Former NATO commander Rubén García Servert has urged European nations to manufacture their own defense systems to reduce reliance on the United States.
Speaking at the Defensa Futura forum in Spain, the retired Spanish Air Force lieutenant general warned that Europe remains unprepared for growing global threats despite recent increases in military spending across the continent. His remarks were first reported by Spanish news outlet The Objective.
García Servert stated that essential security elements remain clearly undefined among European governments. He noted that ongoing war at Europe's doorstep and chronic instability in the Middle East have shattered long-standing geopolitical rules, forcing North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states to rethink national defense strategies.
The former commander argued that senior military leaders are now calling for an urgent change of course to guarantee the survival of the Western model against hostile powers. He urged European nations to address their current technological subordination without delay by establishing a military structure backed by genuine domestic capabilities.
According to García Servert, national sovereignty and freedom carry an unavoidable price that both citizens and political leaders must be willing to pay.
Risks of Washington Dependence
Rising uncertainty in relations with the United States has generated deep concern among continental military leadership. García Servert emphasized that developing domestic arms manufacturing is a fully achievable goal that would grant European armies total operational freedom under any conflict scenario.
Currently, contracts for military equipment purchased from American manufacturers impose strict usage limitations on European armed forces. García Servert explained that this technological dependence prevents countries from acting independently during critical missions, creating an unacceptable vulnerability.
The retired lieutenant general stressed that security risks facing Europe are not confined to Russia. Hostile actors operating close to Spanish borders also require an immediate and independent deterrence capacity, making national defense self-sufficiency essential for countries like Spain.
In military procurement, end-user agreements attached to foreign weapons systems often restrict how technology can be deployed or modified. Establishing domestic industrial production allows defense forces to maintain operational readiness without seeking approval from foreign governments.
Fragility of the European Nuclear Umbrella
García Servert also addressed the fragility of the nuclear umbrella protecting European allies. Atomic deterrence across the continent relies almost entirely on decision-making in Washington, with the sole exception of the small independent arsenal maintained by France.
This heavy reliance creates a troubling scenario if a future United States administration decides to disengage or abstain from intervening during a direct attack on transatlantic partners. France maintains its own sovereign nuclear force outside NATO's integrated command structure, but its capacity remains limited compared to global superpowers.
Nuclear sharing arrangements within NATO currently deploy American warheads across select European bases, but operational command over those weapons rests exclusively with the American president.
Building Strategic Autonomy
Urging political leaders to take immediate responsibility, García Servert stated that institutional inaction is no longer sustainable. He argued that establishing true technological autonomy is the only way for Western democracies to protect critical infrastructure and withstand hybrid threats.
García Servert previously served as commander of NATO's Combined Air Operations Centre South, based at Torrejón Air Base in Spain. The facility is tasked with tracking, coordinating, and directing Allied air operations across southern Europe under NATO Allied Air Command.
Strategic autonomy has become a primary policy objective for European defense planners seeking to secure energy grids, communication networks, and supply chains from cyber warfare and sabotage. García Servert concluded that European leaders must act decisively to secure the continent's military future.
