26 January 2026
Europe has embarked on a massive revival of its defense industry in an effort to reduce its dependence on the US and respond to Russian aggression.
According to estimates, it will take about $1 trillion to completely replace US military capabilities on the continent, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Europe’s defense industry, which has been stagnant for a long time, is now operating at full capacity. The production of drones, tanks, ammunition, and other equipment is growing at its fastest pace in decades.
According to Bernstein, Europe spent $560 billion on defense in 2025, twice as much as ten years ago. By 2035, spending on equipment will be 80% of the Pentagon’s level.
The German company Rheinmetall has opened or is building 16 new factories, and Italy’s Leonardo has increased its workforce by almost half.
Missile production at MBDA has grown several times over, and Estonia has become the world leader in the production of ground-based drones.
In some areas, Europe is already ahead of the US. Rheinmetall will soon be able to produce 1.5 million artillery shells per year — more than the entire American industry.
Europe also fully provides itself with armored vehicles, ships, and submarines.
However, problems remain. The French company Dassault has accumulated many unfulfilled orders for Rafale fighter jets, and Poland is purchasing weapons from South Korea.
Europe lags behind in the production of stealth aircraft, long-range missiles, and satellite reconnaissance. However, projects are already underway to develop missiles with a range of over 1,500 km after 2030, and the UK has launched its own satellite system.
Finland has highlighted the problem of dependence on American components for fighter jets. President Alexander Stubb acknowledged that without American spare parts, the aircraft would not be able to fly in the long term.
France also claims that it currently provides two-thirds of Ukraine’s satellite reconnaissance.
“Europe has embarked on a massive revival of its defense industry in an effort to reduce its dependence on the US and respond to Russian aggression.”
I hope this will come to pass. But I will have to see it to believe it because, so far, the continent is rather worthless and quite weak.
If they can find nearly $1 trillion to fight covid, they can do the same to defend Europe from an equally bad disease.