European foreign ministers met with Marco Rubio to express their willingness to increase military spending and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz. They seek to demonstrate commitment to NATO and avoid a rift with the United States, in response to Trump's criticism of the lack of defense investment.
Naval technology and anti-missile defense systems 🚢
To ensure freedom of navigation in Hormuz, the deployment of frigates equipped with Aegis systems and maritime surveillance drones is being considered. Interoperability between European radars and NATO satellites is key to detecting asymmetric threats. However, increasing military spending will require modernizing platforms such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and anti-aircraft missiles, a process that takes years of planning and tight budgets.
Rubio, the European of the day asking for the check 💸
The European ministers arrived with their checkbooks in hand, promising to pay more for defense, but without saying how much or when. Rubio, with a look of having heard the same speech in 2016, only asked them to stop using NATO as an excuse not to buy American gas. In the end, everyone agreed to send each other an email. Transatlantic unity, saved until the next summit.