Transatlantic Defense Industrial Base: Restructuring Scenarios and Their Implications

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Transatlantic Defense Industrial Base: Restructuring Scenarios and Their Implications

T. R. Guay

This monograph compares the post-Cold War restructuring of the defense industries in the United States and Europe with the aim of understanding the implications for the transatlantic industrial base. We argue that different processes of industrial restructuring and consolidation present obstacles to transatlantic initiatives, and that government policies and conflicting political visions exacerbate the opportunities for collaboration between the United States and Europe. We assess the extent to which the restructuring of the U.S. and European defense industrial bases has uprooted national champions and, assisted by global competition, provided an industrial foundation for more extensive transatlantic cooperation. We conclude by suggesting factors that will shape further restructuring and consolidation in the short- and medium term and making recommendations for assisting the development of a transatlantic, rather than bipolar, defense industrial base.