Former NATO Secretary General: "Weakened Atlantic Link... Europe Needs Autonomous Defense"

Securing Autonomous Defense Capabilities and Guaranteeing Ukraine’s Security
Two Key Challenges Presented... Europe Must Take Responsibility for Its Own Peace

The flags of the European Union (EU), Ukraine, and Germany are fluttering in front of the German parliament on the 24th (local time). Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), argued in an article for The Economist on the same day that Europe needs to stand alone as the transatlantic (North America and Europe) link weakens. / AFP News Agency · Yonhap News Agency

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), raised his voice on the 24th (local time) about the need for Europe’s autonomous defense efforts amid weakening transatlantic ties between North America and Europe.

In a contribution to The Economist in the UK on the same day, former Secretary General Rasmussen stated, "Europe, which has relied on U.S. military support for 80 years, must now take responsibility for maintaining peace on its own," presenting two key challenges: securing Europe’s autonomous defense capabilities and ensuring independent and sustainable security for Ukraine.

He pointed out that "Europe must restore its defense spending to Cold War levels," arguing that "NATO’s current defense spending target of 2% of GDP should be immediately raised to 3%, and increased to 4% by 2028." This would mean approximately an additional $400 billion (536 trillion won) in annual expenditure.

He also called for restructuring Europe’s defense industry to achieve self-sufficiency. Currently, European defense companies import over 80% of their military equipment from the U.S., relying on small orders that make economies of scale difficult to realize.

Former Secretary General Rasmussen proposed alternatives such as large-scale mergers of small and medium-sized defense companies and revising the European Investment Bank (EIB)’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) guidelines to expand loans to the defense sector.

He further emphasized, "Even after the war in Ukraine ends, Europe must guarantee Ukraine’s security to prevent Russia from rearming and attacking again," and insisted that "Europe should actively support Ukraine’s NATO membership."

He added that if the U.S., as NATO’s largest member, currently opposes Ukraine’s accession, Europe must independently provide security guarantees for Ukraine. Regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s opposition to Ukraine’s NATO membership, he clearly drew the line by stating, "This is a matter for Ukraine and NATO to decide."

Former Secretary General Rasmussen reiterated, "If the mission to protect Europe’s freedom and democracy rests entirely on us, then we must now be prepared to fulfill that mission."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.