Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Georges Abdallah via Al Mayadeen: Capitalism is in decline; that’s why it manufactures wars
Georges Abdallah via Al Mayadeen: The Arab street is not mobilizing as it should; it’s time for citizens to unite and take action
Georges Abdallah via Al Mayadeen: Salute to everyone who stood by me, supported my struggle, and gave me strength for the future
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah via Al Mayadeen: I call on the Arab street to rise up; when it does, we will witness a resistance uprising
Georges Abdallah via Al Mayadeen: I do not feel threatened, and my situation is similar to that of any other freedom fighter in our homeland
Freedom fighter Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, in a message via Al Mayadeen: I am calm, reassured, and a fighter until my last breath
Al Mayadeen broadcasts an exclusive message from activist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, hours before his release to freedom
Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC): This could mean interception or attack
Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC): Communications have been jammed and multiple drones spotted nearby
Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC): We lost all contact with the Handala crew

Europe spent $3 trillion on defense, but got little in return - FT

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Financial Times
  • 6 Jun 2025 17:08
  • 2 Shares
3 Min Read

After spending over $3 trillion on defense, Europe still struggles with weak coordination and poor returns.

Listen
  • x
  • https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/pentagon-chief--nato-likely-to-back-trump-s-5--defence-spend
    Ukrainian infantrymen train with French soldiers to learn combat skills, in France, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 (AP)

Europe’s defense budgets have more than doubled over the past decade, largely in response to what policymakers perceive as a growing threat from Russia and broader regional instability. But while the figures have surged, the capabilities have not, according to the Financial Times.

Between 2013 and 2023, European NATO member states spent over $3.15 trillion on military efforts, more than enough, according to FT contributing editor Adam Tooze, to establish effective deterrence.

Yet the continent remains hampered by low readiness, depleted stockpiles, and limited ability to project force or meaningfully support allies like Ukraine.
 
The problem, Tooze argues, is not underinvestment but inefficiency. Europe already fields more active-duty personnel than the United States. The real issue lies in how that money is spent, and what it fails to deliver.

“The scandal is not that European defence budgets have not already doubled,” he writes. “The scandal is that Europe spends so much and gets so little for it.”

What $3 trillion could have meant elsewhere

Tooze offers a provocative comparison: Imagine if Europe had devoted those trillions to clean energy. That investment could have funded multiple versions of the US Inflation Reduction Act. If it had resulted only in scattered infrastructure without meaningful change, voters would be outraged. In defense, however, failure often brings more funding, not scrutiny.

Related News

'Israel' faces massive economic fallout from its war on Iran

Japan cancels US security talks over defense spending demands

Some optimists point to recent joint projects and a sense of renewed urgency in capitals like Paris, London, and Ankara. But as Tooze notes, reaching even the “average inefficiency” of the US military would be an improvement.

Cynics see something else entirely: a system that isn't broken, but working exactly as intended. High-cost procurement, minimal coordination, and national interests embedded in the military-industrial complex point to profit, rather than security, as the primary motivator.

“Only the very naive think that military spending is primarily about national security,” Tooze writes, questioning how EU rhetoric on interoperability squares with its fragmented procurement practices.

Strategy, not just Euros

In Tooze's view, what Europe lacks is not money, but a coherent defense strategy. Scale, coordination, and long-term planning are essential. Without these, additional funding risks replicating past mistakes.

The writer draws a line to another major international initiative, the Just Energy Transition Partnerships, where large ambitions were paired with underwhelming execution. Europe’s current military trajectory may face a similar fate, only with much higher stakes.

At its heart, Tooze contends, the belief that massive investment can fix systemic failures is misguided. Without serious structural change and meaningful cross-border cooperation, the idea that quantity will turn into quality remains a fantasy.

Europe’s citizens, he concludes, should recognize the reality: this is not just a military upgrade, it’s a trillion-euro gamble on a broken model.

Read next: Pentagon chief: NATO likely to back Trump’s 5% defence spending target

  • Defense budget
  • Nato
  • Europe

Most Read

Catherine Perez-Shakdam is a bloodthirsty genocidal Zionist and continues to work as an intelligence asset of the Zionist regime. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Ali al-Hadi Shmeiss)

Who was behind the ban on Palestine Action?

  • Opinion
  • 19 Jul 2025
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept a missile launched from Yemen as its seen from the Occupied Territories, Wednesday, June 10, 2025 (AP)

'Israel' thrown into confusion after YAF launch Palestine-2 missile

  • Politics
  • 22 Jul 2025
Abu Obeida, the Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson, appears in a video speech, Occupied Palestine, July 18, 2025 (Al-Qassam Military Media)

Abu Obeida vows knock-out strikes, taking soldiers captives

  • Politics
  • 18 Jul 2025
The right wing love affair with Zionism has ended

The right wing love affair with Zionism has ended

  • Opinion
  • 23 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli genocide turns Gaza into a breeding ground for disease
Environment

Israeli war turns Gaza into breeding ground for disease

US border patrol wants advanced AI program to spy on American cities
US & Canada

US Border Patrol seeks AI to spy on urban cities, see through walls

‘All Gaza will be Jewish’: Israeli minister pushes resettlement plan
Politics

‘All Gaza will be Jewish’: Israeli minister pushes expulsion plan

Four Major Media Outlets Say Gaza Staff Face Starvation
Palestine

Four major media outlets express concern over Gaza staff facing famine

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS