Europe Must End Its Role as a ‘Permanent Security Vassal’ of the US, says JD Vance

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has called for greater European military independence, saying the current level of reliance on American defense support is unsustainable and not in the interest of either side.

In an interview with British outlet UnHerd, Vance pointed to former French President Charles de Gaulle as a leader who got it right on European security. “De Gaulle loved the United States of America,” Vance said, “but [he] recognised what I certainly recognise, that it’s not in Europe’s interest, and it’s not in America’s interest, for Europe to be a permanent security vassal of the United States.”

The comments come as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to press NATO allies to step up their defense spending. Trump has demanded that member nations spend at least 5 percent of their GDP on defense — more than double the current 2 percent target. That target is expected to be revised at an upcoming NATO summit in The Hague.

'It’s good for the US,' says Vance

Vance argued that a more self-reliant Europe would actually benefit the United States. “I don’t think that Europe being more independent is bad for the United States — it’s good for the United States,” he said. Drawing on history, he added, “Frankly, the British and the French were certainly right in their disagreements with Eisenhower about the Suez Canal.”

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower pressured Britain and France to withdraw from a military effort to reclaim the Suez Canal from Egypt — a moment widely viewed as signaling the decline of European colonial power.

Europe Subsidized by the US, says Vance 

Vance did not hold back in assessing Europe’s current military readiness. “With the exception of Britain, France and Poland, most European nations don’t have militaries that can provide for their reasonable defence,” he said. “The reality is — it’s blunt to say it, but it’s also true — that Europe’s entire security infrastructure, for my entire life, has been subsidized by the United States of America.”

The Trump administration has echoed this view, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently stating that American military presence in Europe is not guaranteed “forever.”

Vance’s remarks signal continued pressure from Washington for NATO allies to do more — not just to meet spending targets, but to take real steps toward building independent defense capabilities.