In a watershed moment for European security architecture, Italy's Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has called for the creation of a new joint European defense system independent of NATO, arguing that European nations must take "greater responsibility for their own security" in an era of American unpredictability.
Speaking at a defense conference in Rome on Wednesday, Crosetto outlined a vision for a European military alliance that would operate alongside—but not necessarily within—the NATO framework. According to The New York Times, the proposal represents the most significant challenge to NATO primacy from a major Alliance member since French President Charles de Gaulle withdrew from NATO's integrated command structure in 1966.
"Europe can no longer outsource its defense to Washington," Crosetto told the gathering of European defense officials and military commanders. "We need our own command structures, our own procurement systems, and our own strategic autonomy."
To understand today's headlines, we must look at yesterday's decisions. European calls for greater defense autonomy are not new—French President Emmanuel Macron declared NATO "brain dead" in 2019, and the European Union has pursued various defense initiatives for decades. What makes Crosetto's proposal different is its timing and scope, coming from a traditionally Atlanticist nation at a moment when American commitment to European defense appears increasingly conditional.
The Italian minister's comments reflect mounting European frustration with Washington's approach to transatlantic security. President Trump's public questioning of NATO Article 5 commitments, his pressure on European nations to increase defense spending, and his suggestion that the United States might pursue a separate accommodation with Russia have created deep anxiety in European capitals.
Crosetto proposed that European nations pool defense procurement, establish joint command structures for rapid deployment forces, and create an independent nuclear deterrent capability under French leadership. The plan would require defense spending across the European Union to reach at least 3 percent of GDP—well above current NATO targets.
Reactions from other European capitals have been mixed but notably measured. French officials welcomed the proposal, with a senior Élysée Palace aide telling this correspondent that Paris has "long advocated for exactly this kind of European strategic autonomy." German officials were more cautious, with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasizing that any European defense initiative must complement rather than replace NATO.
From Warsaw and the Baltic capitals, the response has been considerably cooler. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz warned against anything that might weaken transatlantic ties, stating that "American security guarantees have kept Europe safe for 75 years." Eastern European nations, which face the most immediate threat from Russia, remain deeply invested in the American nuclear umbrella and conventional force presence.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a carefully worded statement acknowledging European concerns while defending the Alliance's continued relevance. "NATO remains the cornerstone of transatlantic security," he said, while noting that greater European defense capability would benefit the Alliance as a whole.
The proposal faces formidable practical obstacles. European defense industries remain fragmented and duplicative, with member states pursuing national champions rather than integrated procurement. Language barriers, incompatible command systems, and divergent strategic cultures have frustrated previous attempts at military integration. Most critically, only France among EU nations possesses nuclear weapons—and Paris has shown little inclination to share control over its independent deterrent.
Historical precedents offer little encouragement. The European Defense Community, proposed in the 1950s, collapsed when the French National Assembly refused to ratify it. More recent initiatives like the EU Battlegroups have never been deployed operationally despite being declared ready for more than a decade.
Yet the strategic logic behind Crosetto's proposal is difficult to dismiss. Europe faces an aggressive Russia, an increasingly assertive China, and instability across its southern periphery in North Africa and the Middle East. If American security guarantees can no longer be taken for granted, Europe must develop the capability to defend itself.
The coming months will reveal whether Crosetto's call represents the beginning of a fundamental realignment in European security architecture or merely another in a long series of ambitious proposals that founder on the rocks of national interest and institutional inertia. What is certain is that the question of European defense autonomy—once a theoretical debate—has become an urgent practical necessity.
