JSIS 495 K Rome – John Koenig: European Defense: Strategic Choices for 2030

For seven decades, NATO has been the framework for Europe’s defense.  The European Union came relatively late to the defense and security game, with a low level of ambition focused on auxiliary or complementary tasks.  Today, under a range of pressures emanating mainly from the East (primarily Russia), Southeast (Turkey and the Middle East) and West (the U.S., especially under the Trump Administration), the transatlantic defense guarantee appears increasingly fragile or inadequate, leading Europeans to ask how they can do more to secure their future in a less stable and predictable world.  Many are looking to the European Union – itself divided – to take on a greater role, but what role should that be?  What autonomous capabilities does Europe need – a European Army, an independent nuclear deterrent, or something more incremental and modest?  What strategic posture should Europe adopt vis-à-vis the U.S., Russia, and other power centers?  Students will be asked to propose to the new EU Commission a path toward 2030 that promises a more secure Europe in a more dangerous world.

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