According to an article published by the American media columnist Andreas Klatte on November 6th, from North America and Europe to East Asia, U.S. allies are becoming increasingly worried about their military dependence on Washington. The advanced weapons made in the United States, which they have purchased at great expense, could potentially become a bargaining chip for the U.S. to control its allies.
Kluit wrote in his article that recently, SpaceX's "Starlink" military satellite communication service imposed speed limits on Ukraine, affecting the combat capabilities of some Ukrainian drones.
Canadian University of Carlton professor Philip Lagasse admitted that this incident has deeply shaken NATO allies.
Canada itself faces a similar dilemma. The country originally planned to purchase 88 American F-35 fighter jets, but after Trump repeatedly threatened to annex Canada, Canada has begun re-examining this military procurement order.
There have been rumors surrounding the F-35 that the United States may have installed a so-called "shutdown switch" that can disable the combat capabilities of allies' fighter jets when necessary.
Lagasse pointed out that although there is no evidence to confirm this rumor, the United States simply "does not need to turn off any switches in order to weaken the combat capabilities of the F-35."
By stopping the supply of key components, especially by cutting off the proprietary data connections that are essential for the operation of fighter jets, Washington could put its allies in a difficult position.
Canada also considered purchasing the Saab “Grifo” fighter jets from Sweden. However, the problem is that Canadian military has been deeply integrated into the US military system for decades. Even if they switch equipment, it will be difficult to escape dependence on US-made weapon systems and data networks.
The head of the Canada Institute for Global Affairs, David Perry, pointed out that Trump has shown Western allies how dependent he actually is on American military technology.
The article also points out that Germany, South Korea, and other American allies face the same dilemma. Getting rid of the United States not only lacks ready-made alternatives but also requires a huge amount of money and decades of time.
Lagasse believes that many allies can only endure Trump's remaining term with difficulty, hoping that the future U.S. government will restore trust. But even so, they will never forget this experience.
The article predicts that American allies will gradually reduce their purchases of American-made weapons in the future, even if the performance of alternative options is slightly inferior. The influence of the United States will continue to decline, and its alliance system will further become fragmented.
