The Rise of a European Defense
Over the last decade, the European Union's major powers have collaborated to build an increasingly integrated and technologically advanced defense industry. In Britain, for example, key weapons programs include the Storm Shadow long-range cruise missile, the Brimstone anti-tank missile, and the Eurofighter combat aircraft. In Germany, key programs include the A400M tactical and strategic airlift and the Taurus air-to-surface guided missile. In France, programs include the Galileo global navigation satellite system, the European medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, and the Scalp cruise missile. All of these weapons and platforms have something sig nificant in common: they are being developed and produced in collaboration with other European states and firms. In some areas, such as missiles, research and development occur almost exclusively at the European level through the transnational European firm MBDA. The European Union's establishment of a European Defense Agency in 2004 in Brussels has further increased the prospect of an integrated European defense market. As Henry Kissinger argues: "The emergence of a unified Europe is one of the most revolutionary events of our time."1 These developments are striking. Most Americans consider European defense cooperation more fiction than fact.2 However, a significant amount of quantitative and qualitative evidence strongly suggests that EU states are grad ually building a strong and integrated defense industrial base. This will likely have important implications for the future of the transatlantic relationship. It will also