Reference News, August 1st report: According to the German "Handelsblatt" website on July 30th, US President Trump excitedly announced that Europe would purchase "billions of dollars worth of military equipment" from the United States. Although this statement may be exaggerated, it is not entirely baseless. Although European NATO member states are committed to becoming more independent in defense policy from the United States, some US-made weapon systems remain irreplaceable.

Political scientist Christian Merlin, senior advisor at the European Policy Center, said that although Trump "is not good at math," he is not entirely wrong, because Germany and other European countries have already placed large orders with the US and are waiting for delivery.

Merlin said: "Obviously, if you want to obtain certain equipment in the short term, you are unlikely to bypass the US."

And the NATO member states in Europe have no time to wait, because if Russia indeed has the ability to attack NATO countries by 2029 as intelligence agencies and military leaders are worried, then the armies of European countries will have to accelerate their military upgrades, which will not be possible without American weapons.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed interest in the "Typhoon" weapon system developed by Lockheed Martin during a meeting with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in mid-July. This system can launch different types of missiles. Pistorius said: "The range of this system is significantly greater than current European weapon systems."

The US advantage also lies in the F-35 fifth-generation fighter aircraft, developed by the same Lockheed Martin company. With its stealth technology and powerful sensor performance, it has become a benchmark for Western countries, while Europe has yet to produce comparable products.

In the field of heavy transport helicopters or attack helicopters, "Made in USA" is almost irreplaceable. European industry has no models that can match the Boeing CH-47 "Chinook" helicopter, the Sikorsky CH-53K, or the Boeing AH-64 "Apaches" helicopter.

Data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows that US manufacturers have received nearly 1,000 fighter jets and more than 340 attack helicopters orders.

However, in other areas such as main battle tanks or artillery, European companies are fully capable of competing with the US and providing competitive products, such as the German-developed Leopard-2 main battle tank. But this is not just a hardware issue. Merlin said: "In the military field, the US still leads far ahead in the ability to integrate data from different sensors." Europeans can do it too, but they have not reached the level of Americans yet."

Statistics show that Europe is extremely dependent on the US in military procurement. This dependence has further intensified since the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022. According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the US accounted for 52% of the total value of military imports by European NATO member states between 2015 and 2019; in the following five years, this proportion rose sharply to 64%. Between 2015 and 2019, the US accounted for 35% of global arms exports; between 2020 and 2024, this proportion increased to 43%.

Despite this, Trump may have overestimated - at least for now. Merlin said: "Don't forget that Americans themselves also have production problems and capacity limitations."

This situation is reflected in the current discussions about who can supply the "Patriot" air defense systems to Ukraine and the speed at which Raytheon Company produces them. Currently, the first "Patriot" missile production line in Europe is being built in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, Germany.

At the beginning of July, Hegseth, despite the opposition of senior officers, suspended the supply of air defense missiles and precision-guided weapons to Ukraine, citing the depletion of US stockpiles and the need to replenish them.

A report released in April by the think tank New America Security Center pointed out that the US defense industry "is unable to meet the requirements of the current strategic environment."

The report stated that there is a gap between ideals and reality, and "without major industry reforms, the US today may be unable to prevent Russia from launching an aggression, and the US of the future may not be able to gain the upper hand in great power conflicts." (Translated by Zhong Sirui)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533456956669968930/

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