EU prepares defence 'playbook' after 'nothing was done' for a decade

Brussels is dusting off the EU's Article 42.7 mutual-assistance pact as NATO fractures over Iran-war loyalty tests. Lead with the mechanism: for the first time, EU members are planning how to defend each other without assuming US backup. This is the structural consequence of Hegseth's Spain memo — not just a diplomatic spat but the trigger for an alternative defense architecture. Continuing the NATO-breakdown arc previously covered via the Spain/Hegseth angles.