16/04/2003 (Agence Europe) - A French report drafted for the defence summit of the 29th April in Brussels between Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg concluded with "a true technological disarmament" from Europe vis-a-vis the United States. This disarmament concerns the larger European countries in particular, of which France, yet spares the United Kingdom, Jacques Isnard writes in Le Monde. According to this report, between 1980 et 2000, the gap between the United States and the LOI countries (Letter of Intent), namely Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden has not ceased to grow, to the advantage of the Americans as regards appropriations, research and development to military ends. The cumulated effort of the LOI countries represented 40 % of that of the United States in 1980, 30 % in 1990 and less than 23 % in 2000. Jacques Isnard notes that the war of Iraq demonstrated that "the British intervened with means, such as Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by submarines or Storm Shadow fired by Tornado aircraft which France does not possess yet". Conversely, London committed to getting ready two aircraft carriers at the start of the next decade, whereas France continues to discuss the operational methods of a second Charles-de-Gaulle. "Likewise, having purchased large C-17 and C-130J aircraft in the United States, the British are already lining up an air force said to be of "protection", while their French allies must be content with a worn-out Transall fleet", observes M. Isnard.