Europe’s New Defense and Security Approach: From Dependency to Strategic Activism

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After decades of relying on the U.S. security umbrella and institutions like NATO, Europe now finds itself in a position where it can no longer treat concepts such as "balance," "deterrence," and "strategic autonomy" as mere slogans.

Abed Akbari – Europe Affairs Expert
The Ukraine crisis, sudden U.S. withdrawals from conflict zones, and escalating developments in East and West Asia have alerted the Green Continent that its ability to play an effective part in the international order will vanish without a fundamental redefinition of Europe’s global role.

This strategic shift is most evident in the unprecedented overhaul of defense budgets and the design of new military cooperation frameworks. Germany, which avoided increasing military spending for decades, has pledged to surpass NATO’s 2% threshold, allocating over €70 billion to rebuild its defense infrastructure. Immediately after formally joining NATO, Sweden announced it would raise its defense budget to a historic 3.5% of GDP. Poland is developing one of Europe’s largest land armies, with plans to modernize over 50% of its equipment by 2030. France, while maintaining its independent defense doctrine, has joined EU-centric projects. Even small Baltic states like Latvia and Estonia, previously reliant solely on NATO, are now pursuing credible domestic defense capabilities.

Europe’s New Defense Architecture
Structurally, the EU took a rare step toward integrating defense resources with the 2025 European Defense Financing Instrument (SAFE). This initiative provides countries up to €150 billion in EU-guaranteed loans via the European Investment Bank to rapidly boost defense spending (particularly in equipment and industrial innovation). A key condition for accessing these funds is purchasing arms and military technology from European firms or strategic partners like Norway, Canada, or Japan. Thus, the EU increases defense budgets and ties them to strengthening domestic supply chains and reducing reliance on external actors.

Alongside SAFE, the Readiness 2030 program aims to transform Europe’s defense infrastructure by the decade’s end. Beyond national armies, it seeks EU-level capabilities for rapid threat response, joint exercise systems, strategic technologies like AI in defense, and logistical support for foreign missions. Estimates suggest total investments could reach €800 billion, with significant portions sourced from non-traditional means: private capital, defense investment funds, and dual-use civilian industry partnerships.

Persistent Challenges: Military Fragmentation
Europe still faces the challenge of weapon system dispersion. Official data shows European countries operate over 15 artillery models, 17 fighter jet types, and dozens of armored vehicle variants. While this diversity reflects industrial independence, it severely hampers battlefield efficiency, joint operations, logistics, maintenance, training, and spare parts supply. The EU is pushing standardization through joint industrial projects like the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) and sixth-gen fighter FCAS to address this. However, competition among French, German, Italian, and Spanish defense firms remains a significant obstacle.

Longstanding Dream of Strategic Independence
Boosting military budgets and modernizing defense industries will fall short without rebuilding shared decision-making models. Historically, Europe has grappled with divides among its major powers: Franco-German disagreements over NATO and U.S. technology, Eastern European distrust of Western initiatives, and Britain’s traditional divergence from Brussels. Yet, projects like the German-led European Sky Shield (with 19 participating states) aim to bridge these gaps. While France abstained due to favoring indigenous tech and opposing U.S. systems, it continues parallel efforts to build an independent European defense pillar.

Initiatives like the Weimar Plus Coalition (Germany, France, Poland, Italy, and the UK) create fresh avenues for continental strategic decision-making. These groups collaborate on cyber, intelligence, and joint exercises, aspiring to elevate Europe from “crisis observer” to “regional security architect.”

Decisive Factor: Collective Political Will
What matters most is forging shared political will for active global engagement. Though the EU still lacks a unified army or command structure, tools like the European Peace Facility (EPF), rapid response teams, and joint training missions in Africa and the Middle East lay the groundwork. These tools may coalesce into a common defense doctrine if current trends persist within the next decade.

Europe is transitioning from strategic lethargy to vigilance and reorganization. Concepts like “strategic autonomy,” long debated in think tanks, are now materializing through budgets, projects, and institutions. If paired with institutional reforms and sustained political resolve, Europe could emerge as a pillar of the international order economically and in security. Yet, without genuine political consensus and reduced intracontinental rivalries, today’s “defense awakening” risks becoming another unfinished strategy in the Green Continent’s archive.