Photo: Senior Airman Joseph Barron/Air Force
This quick take is part of our Crisis Crossroads series, which highlights timely analysis by CSIS scholars on the evolving situation in Ukraine and its security, economic, energy, and humanitarian effects.
Along with being an unnecessary tragedy in every conceivable dimension, the war in Ukraine is a historic critical juncture. Countries aligned against Russia and other actors seeking to degrade international norms, should work together immediately to plan for three things.
The first step is to commit to understanding the new threat and its boundaries. The European Union, NATO, United States, and other nations have the opportunity to provide global leadership in this space as democracies across the world seek to understand the threats they face.
A second step is to develop the framework for a new generation of strategic cooperation, perhaps in an expanded European Union or NATO. This could be as simple as discussing defense budgets or as robust as having a planning session for joint exercises.
A third, longer-term step to solidify these gains and to strengthen enduring ties is to develop enhanced industrial cooperation with partners and allies, especially in Europe. Sweden and Finland are reportedly considering whether to join NATO. Germany reacted to the invasion with a quick and decisive rethink about its defense spending, rearmament, and contributions to NATO. These represent significant opportunities to strengthen cooperative industrial ties.
Lessons from examples of other successful multinational cooperation frameworks can be used to consider what mix of approaches would best consolidate this momentous shift. Options include identifying a suite of multinational projects to counter urgent threats, expanding the role of existing multilateral industrial cooperation institutions, or expanding the National Technology Industrial Base (an arrangement in which United States works with some of its closest industrial partners, namely Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia). A review of what commercial technologies Germany excels at that could be added to U.S. and allied weapon systems could offer quick hits both in terms of excellent capabilities and a clear focus for German defense investment.
Defense industrial and technological cooperation grounded in common values is not just an alternative model to coercive spheres of influence but is also critical to translating solidarity in sentiment to capabilities and the potential for action. These actions would signal to Russia (and by inference to other potential adversaries) that the West can stand up to its threats, and that it should think twice, or three times, before pressing its territorial claims. It could also signal to other potential adversaries that allied nations will work together to protect themselves and hopefully to ensure peace and prosperity. They are watching.
Cynthia Cook is director of the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
Commentary is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).
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