European countries produce significant amounts of weapons, but continue to rely on the United States for coordination of combat capabilities - a dependency that complicates planning for continental defense without Washington, writes "Politico".
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has publicly mocked the idea of Europe defending itself without America, claiming the continent is helpless without American capabilities.
Interviews with diplomats and analysts show why: Europe's industrial base can produce weapons, planes, tanks and missiles, but it still relies heavily on the Pentagon for intelligence, logistics, communications and the command and control backbone that ties it all together.
Without these capabilities, Europe has little hope of deter Russia.
"We must be ready to replace American strategic assets with our own European ones. This must be our strategic priority," said EU Defense Commissioner Andrews Kubilius, calling it "the first step towards our independence".
Such a transition, however, would be slow and expensive. "No European country can by definition replace the United States," said Olivier Schmitt of the Royal Danish Defense College. Rutte estimates that a complete separation would cost about 10% of GDP, and according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies - up to $1 trillion.
The EU has already adopted the Strategic Compass and the "Readiness 2030" plan, but they are far from being implemented. Political divisions and the need for unanimity - including the possibility of a Hungarian veto - are further slowing down the process.
In some areas, Europe has its own solutions. Camille Grand of the European Aerospace and Defense Industry says: "I think in 98 percent of cases there is a European solution."
NATO is looking for a replacement for the US AWACS aircraft. Germany and partners are discussing abandoning the US E-7A Wedgetail because of "significant risks" in terms of cost and maintenance, and are considering the Swedish Saab GlobalEye, already ordered by France.
The dependence on the US Patriot system is also causing problems - Ukraine has reported a shortage of Pac-3 missiles. The Franco-Italian SAMP-T offers an alternative and is already in use by Kiev, and Denmark has chosen it over Patriot.
The US dominates strategic airlift with more than 200 C-17s and numerous C-130s. Europe has the newer Airbus A400M, but in smaller numbers. In a defensive scenario against Russia, land routes will be key, with the EU planning to increase its military mobility budget to €17.7 billion.
There is a greater gap in aerial refueling - about 450 American aircraft compared to 156 European ones.
European space and intelligence capabilities remain limited. The new Ariane 6 rocket has only had six launches, and the IRIS² communications system is not expected until around 2030. "Europe still has a lot to catch up on", said Clayton Swope of CSIS.
The most difficult to replace are American intelligence and targeting capabilities. "It is not just about physical assets... but also about merging intelligence... into clear identifiable targets," said Max Bergmann.
Despite reduced US aid under Donald Trump, Ukraine remains dependent on US satellite data. France provides about two-thirds of its intelligence support, and Kiev also uses data from the Finnish company ICEYE.
A survey shows a decline in trust in the US as a reliable partner in France, Germany and the UK. To reduce dependence, Europe needs to unify its defence markets, eliminate duplication and increase spending.
"Europe's problem is not that it lacks money. The problem is that it lacks coherence," wrote former British security minister Tom Tugendhat.