Defense: the “willing” countries establish the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition

Brussels – Europe establishes a new anti-missile alliance. Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have reached an agreement to establish a new defence framework to complement NATO, forming a purely defensive anti-ballistic missile coalition. This is the main outcome of the meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” the group of countries committed to developing new strategies for common security. The new defence alliance is enshrined in the joint declaration issued by the 10 governments (with Italy represented by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani, in place of the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni) at the conclusion of the Paris meeting. 

The meeting of the coalition of the willing recognises “the growing threat posed by ballistic missiles and the increasing importance of defence capabilities for the security of the European continent,” which is why the new framework has been established, with a mandate to proceed “at pace to develop an Anti-Ballistic capability” to counter enemy missile attacks. Through this initiative, the Europeans intend “to deter and defeat future missile threats — developed through collective effort, technological openness, and trusted industrial cooperation.” This solution will not conflict with NATO; on the contrary, “it will complement existing ballistic missile defence systems, including sovereign European solutions already acquired, or to be acquired by participating countries.”

While acknowledging the growing missile threat, no explicit mention is made of hostile countries, but Vladimir Putin’s Russia is certainly the main actor to be wary of. The de facto air defence coalition integrates Ukraine at the European level, starting with the military aspect, as explicitly requested by the European Union. “We acknowledge the unique experience of Ukraine, gained in defence against Russia’s war of aggression,” the leaders write in the statement. The initiative “remains open to other nations that share its principles and objectives,” in what is a clear invitation to join in order to increase both the number of members and the capacity to respond to threats.