Budget Cuts Are Cracking The West's Defenses -- F. Stephen Larrabee, Peter A. Wilson, Christian Science Monitor
Facing budget shortfalls, Britain and France must make difficult choices that could reshape how Western allies meet common security challenges.
The global economic crisis is forcing many of America’s European allies to make deep cuts in defense spending and procurement. This could have a significant impact on US transatlantic defense cooperation, especially with Britain and France. These two allies have had the greatest capability for power projection. Both countries now face difficult trade-offs as they decide how to modernize their nuclear deterrents, as well as their conventional forces.
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My Comment: Europe will look at the U.S. to fill in some of the gaps in their defense programs. But with the U.S. also facing severe financial constraints and a realization that they cannot afford the military and the wars that they are fighting now .... European allies are going to be disappointed.