Partners across the pond

摘要

Kent Kresa, chairman of US defence company Northrop Grumman, had harsh words to say about Europe's defence industry in a recent interview in the Financial Times. "The European defence industry will become less relevant in the world" unless it changes its spending habits, he said. But a more upbeat view of the future of the industry emerged from a conference held in London this month. European defence companies have the prospect of remaining independent and of being able to battle successfully against their US competitors. That was the message given by top executives from three of Europe's biggest defence companies. Nato secretary general Lord Robertson also found grounds for optimism when he spoke at the Defence Industry Conference. He compared the state of the present European defence industry to that of several years ago when defence budgets were down, the industrial base was shrinking and restrictions were being placed on technology exports from the US.