Defense Experts Warn European NATO Members Over ‘Hollow’ Alliances Following Resistance to Operation Epic Fury

Experts warn that Europe's refusal to support the US in the Iran War, combined with bare armories, puts the NATO alliance at a breaking point. Read the 5 lessons.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 23, 2026, 3:54 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from FDD

The Friction of Disjointed Alliances in Operation Epic Fury

The Iran War has exposed deep diplomatic and operational rifts within the NATO alliance, particularly concerning the level of support provided to the United States during Operation Epic Fury. While Israel was lauded as a "near-peer" ally with exceptional interoperability, several European capitals took a conspicuously different path. The refusal of France, Italy, and Spain to grant the U.S. military access to their airspace or domestic bases during active hostilities has sparked a firestorm in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointedly questioned the utility of the alliance, suggesting that if NATO remains a "one-way street" where the U.S. provides protection but is denied operational support, the fundamental logic of American membership may be called into question.

Inventory Deficits and the Reality of Modern Drone Warfare

A primary lesson from the Middle Eastern theater is the sheer volume of munitions required to survive a modern, high-intensity conflict. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) provided a successful blueprint for national defense, intercepting over 2,700 threats—including ballistic missiles and drones—throughout the duration of the war. In contrast, European armories are described as "bare," having been depleted by sustained transfers to Ukraine without a corresponding increase in domestic production. Analysts warn that Europe currently lacks the deep inventory of low-cost anti-drone systems and high-end interceptors like Patriot and THAAD necessary to defend against a "saturation" style attack from a major adversary like Russia.

The $1 Trillion Challenge for Europe’s Industrial Base

Three decades of underinvestment have left Europe’s defense industrial base virtually incapacitated, leaving the continent almost entirely reliant on the United States for military hardware. The report suggests that closing the current capability gap could require a total investment exceeding $1 trillion, a figure far beyond the current spending trajectories of most European capitals. Because many European factories have been repurposed or closed, the continent lacks the surge capacity to replenish stockpiles at the speed of modern machine-driven warfare. This industrial atrophy means that even if Europe has the political will to rearm, the physical infrastructure to do so no longer exists in a...