NATO naval contributions and the ability to sustain deployments

Clarke considers a combined European fleet substantial when the British, French, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Polish, and other naval contributions are brought together. His criticism centers on dependence on American logistics for deploying and sustaining those forces. He links that constraint to the limited European contribution in the Red Sea and argues that members should retain some capacity to perform essential tasks themselves. The discussion also distinguishes contributions appropriate to a country's size, using Lithuania as an example, rather than expecting every ally to provide a carrier group.