Kathrine Frich
Global security relies heavily on massive military budgets and decades of careful planning.
When the world’s most powerful nations shift their priorities, the ripple effects touch every corner of the globe. Now, an entire continent is waking up to a harsh new reality.
Shifting military power
A top official is sounding the alarm over a massive gap in European security. European Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius delivered a stark warning on Tuesday.
He insists that allied nations must urgently prepare for a massive military shift. The United States is reportedly planning to pull critical defensive resources out of the region.
“America will move capabilities, especially equipment, to other regions of the world. And we must be prepared,” the European commissioner stated during a speech in Brussels, according to AFP via Agerpres and cited by Hotnews.
Kubilius told an audience of defense officials and industry leaders that this dramatic pullback could happen very quickly.
Missing strategic tools
The looming withdrawal follows repeated demands from the US administration under Donald Trump. Washington recently confirmed plans to reassess its military presence over the next six months.
If American forces leave, European militaries will face severe operational gaps. The continent currently relies heavily on overseas support for advanced technology and logistics.
“Europe today depends very heavily on strategic means such as in-flight refueling or information obtained from space”, Kubilius warned his audience, according to Agerpres.
Without these vital tools, he believes deterrence will fail. He argued that a weakened defense could tempt Russia to actively test the regional response capabilities.
A massive financial burden
Replacing these complex systems will require a staggering amount of money. Kubilius estimates the cost of securing these strategic capabilities will reach 500 billion euros.
This massive financial burden will fall directly on the shoulders of individual member states. Meanwhile, the European Commission has only proposed 131 billion euros for defense in its upcoming 2028 to 2034 budget.
To meet these soaring costs, allied nations will need to drastically inflate their military spending.
Projections indicate Europeans will spend roughly 7,000 billion euros by the year 2035 to meet strict new NATO commitments requiring defense budgets to hit 5 percent of GDP.
Sources: AFP, Agerpres
