Rearm EU, but with what weapons?
19 March 2025
While the EU is arguing about where to find the money to implement its €800 billion rearmament plan, a parallel but equally important debate is taking place: where to find the guns for it.
Almost all leaders are determined to increase defence spending to improve their military capabilities and become autonomous from the United States. But, given the shortcomings of the European arms industry, European countries buy weapons almost solely from the United States.
In numbers: the US supplied 64% of European NATO members' military equipment from 2019-2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute – an increase of 12% from the previous five-year period.
Europe imports anything from Apache helicopters to Abrams tanks to Patriot air defence systems to F-35 fighter jets. The latter is especially popular: when all European purchases are delivered, over 570 of those jets will be in European armies.
 | Lorenzo Di Stasi Some security experts, according to the Financial Times, have begun to wonder if there are "kill switches" in American weapons systems that can remotely disable or limit US-supplied weapons. While that's only a hypothesis without confirmation, these systems rely on American support for technical updates and repairs. If Europe wants to change this situation, it should invest its defence budgets inside Europe. Developing a European military-industrial complex could take years, if not decades – but has clear benefits. Boosting European production would create employment and may be the kick European economies need. |
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