Military Weakness Makes Europe Reliant on U.S., Belgium Says
Defense Minister Theo Francken told lawmakers on Belgium's Federal Parliament Defense Committee that prioritizing diplomacy over defense spending has left European nations vulnerable in an increasingly hostile world order, according to a Flemish broadcaster.
The minister painted a grim picture of the current landscape, from Washington's recent Venezuela intervention to escalating rhetoric over Greenland's strategic future.
"The new year has arrived like a storm," Francken declared, characterizing present circumstances as merely a taste of turbulence ahead.
Three decades of emphasizing soft power while allowing military capabilities to atrophy has produced dire consequences, the defense chief warned. "A world in which our vision of the international legal order is not shared by everyone. The strong do what they want, the weak suffer what they must," he said, warning nations lacking credible armed forces face irrelevance on the global stage.
Francken emphasized that both Belgium and the broader European community remain "heavily dependent" on American military strength—whether confronting Russia in Ukraine or defending their own territories.
The minister condemned what he called European "hypocrisy"—demanding guarantees of American commitment while simultaneously requiring U.S. participation before deploying their own forces. He attributed this vulnerability to systematic budget reductions that created critical shortfalls in intelligence gathering, air defense systems, refueling aircraft, and drone technology.
"Why are we so weak? Because we have completely cut our defense budget... What position have we put ourselves in? What position has weak European leadership brought us to?" Francken questioned.
Regarding Greenland specifically, the defense minister clarified that neither NATO, Denmark, nor the EU has requested Belgian military deployment, stating no such involvement is under consideration.
His comments follow recurring statements from U.S. President Donald Trump and administration officials indicating Washington was weighing "all options" concerning Greenland—including military force—declarations that have sparked alarm throughout European capitals.
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