Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called for the establishment of a new defense alliance among European nations following the announced partial withdrawal of US troops. Speaking to “Welt” Rasmussen stated that current events signify the decline of NATO, arguing that Europe must draw decisive conclusions from this trend. He stressed that the continent needs to establish its own defensive capacity and must ultimately be able to defend itself independently.
Rasmussen put forward the idea of a formalized “Coalition of the Willing”-a group of European states that are both prepared and able to organize the defense of the continent autonomously. According to Rasmussen, neither the EU nor NATO is currently equipped to build a sufficiently powerful European pillar. He concluded that Europe requires both new defense plans and enhanced military capabilities.
To ensure the viability of this proposed defense alliance, Rasmussen detailed several mandatory criteria. Participating members should meet the NATO objective of spending at least five percent of their GDP on defense and must commit to defending other member countries should they come under attack. Furthermore, he argued that the alliance structure must prevent any single state from being able to block coordinated military operations. To maintain adherence to these rules, the coalition must also implement a mechanism allowing the expulsion of members who fail to meet these conditions.
In this proposed new security architecture, Ukraine must also be integrated as an established member. Rasmussen noted the rapid development of weaponry and ammunition by Ukraine, positioning the nation as an essential bulwark against Russia.
