News Desk
The German Defence Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has said that the Europe’s push for more ‘autonomy’ won’t do any good if it promotes the idea that the continent can defend itself without the United States (US) and NATO. He said that Germany and Europe cannot protect themselves without America’s nuclear and conventional capabilities.
According to Russia Today report, the Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has made these remarks during a speech to students at a military college in Hamburg.
The German Defence Minister noted how the US still provides the bulk of NATO’s ballistic missile defenses, satellite communication, reconnaissance aircraft and helicopters, while around 76,000 American soldiers are stationed in Europe.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer explained that replacing all that would take “decades” and require far greater defense budgets than European nations can now afford. She said that we remain dependent on the US for security policy and, at the same time, as Europeans, we have to do more of what the Americans have been doing until now.
The Defence Minister further said that the idea of European strategic autonomy goes too far if it feeds the illusion that we can guarantee security, stability and prosperity in Europe without NATO and without the US.
