The idea of creating a robust missile defense system in Europe, akin to Israel's Iron Dome, to protect against russian ballistic missiles is impractical. The only reliable insurance is parity in long-range strike capabilities.
This is the opinion shared by Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO’s new Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (appointed in September 2024), in an interview with Defense News.
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"For NATO, it raises the question of balance between deter and defend. You’ve seen the limits of the Iron Dome in Israel, given the size of Europe, the idea to get rid of the threat by creating a European Iron Dome is just unfeasible," Vandier said.
On a note from Defense Express, here Vandier’s reference to the "Iron Dome" means Israel's entire missile defense system, not just a single component of the same name.
"You need to reciprocate. Stability is the ability to reciprocate," Vandier explained. "If russia has means to strike Europe at the depth of 2,000 km, you need to be able to answer. Deterrence is a way to put pressure on the enemy before it comes to you. He has to think of the consequences of his actions before he commits them."
On the other hand, we cannot help but remind you that the russian federation withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, after years of systematically violated it, as was publicly revealed in 2014.
Although it was the USA's signature on the paper, this agreement primarily benefited Europe by restricting Soviet medium-range ballistic missiles aimed at European countries. But even after all those signals from russia, Europe took little meaningful action over these ten years to address the new reality.
It wasn’t until 2023 that Germany ordered the Arrow 3 missile defense system from Israel, a platform capable of intercepting medium-range ballistic missiles. Only in 2024 did Europe launch the European Long-Strike Approach (ELSA) project to develop its own deep-strike missile capabilities.
Admiral Vandier is critical of Europe’s response to the threat, too:
"I was recently giving a lecture to Franco-German industry leaders and chief executives. I said to them, you are just like the dinosaurs – you see the smoke of volcanoes and just say you are in changing times. Most Europeans are herbivores, they think there is sufficient grass to feed from. This is not the case."
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