Waiting for follow up report prepared by a committee on how to improve invasion proofing. And then a report on invasion proofing standards. And then a report on invasion proofing standards compliance inspection. And then….
Unusual-State1827 on
The EU has improved its defence readiness since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with defence spending rising 79% from 2020–2025. However, the European Court of Auditors says reaching defence readiness by 2030 remains difficult due to fragmented national systems, weak cooperation, industrial bottlenecks and continued reliance on the US.
Emblematic of the dysfunction is France and Germany’s decision to abandon a €100bn project to build a joint fighter jet, because the lead companies were unable to resolve disputes over leadership and control.
The EU needs to spend more, expand ammunition production and strengthen its defence industry. Despite efforts to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, 78% of defence purchases from 2022–23 came from outside the EU, with the US alone accounting for 63%.
rukqoa on
> Between February 2022 and June 2023, 78% of EU governments’ defence acquisitions were sourced outside the bloc, with the US alone representing 63%, according to one study cited by the ECA. The senior auditor said purchases from the US went up after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine “which was understandable because the EU needed to find capabilities that were available quickly”.
I’ve heard a lot of recent claims that the US alienating itself from Europe is going to blowback on its defense industry, but this just goes to show how different the reality has been. In fact, US defense companies are probably the most insulated from Trump’s idiotic foreign policy. Not only does a more dangerous world mean that more people need to buy and use weapons, it is the sector of the economy that is the most difficult to replace. You can get people to stop drinking American whiskey or even to stop using American search engines, but it becomes a lot harder when it comes to things that kill your enemies and save your people’s lives.
Development of these critical capabilities is only possible with use in war, and the war in Ukraine has enabled that, but it’s not like anyone in the EU is jumping into the pool. A lot of these countries are collaborating closely with Ukraine, but even as they make excuses for not going to war with Russia, the US is fighting wars and low level conflicts on three other continents and learning from them (slowly, yes, given the drunks in charge, but still learning).
If the EU wants to develop the ability to fight, it needs to fight.
3 Comments
Waiting for follow up report prepared by a committee on how to improve invasion proofing. And then a report on invasion proofing standards. And then a report on invasion proofing standards compliance inspection. And then….
The EU has improved its defence readiness since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with defence spending rising 79% from 2020–2025. However, the European Court of Auditors says reaching defence readiness by 2030 remains difficult due to fragmented national systems, weak cooperation, industrial bottlenecks and continued reliance on the US.
Emblematic of the dysfunction is France and Germany’s decision to abandon a €100bn project to build a joint fighter jet, because the lead companies were unable to resolve disputes over leadership and control.
The EU needs to spend more, expand ammunition production and strengthen its defence industry. Despite efforts to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, 78% of defence purchases from 2022–23 came from outside the EU, with the US alone accounting for 63%.
> Between February 2022 and June 2023, 78% of EU governments’ defence acquisitions were sourced outside the bloc, with the US alone representing 63%, according to one study cited by the ECA. The senior auditor said purchases from the US went up after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine “which was understandable because the EU needed to find capabilities that were available quickly”.
I’ve heard a lot of recent claims that the US alienating itself from Europe is going to blowback on its defense industry, but this just goes to show how different the reality has been. In fact, US defense companies are probably the most insulated from Trump’s idiotic foreign policy. Not only does a more dangerous world mean that more people need to buy and use weapons, it is the sector of the economy that is the most difficult to replace. You can get people to stop drinking American whiskey or even to stop using American search engines, but it becomes a lot harder when it comes to things that kill your enemies and save your people’s lives.
Development of these critical capabilities is only possible with use in war, and the war in Ukraine has enabled that, but it’s not like anyone in the EU is jumping into the pool. A lot of these countries are collaborating closely with Ukraine, but even as they make excuses for not going to war with Russia, the US is fighting wars and low level conflicts on three other continents and learning from them (slowly, yes, given the drunks in charge, but still learning).
If the EU wants to develop the ability to fight, it needs to fight.