Rasmussen Pushes European Defense Force, Coalition

0:00On April 25th, former NATO boss Anders Fawg-Rasmussen is calling for Britain and France to spearhead a new European defense force, like a European. NATO, he wants to expand the coalition of the willing, which has 35 countries focused on backing Ukraine, to handle all of Europe's conventional, defense needs. This comes after Donald Trump threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO. The coalition started in Paris and plans to move its headquarters to London after 12 months. Right now, it's prepping for post-war deployments to deter Russia from Ukraine, but Rasmussen says it should cover the whole continent, keeping Ukraine in the mix as a key player. Trump's harsh words on NATO allies, calling some efforts a paper tiger, have sparked real worries about U.S. commitment, especially of Article V gets triggered. Meanwhile, neutral EU spots like Austria and Ireland make the block tricky, so Rasmussen skips them for nations ready to step up, including non-EU. Allies like Norway and Turkey.

1:01He's pushing Europe to get transactional with Trump, offering help for reopening the Strait of Hormuz in his Iran push in exchange for dropping trade. Tariffs and staying engaged in Europe. He slams the EU's mutual defense clause, Article 42.7, as two week without real military muscle. This set of wooden ditch NATO, but team up with it, letting the coalition manage day-to-day defense, while the U.S. keeps the nuclear umbrella and N. American Supreme Commander in charge, it's a push for Europe to stand stronger on its own terms.