The United States and Europe are generally seen as strong allies. Most countries in Europe are part of NATO and share an economic and cultural connection with the US. America is often considered to have the strongest military in the world. Europe doesn’t have a combined army. A conflict between America and Europe is extremely unlikely. But, as a thought experiment, if a war did happen between the two, is a combined European army strong enough to defeat the US?
Europe could probably defeat the US in a war. A combined European army would have more soldiers, tank and aircraft. The much larger population of Europe would also play a major role in allowing the continent to win in a war against the US.
Now we know that, hypothetically, Europe would probably defeat the US in a war, let’s take the thought experiment further and dive into the details…
Could Europe Win a War Against America?
First of all, it’s important to stress that a war between Europe and the US is incredibly unlikely. Almost every country in Europe, bar perhaps Russia, Belarus and Serbia, are allies of America. Most are also members of NATO. With the economies of Europe and North America closely linked, shared values and cultural roots, as well as a history of fighting alongside each other, it is almost impossible that the US and Europe would go to war.
With that out of the way, let’s see what would happen if they actually did go to war…
America would likely lose a war against a combined army from every country in Europe. An all-European army is significantly larger than the American armed forces.
With that said, let’s look at some data…
Below is a comparison of the military strengths of the United States against a combined army made up of every country in Europe.
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| United States | 1,388,100 | 844,050 | 6,209 | 2,628 | 490 |
| Europe | 1,855,810 | 2,687,530 | 7,711 | 2,554 | 244 |
All data from Wikipedia
As we can see, a combined European army has nearly half a million more soldiers than the US does. They would also have over twice as many reservists to call upon. Although the size of an army is not the only factor that determines the outcome of a war, looking at the number of solders alone it does appear that Europe could defeat the US if a conflict broke-out.
A combined European army would be able to field more tanks than the US could. With almost a thousand more main battle tanks, Europe would have superior armor to support their troops in the field. Although some analysts say armor is becoming a more vulnerable asset in modern conflicts due to aerial attacks from planes and drones, having more tanks would still give Europe an advantage in a war with America.
The US Air Force and an air force made up of every country in Europe would be almost evenly matched. However, although some European air forces have the latest fighter jets, many poorer countries in Europe use older models. The US Air Force is probably the most advanced in the world. This would likely give the US air superiority, especially if it knocked-out of the air forces of major European powers such as the UK and France.
At sea America would have a major advantage in a war against Europe. With almost twice the number of war ships, the North Atlantic would likely be dominated by the US Navy. This would definitely assist the United States with supplying armies fighting in Europe and could also prevent Europe from resupplying their forces if fighting took place in North America. This could well be the defining factor in a war between the US and Europe.
Another key factor to assessing who would win in a war between the US and Europe is the size of their populations. Europe has a population of around 750 million, where-as America has about 320 million. The bigger size of Europe’s population would allow them to recruit more soldiers in the case of war, as well as dedicate more people to war production and support for the war effort. In a ‘total war’, this larger population could allow Europe to defeat the US.
What Would an Europe Vs America War Look Like?
As we’ve said, a war between Europe and the US is extremely unlikely, almost impossible. However, if there was a conflict between the two, what would it look like? Let’s go over a few, albeit improbable, scenarios…
An all-out war between America and Europe would be on an enormous scale. If nuclear weapons were used, both continents would be completely annihilated. If the conflict involved only conventional weapons, a total war between the two sides would likely result in much of both continents, especially the eastern United States and Western Europe, seeing significant destruction.
The North Atlantic would be a key battle ground in any conflict between Europe and America. Whichever side controlled the sea-lanes would likely triumph. Early fighting would probably be at sea to determine which side could launch a land invasion of the other.
For Europe, trade roots from Africa and Asia would be vital. It is likely America would aim to control these to prevent European countries from re-supplying. On the other side, Canada and Mexico, as well as Central America and the Caribbean would be vital to America. Europe would likely try to control these areas to isolate the US.
The United States has more natural resources than Europe. This allows America to be more self-sufficient and less reliant on international trade. This would give America an advantage in any conflict. Europe would need to import materials to support its war efforts and this is a significant weakness that could lead to its defeat if exploited by their enemy.
The main issue when discussing a war of Europe against the United States is that Europe is not one block. In the extremely unlikely instance that war between European countries and America broke-out, there is no way Europe would unite as a single force. Europe is a highly divided continent with different countries pursuing varied political, international and economic goals. There is no way they would unite to fight a single enemy, especially if it was the United States.
Could an United EU Army Defeat America?
So far, we’ve been assessing whether Europe could defeat America by looking at the combined military strength of every country in Europe. In many ways this is unrealistic. As we’ve said, not every country in Europe is allied and many would not join the united European force to fight America. With that said, let’s look just at the European Union. These countries are already linked and so much more likely to unite if a conflict broke-out.
A war between America and the European Union would be almost evenly matched. A combined EU army would have around the same number of soldiers, tanks and aircraft as the US. However, the US has a much more powerful navy.
…that’s an overview. Let’s look at the data…
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| United States | 1,388,100 | 844,050 | 6,209 | 2,628 | 490 |
| EU | 1,483,710 | 1,178,580 | 4,677 | 2,066 | 210 |
All data from Wikipedia
As we can see, an EU army is more evenly matched against the US than an all-European army. With only around 100,000 more active soldiers and 300,000 reservists, on the ground both armies would be able to field almost the same number of troops. This assumed the US redeploys soldiers stationed in other theatres to join the fight against the EU.
The American army can field more tanks than the EU. With nearly 1,500 more main battle tanks, the Americans would be able to out-gun the EU.
In the air, both sides would be more evenly matched. The US does have a larger air force, but it is not clear the additional aircraft they have would be enough to tip the balance and give them air superiority.
At sea is where America would have significant advantages over a joint European Union force. With almost twice the number of warships, the United States could gain control of the shipping lanes and prevent an EU army from being resupplied from the sea.
It is not clear if a united EU army could defeat America. Neither side would have a huge advantage in terms of their armed forces. Factors such as leadership, tactics, moral, economic management and where the conflict was fought would all be key to determining final victory for either side.
Thankfully, a war between America and the European Union is almost impossible, so we will never actually know which side would be defeated.