Putin's superiority: threat to Europe's security!

Putin's superiority: threat to Europe's security!

The British think tank Rusi warns in a current analysis that Russia was able to increase its armaments production much more successfully in the Ukraine War than the European NATO countries. This development could mean significant strategic threats to NATO and its conventional deterrence, since Russia exceeded NATO countries in armaments production between 2022 and 2024, although it has less economic possibilities. The report of OE24 emphasizes that the focus is on the production of simple weapons.

A central problem for Europe is in the lack of exchange and coordination among NATO member countries. According to the report, Europe has failed to significantly increase the production of fundamental ammunition and to fill up the stocks of precision weapons. Among other things, a rather less focus on mass production compared to highly developed weapon systems is mentioned as the cause of the supplier bottlenecks in Europe. In addition, bureaucratic hurdles and insufficient access to test infrastructure lead to further delays.

The challenge of armaments production in Europe

Großbritannien hat beispielsweise tragbare Waffen, die 2022 an die Ukraine geliefert wurden, nicht ersetzen können. The production of artillery ammunition is hindered by the lack of long -term willingness to invest for governments. Regulations for durability of ammunition also make it difficult to build larger stocks. These problems not only restrict the short -term defense ability of Ukraine, but also lead to structural weaknesses in the entire European defense industry.

In addition, a study by Ey and decabank that European NATO countries invest 72 billion euros annually in the armaments sector and thus create or secure around 680,000 jobs. If defense expenditure is increased to 3 percent of GDP, an additional 65 billion euros per year would be necessary, which could create 660,000 other jobs.

urgent reforms and investments necessary

The study also emphasizes that even with an armistice in Ukraine, an increase in defense spending and an expansion of the armaments sector in Europe can be expected. Every euro that is invested in the defense sector could generate an economic activity of about twice as much. Future investments in armaments goods could lead to the creation of over 190,000 direct jobs in the armaments industry, and 340,000 indirect jobs would be affected by suppliers and 150,000 induced jobs.

In Germany alone, over 137,000 jobs are secured by these investments. The focus on armaments production could also lead to sales growth of 20 to 40 percent for the sector companies. In order to reform the fragmented industry and to protect the NATO members from disorders in the supply chains and production delays, urgent measures are required.

Overall, the analyzes show that Russia has gained a significant lead through a strategically created armaments production, while Europe is facing major challenges to strengthen their own defense skills and reduce the dependency on the USA.