Senior US defence official scoffs at 'middle powers' after alienating Europe

Elbridge Colby, who is a proponent of the 'America First' policy, rejected the notion that allies are distancing themselves from Washington, even as European policymakers frustrated with Trump are diversifying their ties with other nations.

A senior US defence official has scoffed at the idea of an alliance of "middle powers," arguing that allies would be wasting time pursuing such a strategy even as the rest of the world is increasingly pivoting away from America under a mercurial Donald Trump.

In a series of posts on X, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby argued that countries seeking closer cooperation outside the US-led order lack the cohesion to form a meaningful bloc capable of rivalling American influence.

His remarks come at a time when Nato allies, tired of Trump’s threats to withdraw from the military alliance, are banding tighter together. Other European powers are working to de-risk from the US by boosting their own defence and technology industries and diversifying their relationships with other nations.

"There is a great deal of hubbub about a collective 'middle powers' strategy these days. At DoW, we are not concerned that this is a serious possibility. Rather, we are more concerned that a few allies and partners will think it is and waste valuable time, money, and political capital on a distraction," Colby wrote.

Colby, the principal adviser to the Secretary of War on defence and foreign policy, has emerged as one of the chief architects of Trump's defence strategy, particularly the administration's push to shift military resources away from Europe and toward deterring China in the Indo-Pacific.

WHAT ARE 'MIDDLE POWERS'?

According to the World Economic Forum, great powers are generally defined as the permanent members of the UN Security Council -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US -- owing to their military, political and economic clout.

Middle powers occupy the tier below. Countries such as Australia, Canada and Japan have long been viewed as middle powers, while Global South nations like Brazil and Indonesia are increasingly grouped in the category because of their growing influence.

India has rejected ‘middle power’ label. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has instead described India as a "power in the middle" due to its strategic autonomy and aspirations for a larger global role.

Foreign policy experts believe a closer cooperation among such countries could provide a new form of multilateralism. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attested to this when he called for an alliance of middle powers to resist a world that proscribes to the creed of “might makes right” imposed by global giants like the US and China.

"The middle powers must act together, because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu," Carney said in Davos.

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