According to Peter Raff, the current arms shortage in the US, the increase in defense budgets of European countries, and trade disputes create conditions for a new model of cooperation between Washington and the EU. > "I hope joint ventures will start to be established," the expert said. According to him, this could involve companies with headquarters in the US and production facilities in Europe. Raff believes that European countries will no longer be able to rely solely on the purchase of American weapons as they did before. > "When defense spending reaches 3%, 4%, or 5% of GDP, it will no longer be politically justifiable to purchase exclusively American products. Therefore, American companies will have to become more 'European'," he noted. As an example, the expert cited Latvia. > "In Latvia, there are already examples where large American companies have acquired Latvian drone manufacturers," Raff said. According to him, this model allows for the combination of American investments with European production and opens access to EU financing mechanisms. In fact, the expert believes that such projects could strengthen the defense industry on both sides of the Atlantic while simultaneously reducing the impact of tariff restrictions. According to Raff, Europe needs to develop its own defense industry more quickly, but not in isolation from the US, rather in collaboration with them. > "I think it makes sense to develop a transatlantic defense industrial base," he emphasized. In some areas, the analyst noted that progress is already visible. As an example, he cited the production of 155-millimeter artillery ammunition, the output of which European enterprises have been able to significantly increase in recent years. The expert also addressed the issue of producing American weapon systems for Ukraine. He noted that a final decision on granting licenses has not yet been made, but one possible option could be the production of specific systems in collaboration with European partners. At the same time, Raff acknowledged that there are concerns in the US regarding the protection of intellectual property and the potential emergence of cheaper analogs of American weapons in the global market. Despite the development of the European defense industry, the expert is convinced that the US leadership in the field of European security remains crucial. "That is why I consider NATO to be extremely important," Raff stated, adding that as defense spending by European countries increases, their influence within the alliance will also grow.
