Growing U.S. Detachment Risks Dominance in Defense Sector
Defense Opinion
Monday, August 25th, 2025
By Atsushi Sumikawa , Defense Opinion Writer.
President Trump’s “America First” trade and foreign policy has pushed European and Asian allies to seek greater independence from the American arms industry and stepped-up cooperation with each other. This growing detachment risks undermining the dominance of the U.S. defense sector and weakening the country’s broader strategic objectives.
To preserve its position as the world’s leading arms producer, the United States must strengthen and sustain defense-industrial partnerships with foreign allies.
At July’s EU–Japan summit in Tokyo, leaders agreed to launch a new framework to accelerate defense-industrial cooperation. This initiative aims to institutionalize dialogue between the public and private sectors to strengthen supply chains and explore joint development of defense and dual-use technologies. It builds on years of incremental cooperation as Tokyo and Brussels have sought to deepen industrial ties amid rising geopolitical risks in their respective regions.
The Europe–Japan partnership in defense procurement gained prominence in 2022 when Japan announced the Global Combat Air Program, a sixth-generation fighter initiative with the UK and Italy. This marked a notable shift away from Japan’s traditional reliance on U.S.-made fighters. Key reasons behind this decision include the differences in procurement timelines and limited autonomy in U.S. development programs.
https://www.defensedaily.com/commentary/growing-u-s-detachment-risks-dominance-in-defense-sector/
