Europe rethinks defence spending cuts after Ukraine
The crisis in Ukraine highlights the urgency to increase defence spending and cooperation between European nations, defence ministers have argued.
Maciej Popowski, deputy secretary general for the European External Action Service, said at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 15 April that Europe needs ‘to get real about defence spending and cooperation such as pooling and sharing’.
‘The crisis is a wake-up call,’ said NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen. ‘We have to stop the cuts to our defence budgets,’ he added.
Analysts have suggested that the currents events in Ukraine also show that there is still a requirement for
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Defence Notes
-
US reforms its defence acquisition system to focus on commercial capabilities
This shift is planned to accelerate the procurement and fielding of capabilities. As part of this strategy, the US also intends modernise its regulations in an attempt to change its bureaucratic and risk-averse culture.
-
Australia’s Exercise Talisman Sabre concludes after a series of firsts
More than 40,000 military personnel from 19 participating nations took part in the 11th iteration of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre multi-domain event which was held across Australia and in Papua New Guinea.
-
US Africa Command targets logistic solutions
AFRICOM is seeking IT systems and supply chain management solutions to enhance interoperability and standardise logistical processes in its area of responsibility.
-
Rheinmetall sales up by almost a quarter on wave of German spending
Germany’s Rheinmetall released its 1H 2025 results on 7 August, continuing the strong growth of recent years. A particular highlight of the result’s presentation was the Skyranger air defence system for which the company is predicting sales of about US$8.2 billion from the German Government before the end of the year.
-
Defence companies continue to ride procurement wave
Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.