Why Both Sides of the Atlantic Should Come Together on Tech
Insufficient coordination on investment priorities, integration, and governance has created space for Chinese and Russian gains.
By Lauren M. Speranza and Joanna van der Merwe
September 30, 2021
The dust-up between the United States and France over the AUKUS deal is a critical reminder of the need to elevate transatlantic cooperation on defense technology over national interests. Otherwise, the Euro-Atlantic community risks losing its technological superiority to Russia and China, jeopardizing the democratic system that underpins the use of technology, and repeating mistakes of the past.
For years, U.S.-European cooperation on defense technology has been hindered by divergences on core issues, such as intellectual property and data sharing, defense industrial-base regulations, and economic interests. While Euro-Atlantic nations have recognized the urgent need to band together to compete with Russia and China on defense technology, power politics and national interest have tended to take precedence. As with the AUKUS agreement and France’s furious response, even when defense tech deals meet a practical capability need, the fallout from the lack of coordination among allies can exacerbate divides that China and Russia are all too eager to exploit.
At the heart of these debates are questions about strategic autonomy—in this case, whether Europe should seek to maintain “sovereignty” and leadership in various technological areas, in part to lessen reliance on the United
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2021/09/why-both-sides-atlantic-should-come-together-tech/185748/
