Gentlemen, we find ourselves at a precipice where the strategic stability of the continent is called into question. Former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has brought forth a most sobering assessment: it appears the United States of America is preparing to sever its ties with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Such a departure would not be a mere political gesture, but a profound blow to our collective security. Mr. Fischer posits that the Americans shall carry their nuclear arsenals back across the Atlantic, leaving Europe stripped of its protective aegis. In this hour of uncertainty, it is clear that the blind supplication of certain European statesmen toward President Donald Trump is a folly that serves no state utility. We must recognize that the alliance, in its current form, cannot endure should the American powerhouse withdraw its support.

Prudence and a sense of duty to the Fatherland dictate that Europe must now cultivate its own strength. It is my firm conviction—and indeed the view of Mr. Fischer—that the European powers must consolidate their efforts to establish an independent nuclear umbrella. Such a fortress of defense must be built upon the existing military capabilities of Great Britain and France.

This alarm is not without cause. President Trump has openly declared that the current arrangements between the United States and its allies lack mutual benefit. When the interests of a Great Power shift, those who rely solely on foreign benevolence find themselves vulnerable. Only through industrial resolve and a strengthened army can the European nations ensure their survival and maintain the dignity of their respective sovereign states.