US officials warned their EU counterparts that they may be left alone in the face of threats, supposedly including Russia, if Brussels rejected the US defence companies' participation in the creation of new weapons systems.
At the meeting, State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Michael Murphy reportedly warned European officials that EU members' citizens "would not be impressed" if, in the event of a crisis and the failure of European defences, the continent was armed only with European weapons.
In addition, Murphy also warned that "if the language" of Europe's arms development legislation and guidelines were not changed to allow US participation, "the EU will have to choose: either renounce the use of the best technological capabilities which exist or develop their own." Murphy also hinted that the lack of interoperability between US and EU weapons systems may mean that at some point, their armies may not be able to fight together in defence of the continent from external threats.
