European military chiefs urge rearmament
Top British and German military leaders are publicly pressing the "moral case" for rearmament, citing the threat of Russian aggression. The calls reflect growing anxiety about transatlantic security and the possibility that Europe may need to be prepared to act without the United States as a reliable guarantor.
- Germany's defense chief, General Carsten Breuer, has directed a full military upgrade by 2029, a timeline based on NATO estimates of when Russia could rebuild its forces sufficiently to attack Alliance territory. This plan prioritizes bolstering air defense, developing long-range precision strike capabilities, and expanding ammunition stockpiles. - The calls for rearmament follow a historic policy shift in Berlin, which in 2022 established a €100 billion special fund to modernize its military, the Bundeswehr, after years of underinvestment. This fund is separate from Germany's regular defense budget, which is also slated to rise above 2% of GDP. - In the UK, former Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders, has warned that Britain must prepare for a "realistic possibility" of war with Russia within five years and has referred to the British people as a "prewar generation." He argues that the professional army is too small and that steps must be taken to enable a "whole-of-nation mobilisation." - At the 2025 NATO summit, member states committed to a new target of spending 5% of GDP on defense and security by 2035. This is broken down into 3.5% for core military expenditures and 1.5% for broader security investments like critical infrastructure and cybersecurity. - Europe's defense industry faces significant hurdles in meeting increased demand, including a fragmented market, complex cross-border procurement, and a shortage of skilled labor. The sector may need over 250,000 additional skilled technicians and engineers within the next five years to handle the current backlog and new orders. - To address industrial fragmentation, the EU has launched joint procurement initiatives like the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act (EDIRPA), which uses an initial €310 million EU budget to incentivize at least three member states to purchase defense products together. - A major challenge for European defense acquisition is efficiency; over half of major procurement projects overrun their budgets by 20-40% and also exceed their deadlines, with the average time to finalize a contract estimated at two to four years.
