US Under Secretary Colby Criticizes Middle Powers Strategy, Warns Against Defense Independence (legrandcontinent.eu)

• Colby dismisses middle powers strategy as distraction from US primacy
• Thread coincides with Bastille Day parade without US, featuring 35 nations
• Ten European states form ballistic missile coalition on July 13
• France-Ukraine deal: 16 Rafale jets, licensed production of Aster 30, SCALP, AASM
• Ukraine aims for 7 million drones in 2026, opens 10 arms export centers in Europe
• Critics highlight contradictions and warn of erosion of alliance trust

"Elbridge Colby, the number-three official at the US War Department, published a widely discussed thread on X on July 14, 2026, dismissing the concept of a collective middle powers strategy as a distraction. He argued that US allies are dependent on the American defense industrial base and that access is a privilege, not a right. The statement coincided with the first Bastille Day parade in Paris without US participation, featuring troops from 35 countries. Several European initiatives, including a ballistic missile coalition and French-Ukrainian defense deals, underscore growing European defense autonomy. Critics including Alexander Clarkson and Fabian Hoffmann note contradictions in Colby's position and warn that treating allies as subjects fuels defection."