Carl Higbie didn’t mince words on Wednesday’s Carl Higbie FRONTLINE when he laid out a blunt truth too many in Washington won’t own: Europe’s current security posture is propped up by American muscle and American will. Higbie’s point — that without the United States many European capitals would be dangerously exposed — was a necessary wake-up call for a country tired of subsidizing weak-kneed allies.
That’s not idle opinion; it’s what the facts on the ground around Ukraine make plain. American weapons, intelligence, and logistical support have been decisive in slowing Russian advances, while European nations have often supplied money rather than the lethal hardware Kyiv needed most. When analysts ask whether Europe could pick up the full military burden alone, the honest answer is: not without a painful and costly overhaul of defense capacity.
Even the Washington establishment is acknowledging a shift: top Pentagon officials have warned that the United States can no longer be “primarily focused” on European security and that NATO members must shoulder much more of the load. That admission should humble Brussels elites who have long enjoyed the protection of the world’s strongest military without matching America’s resolve or funding. If our allies want the security blanket, they must be willing to buy it.
Conservative Americans are rightly fed up with freeloading. Decades of bloated welfare states, demographic decline, and poor defense procurement have left parts of Europe ill-prepared to face a resurgent Russia or to withstand future coercion from authoritarian states. This isn’t about resentment — it’s about realism: peace through strength only works if partners act like partners, not dependents.
That’s why patriotic conservatives support tough talk and firm demands for burden-sharing. Leaders from our movement and allied lawmakers have pushed for Europeans to step up, increase defense spending, and stop relying on American taxpayers to underwrite their security. If NATO is to remain credible, the United States must insist on concrete commitments and verifiable action, not hollow promises.
At the same time, America’s first duty is to its own citizens. We must protect our borders, rebuild our industrial base, and ensure our military is prioritized to deter China and secure the Indo-Pacific, while maintaining a robust deterrent in Europe. That balance requires political courage — the kind of leadership that forces allies to face hard choices and makes clear that American generosity is not an endless tap.
So let the elites in Brussels and the pampered politicians in Western capitals hear it plainly: we stood by you in your hour of need, but charity is not a substitute for responsibility. Carl Higbie was right to call this out, and patriotic Americans should back a foreign policy that demands fairness, rewards strength, and never forgets that freedom is defended by those willing to fight for it.
