Europe is rushing to bolster its defence industry amid Russia threat and uncertainty of US support
France will this week become the latest EU country to set out plans to expand its army, with Emmanuel Macron expected to announce on Thursday that military service will be restored – albeit on a voluntary basis – nearly 30 years after the end of conscription.
In the face of Russia’s military threat and uncertainty over the US’s commitment to defending its transatlantic allies, Europe is rushing to bolster its defence industry and its deployment capability after radically cutting them back since the cold war.
Despite significant losses in its war on Ukraine, Russia is perceived by European militaries as a potential direct threat within two to five years. Meanwhile, Washington has made it clear that it expects its EU allies to take care of much more of their own defence.
But if the issue of defence industry investment is chiefly economic, the question of how to significantly expand the number of full-time armed services members is also very much societal – and is leading to heated debates across several countries.
