3. Defense strategy shifts from NATO's "US-centric" model to a distributed European capability matrix:

Start with French and U.K. nuclear deterrence as foundation. Layer in proven European systems (Rafale, Gripen, Leopard) while rapidly developing next-gen capabilities through joint programs. Think European DARPA meets industrial policy.

Key force multipliers: integrated air defense spanning the continent, standardized logistics, shared intelligence platforms, and fully interoperable command systems. Defense partnerships with Canada/Australia/New Zeland/Japan/South Korea/Taiwan provide complementary capabilities and strategic depth.

No US kill-switches means full sovereign control of systems. Distributed manufacturing ensures supply resilience. Distributed architecture rather than centralized hub-and-spoke.

This model isn't about matching US or legacy NATO capabilities 1:1, but creating a robust, autonomous system that potential adversaries can't easily disrupt or defeat. European industrial and technological capacity makes this feasible - we just need the political will to execute.

1. Funding and Industrial Coordination:

We would use something similar to the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to fund this initiative - like a EU Marshall Plan, and, cooperate across partners’ ample industrial capacity:

If we can make cars, airliners and cruise ships, we can make military equipment.

Swedish gear is actually a good template: license manufacturing of what’s needed criss-crossing the Alliance, and joint develop new generation equipment and technologies as necessary.

After all, it’s being done since Concorde and goes on today - we just need to increase the scale.

2. Enforcement follows naturally from the funding mechanism:

Access to joint funding, industrial cooperation, and defense capabilities is tied directly to maintaining democratic standards. Very simple - fail the democratic checks (Rule of Law index, ICC membership, etc.), and your access to the system's resources and voting rights gets restricted - like originally mentioned.

Continue backsliding on democracy? The restrictions escalate proportionally. This creates both carrots (access to shared capabilities) and sticks (potential exclusion) that make democratic standards self-enforcing through practical incentives rather than just moral arguments.

The Orbán playbook stops working when undermining democratic institutions has immediate defense and industrial consequences. It's a more robust enforcement mechanism than the EU's current Article 7 process.

Bonus: Times have indeed changed - Trumpist chaos (came back to bite us and) is upon us. It is high time our security Alliance evolves from anti-communism to effective upholding of Democracy.

An overwhelming majority of democratic countries in the world recognize the ICC. Why accept exceptionalist members any longer?

In short,

- NATO: Accept compromised / exceptionalist members for strategic advantage.

- This proposed new Alliance: Democratic standards ARE the strategic advantage.