Bangladesh, March 10 -- In a significant policy shift, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for the creation of a European “defense union” to reduce the blocs reliance on the United States. Her remarks, made during a press conference in Brussels on March 9, underscore growing concerns within the EU about Washingtons commitment to NATO, particularly after US Vice President J.D. Vances controversial speech at the Munich Security Conference in February.

Von der Leyen framed the call for a defense union as a response to what she described as a “new era of harsh geostrategic competition.” She emphasized that the traditional notions of sovereignty and security commitments were being increasingly...