Short term: a lot of the additional capital spend is realistically going to be on US imports. Medium term: there’s going to have to be a concentrated effort to build up more European capacity.
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Duncan, I wager the capital side of the equation will prove easier than finding the labour to produce weapons. There are many young people who shun the defence sector on moral grounds.
The moral argument is based on the export of weapons to regimes with which people disagree.
Additional industrial capacity, to provide European nations with the ability to defend themselves and support Ukraine (the market for the foreseeable future is at home) is a much less difficult idea to sell.
The other angle here is that if the spending is channelled into domestic production, then a significant proportion of it will cycle back as economic growth.
Yes, but we must buy the best stuff available - we must not buy crap because it supports domestic jobs. That will lead (as it so often has in the past) to poorly-equipped soldiers and inefficient weapons makers.
Absolutely, it's good for European economies to increase a well-paying hi-tech industrial sector (and, to be honest, the sort of broad based education that is favoured for military officer education would also positively impact universities, etc.).
...including (I'd hazard a guess) in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, as well as greater research opportunities.
Given Global Warming and, admittedly, the military threat posed by thermal imaging drones, it will also have an impact on the development of more efficient energy generation and...
Completely agree: Europe needs to gradually shift from US imports to European. I can tell you that I can see this happening on the continent as well. If it will be all enough and in time, I don't know, I am gathering some hope though. As long as we keep the anti-European political parties at bay.
Not a penny on US weapons. Plenty of European suppliers. Production and R&D can be ramped up. With Guaranteed contracts companies will quickly get up to speed.
I feel that Trump is just a Putin asset as he is weakening US defences. Forcing Europe to stand on it's own two feet and build up their own military isn't a good thing for the US, as Europe will become independent of the US or die. Besides that, Trump's US essentially left NATO. Trump is just EGO.
And just 15 years ago, every state now pushing for it, would be sooo scared of Germany spending that. So when the army is built all talk will be about demilitarisation. The US and Russia have lost EVERY war in 80 years. They are pathetic losers, and both would be destroyed by EU or only Finland
The upsides of buying off-the-shelf US kit vs development is well known but much of the well rehashed arguments for were based on an assumption of a strong transatlantic alliance. As that alliance fractures, it would be very risky to extend vulnerability to America’s whims.
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Additional industrial capacity, to provide European nations with the ability to defend themselves and support Ukraine (the market for the foreseeable future is at home) is a much less difficult idea to sell.
But, with the chaos emerging in the USA, a reinvigorated Europe becomes much more attractive for the people who can develop that kind of quality.
There are swathes of knock on effects,...
Given Global Warming and, admittedly, the military threat posed by thermal imaging drones, it will also have an impact on the development of more efficient energy generation and...
While the immediate impetus will be military, there would be inevitable civilian applications of the technologies developed.