The political dilemma faced by leading European countries - between "transatlantic commitment" and the pursuit of Europe's "strategic autonomy" is analyzed. Amid growing centrifugal tendencies within NATO and the formation of coalitions on security issues within the EU, a qualitatively new configuration is emerging within the "strategic triangle" of Russia-United States-Europe. This process is less of the establishment of a new security architecture and more of the search for institutional forms capable of adapting to the rapidly evolving nature of US-Russia relations and transatlantic cooperation. Against this backdrop, proposals for the creation of an alternative military configuration outside of NATO remain largely a political and symbolic tool for intra-EU mobilization rather than a practically feasible initiative. Particular attention is paid to the policies of key European actors - France, Germany, Finland, the Baltic States, and Poland - whose approaches to military development and relations with the United States are marked by increasing polarization.