The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Europe.

Europe has lost Africa and suffered setbacks in European integration. It is facing the United States' efforts to divide Europe. Coupled with the sharp rise in international energy prices, Europe's overall economic development is weak.

But Europe is not willing to choose to lie down, especially France and Germany. They are unwilling to choose to lie down. They are ambitious and want to revitalize Europe and make Europe the most important pole in the world.

This time, France and Germany joined forces to strongly oppose the US-led Iraq War, and even went so far as to break off relations with the United States.

The United States' retaliation was also extremely fierce. It labeled Europe as Old Europe and New Europe, and then labeled Old Europe as pro-American and anti-American. It also used the media and public opinion to criticize the anti-American Old Europe.

Not only that, the Americans are also wielding the stick of sanctions, sanctioning anti-American European companies such as automobiles and Airbus, intending to hit the economies of France, Germany and other countries, and supporting pro-American parties in France, Germany and other countries.

What's even more ferocious is that, under the instigation of the Americans, the UK is making a fuss about leaving the EU and wants to hold a referendum on Brexit.

This made the Franco-German alliance very angry, and they cursed Britain as a troublemaker in Europe.

However, the Americans' tactics have made the Franco-German alliance choose to get closer to Russia. After all, Russia can provide them with relatively cheap energy, steel, wood, etc., and Russia is also willing to strengthen its ties with France and Germany and integrate into Europe.

Although Russia has a vast territory spanning Asian and European countries, Russia has never considered itself an Eastern country, but has always considered itself a European country.

The power demonstrated by the laser weapons this time makes Europe feel imminent, because the advancement of this technology makes Europe feel pressured.

Europe must have its own army! The EU must be Europe's EU!
Europe always has its own pride, and France and Germany are not willing to give up their pride and completely submit to the United States.

In order to oppose Turkey's proposal for NATO to launch collective defense, France even went so far as to suspend its return to NATO.

Although France withdrew from NATO that year, in 1992, during Strong's administration, French officers re-participated in the work of NATO's Military Committee within the framework of the Bosnia operation. At the same time, France sent troops to intervene in the Bosnia issue and began to move closer to NATO. In 1994, France formally attended the NATO Spring Meeting of Defense Ministers held in Brussels, taking a practical step on the road to returning to NATO. In 1996, France returned to the NATO Military Committee. In 1999, France participated in NATO's air strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and then participated in NATO's military operations in Kosovo.

It can be said that France has almost returned to NATO, but France and the United States are still playing a game of bargaining. France wants to occupy an important position in NATO's military command structure, while the United States is not very willing to do so.

In fact, the EU began to consider setting up its own armed forces as early as 1999, called the Rapid Reaction Force. If it is actually formed, it will have more than members, mainly from Britain and France, supplemented by other EU member states. It can be dispatched to carry out quasi-war missions within six weeks.

The mission of this rapid reaction force is to intervene in adverse situations, provide humanitarian assistance and relief, carry out peacekeeping missions, prevent conflicts and mediate.

In November 2000, EU foreign ministers and defense ministers decided in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, to establish a European rapid reaction force in 11.

这支快速反应部队由10万人组成，包括60个营的地面部队、400架作战飞机（其中法国75架、英国72架、德国80架）、161架运输机、29架空中加油机和100余艘舰船（包括法国‘戴高乐’号航空母舰）。其作战能力应能够满足60天内向距离4000公里以外的冲突地区投送约6万人的部队，并保证相应的换防以维持一年的有效干预。

These troops and equipment are not permanently assigned to the command of the rapid reaction force, but are drawn from the armed forces of EU member states according to the situation they face. The European rapid reaction force will also set up a special permanent command structure composed of hundreds of people, a veritable international combat staff, to ensure the formulation and command of the rapid reaction force's combat operations.

In addition to the characteristics of coordination and efficient operation, this European rapid reaction force is expected to have three other advantages.

First, it can make EU member states feel that they belong to the common European security and defense system, and that priority must be given to achieving comprehensive rapprochement among countries within Europe and seeking consistency in action.

Second, the establishment of the European rapid reaction force will enable EU member states to be more coordinated in the selection and procurement of weapons and equipment, thereby providing a "unified" market for Europe's defense industry, which will provide Europe with very important bargaining chips in military cooperation negotiations with the United States.

Third, the establishment of the European rapid reaction force is, at least symbolically, an important step towards establishing an independent European defense system. This step, together with the recently completed integration of the European defense industry, once again reflects that the process of forming a European defense system after the end of the Cold War is accelerating.

However, the Americans did not want to see the establishment of a European rapid reaction force and interfered in it. In addition, the terrorist disaster that the United States suffered on September 2001, 9 caused the world to shift from facing mainly traditional threats to facing non-traditional threats. In addition, the Americans launched the war in Afghanistan, which delayed the establishment of this European rapid reaction force.

Now, with the establishment of the Franco-German alliance, the old European countries, led by the Franco-German alliance, have broken off relations with the Americans, and facing the rapid development of world science and technology, France and Germany are determined to promote the establishment of a European rapid reaction force.

Germany will also no longer allow American troops to be stationed this year.

And as the Franco-German alliance moves closer to Russia, the two sides will then have further exchanges in politics, culture, technology, culture, and military.

Of course, the Franco-German alliance also wants to promote cooperation between Europe and China, so that the Americans will be too busy to concentrate their strength in Europe.

France and Germany are not having an easy time now. After France and Germany fell out with the United States, they withdrew their French and German troops from the battlefield in Afghanistan, and even did not withdraw their supplies, weapons and ammunition, which fell into the hands of the guerrillas. The Americans were extremely angry and launched heavy blows against France and Germany, including economic suppression, political attacks, and public opinion attacks on the two countries.

Even the U.S. military stationed in Germany has been causing trouble more frequently recently than before, which has made the Germans very dissatisfied, and the voices calling for the expulsion of U.S. troops are growing louder in Germany.

Germany also realizes that as long as the United States has troops stationed in Germany, it will have no control over many things.

The interests of both parties are quite different.

On the contrary, France and Germany have great room for cooperation. France attaches more importance to political interests and wants to become the leader of the EU, while Germany attaches more importance to economic interests and wants to become the leader of the EU in economic terms.

If both sides take a step back, the space for cooperation will become very large. (End of this chapter)