine with enough tanks to make up two armored battalions. The U.S. will do so, of course, but the Europeans will fail yet again.
OF COURSE ZELENSKY WENT TO BRITAIN BEFORE BRUSSELS
This situation is intolerable. Or at least it should be.
First off, the fact so few European main battle tanks are ready for active service - a year after Russia's commencement of the largest land war in Europe since 1945 - shows just how unserious most European nations remain about NATO's collective defense. Yes, the Baltics and Poland are hiking defense spending and standing firm against Russian aggression. But for most of Europe, it's business as usual. Which is to say, a familiar combination of lofty rhetoric and continued reliance on the U.S. military to do the burden bearing. 17 tanks isn't a commitment, its an indictment of decades of defense neglect. Donald Trump is rightly criticized for his delusional trust in Vladimir Putin. But why is it that Angela Merkel continues to be regarded as a great leader for Western values when she supervised Europe's defense implosion?
The second problem is that only Germany and Portugal have pledged the more advanced Leopard tanks. Spain could have provided A6 variants in its possession. But many European nations retain different Leopard tank variants. Their refusal to come together to match rhetorical support for Ukraine to action underlines their continuing weakness in the face of Russian threats of escalation. In turn, it will be up to the U.S. to fill Ukraine's needs once again.
To be clear, I believe the U.S. is right to lead the world in supporting Ukraine with arms and political consolidation. That leadership is critical for the defense of Ukraine's democratic sovereignty and in defraying Russian threats designed to weaken the Western alliance structure. Still, this tank debacle is a very sorry state of affairs. One that underlines a broader and increasingly urgent crisis in Western relations.
After all, the likely coming war over Taiwan means that the U.S. cannot continue to provide a full spectrum warfighting capability to Europe. Yes, U.S. nuclear weapons and armored brigades should stay in Europe. But the Air Force's F-22s and Navy's destroyers either need to be in the U.S. undergoing maintenance, or deployed in the Pacific. As Western leaders gather at the Munich Security Conference, U.S. politicians in attendance must publicly insist Europe get a grip.
The U.S. military can no longer exist as a backstop for the European social welfare state.