Published
July 15, 2026
Last month, the European Commission unveiled the European Technological Sovereignty Package, a sweeping set of measures aimed at reducing the EU's dependence on non-European providers for critical digital technologies—including chips, AI, cloud computing, and open-source software. The package would also establish sovereignty tiers for cloud services, effectively making it difficult for U.S. companies to handle the EU's more sensitive workloads. As Commission President von der Leyen stated, the goal is to ensure "nobody has a kill switch" over Europe's critical digital infrastructure.
In practice, however, erecting barriers to U.S. firms risks undermining the very security and resilience the EU seeks to protect—and the mutual dependence that defines the transatlantic relationship. Locking American cloud companies out of sensitive European infrastructure is particularly troubling given the critical role that European companies play in helping to safeguard U.S. national security.
The United States has long welcomed European companies as trusted partners—extending access even to its most sensitive national security missions—and should expect the same openness in return. Even a cursory quick search of a database of U.S. government contracts reveals the Departments of War and Homeland Security have awarded billions of dollars to EU companies in recent years. Some examples include:
Leonardo DRS
The Italy-based Leonardo DRS has consistently won contracts for its mission-critical support in naval operations. Leonardo acts as the sole-source developer of key components of the Navy's ballistic missile submarines, placing the company at the core of the Pentagon's highest strategic modernization priority. Further, Leonardo supplies an advanced radar system to the Navy—further cementing its position as an indispensable partner across critical U.S. naval platforms.
Airbus
Airbus supports U.S. government needs across military aviation, space systems, satellite communications, and geospatial intelligence. It was selected to provide foundational architecture for 42 satellites supporting the Pentagon's next-generation battlefield communications network.
Thales
France-based Thales Group supports secure communications, avionics, electronic warfare, maritime systems, and data security across sensitive U.S. government programs. Through one of its multi-year prime contracts with the Department of Homeland Security, Thales is supplying electronic passport covers and the biometric and cryptographic systems that underpin U.S. border identity management. These capabilities help authenticate identity, strengthen document security, and support threat detection at international ports of entry.
Other European firms also play a critical role in U.S. systems. IDEMIA, another France-based company, provides biometric systems, identity verification, secure credentials, and border and travel security capabilities used by both U.S. federal agencies and the public. Rohde & Schwarz, Siemens, and Exail all contribute to threat screening, critical infrastructure protection, and navigation systems.
None of these companies are peripheral participants: they are part of the trusted ecosystem that supports U.S. security and resilience, demonstrating how Europe-headquartered firms are strengthening U.S. operational readiness. The U.S. Chamber has urged EU policymakers to preserve open, non-discriminatory access for American companies in European cloud and digital markets, and continues to engage transatlantic partners to ensure that security and resilience goals are met through trusted partnerships—not exclusion based on corporate nationality.
This mutual dependence runs deep: across many of its most sensitive national security domains, the U.S. has engaged European companies as trusted partners. While the EU evaluates its needs to assure cybersecurity, data protection, resilience, and control over critical infrastructure, U.S. companies should similarly be trusted to fulfill European’s most vital needs in cloud infrastructure.
Sovereignty should mean resilience, control, and security, and corporate nationality alone should not be the basis for exclusion. Building digital walls against U.S. firms only serves to weaken the transatlantic economic and security partnership. Just as the U.S. should continue to welcome trusted European companies that meet American security and procurement requirements, Europe should extend the same access for trusted American companies.
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About the author
Jordan G. Heiber
Jordan Heiber leads the Chamber’s international privacy and data flow policy portfolio and manages a team responsible for the full suite of digital policy issues, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and more.
