President Trump, first lady Melania Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron wave during an arrival ceremony at the White House in Washington, April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Defense News: France wonders: Can we always count on American support?
PARIS — The U.S. is a close and valued ally to France, but the European country seeks continentwide strategic autonomy in defense and security, with a stronger and more cooperative industrial base, said French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly.
“The United States is our ally and our friend, and it will remain so,” she said Sept. 11 at the Summer defense university, a gathering of parliamentarians, officers and foreign guests. “Our cooperation in defense and security is intense and highly valued.”
Parly had planned to pass on that message when she saw U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Washington on Thursday, but that trip to the U.S. — which included a presentation at the Atlantic Council — was canceled due to Hurricane Florence hitting the East Coast.
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WNU Editor: Wrong question. The real question is .... can the U.S. count on French/European support?
3 comments:
Editor,
I scanned the article before I saw comment. I had a,similar thought. A better question is "can the US expect to be able to count on French support?" I would say no and this has been the case for a very long time and I simply don't see them becoming reliable in the future either. The problem isn't just France but it extends to Europe as a whole.
The French has supported the US in every conflict, stop misleading people B.Poster. The question WNU is bringing up here is if the US can expect French support in future conflict and the answer is "yes, probably, maybe"
Hans,
I'm well aware of the token support provided by France in past conflicts. I think I read the editor perfectly. Can the US rely on French support in the future? You say "yes, probably, maybe." The editor asks the question as to whether or not the US can rely on French/European support and suggests this is a better question than can France rely on the US. I happen to agree with him that this is a better question.
As to the actual answer to the question, we cannot "know" until there is a life/death situation and such support is needed. I will reiterate based upon what I am seeing the US cannot expect to count on European or French support in the future, not even the token support of the past. As such, prudence would suggest US military plan for how best to defend America working under the assumption that such support will not be available. In fact, it might even be best to assume that France and certain other European nations are actually enemies and plan accordingly.
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