so3brocktree.bsky.social
🇬🇧 MOD. Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre.
Thoughts & feelings on defence and other things. Not always as serious as I might seem. Views my own.
Longer thoughts & feelings on substack:
https://crackingdefence.substack.com/
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An excellent example of 'Westminster bubble politics brain' in action.
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It's amazing how they're just like erasing decades of work, influence and soft power because of a 4Chan poster looking over these and going 'yeah this is all woke nonsense'
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Same re. military personnel. Above caveats apply.
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Unfortunately this is the impression I get from Munich:
I remain unconvinced that the majority of European leaders are ready to leave the talk the talk "grave concerns" phase behind and enter the walk the walk, decisive action phase instead.
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Same re. military personnel. Above caveats apply.
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Its a turn of phrase to refer to Western Europe (the Nordics are usually considered Northern Europe). Southern Europe are distinctly unimpressive (though in some fairness two of them were under military dictatorships in living memory). Also very measly in support to Ukraine.
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Militarily, the US holds the leadership. SACEUR is always a US officer, and the US provide much of the staffing and structural presence. One of the reasons that NATO works (sort of) is that the accepted US primacy reduces inter-European rivalry.
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Yes, but NATO is structured around US leadership and based on US power. It can of course be done, but will be a huge undertaking.
I don't actually think that the US would pull out of NATO, even under Trump, though a large reduction of US support will likely occur.
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100%. I wonder if it is potentially an example of the Brussels bubble in action. Years of cosy discussions about regulation and federalism, while avoiding icky topics like defence or strategy. Now that the latter have hit them in the face, flap and panic.
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I’m sick of our leaders all doing the ‘surprised pikachu face’ when it comes to US intentions and defence. It has been fucking obvious for years.
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In fairness to many European states, a good number have started to significantly boost their defence investment, and European defence-industrial capacity is slowly(!) gearing up.
The UK is actually looking more like one of the laggards at this stage.
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Are you telling me a career of ever-more elaborate powerpoint creation didn't entice you to stay?