Europe’s defense build-up is delivering for NATO — and America

When the European Union announced its unprecedented defense investment agenda last year, many in America questioned whether Europe would deliver. Some argued we were too slow to rearm, too fragmented to strengthen our defense industry, or too accustomed to relying on U.S. military power. One year later, Europe’s answer is not a press release or promise. It is budgets approved, production expanding, procurement accelerating, and capabilities being delivered.

This is not a temporary surge. It is a structural shift to taking care of our own backyard. It will take time, to be sure, but the tracks are laid and the train has left the station. We invite our American friends to judge us not by old assumptions, but by the record we are building together.

When I last wrote in these pages , in 2025, we had a plan – Readiness 2030 , a nearly one trillion-dollar roadmap to buy new weapons and technological equipment. It signaled a fundamental rethink of the EU’s role in European defense spending, and big opportunities for American defense firms.

Today, we’re making that plan happen. Let’s look at what’s already advancing - Europe collectively spent 2.1% of GDP on defense in 2025, above NATO’s benchmark. Frontline allies like Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are moving toward spending 5% of GDP. Eighteen member states have already taken the next step under the EU’s new $200 billion defense financing program. And the first $6 billion-plus is already being deployed to help countries procure faster, strengthen defense production and deliver the capabilities Europe and NATO need.

Bigger budgets are only part of the story. Europe has fundamentally changed how it thinks about defense. The era when Europe outsourced too much of its security is over. New factories are opening, existing production lines are expanding, and private investment is flowing into next-generation drones, armored vehicles, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare. That investment is already translating into new industrial partnerships. At the NATO Summit, Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall announced plans to produce ATACMS missiles in a newly opened production plant in Germany, the first time the system will be manufactured outside the United States.

We’re also changing how Europe buys defense. For too long, 27 national defense markets operated under 27 different sets of rules, creating duplication, delays and unnecessary costs. The European Union is helping bring those markets together, making it easier for countries to procure jointly, invest together and give industry the predictable demand it needs to expand production and deliver capabilities faster. These initiatives and more are helping Europe move from fragmentation towards integration.

Jovita Neliupšienė became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States on Jan. 1, 2024. (EU photo)

None of this comes at America’s expense. Quite the opposite. As Europe invests more in its own defense, the alliance as a whole becomes more resilient and better prepared for the threats we face together. Europeans remain the largest customers of the U.S. defense industry, accounting for nearly 40% of U.S. arms exports (worth $130 billion) – and supporting American manufacturing, innovation and high-skilled jobs. At the same time, more than half of European defense procurement continues to come from U.S. suppliers. Europe’s defense investment is creating a larger market, and as that market grows, so do the opportunities for American defense companies.

Let me be clear - this buildup is not about replacing the United States. It’s about becoming a stronger, more capable ally and balanced partner in a security relationship that benefits both sides of the Atlantic and keeps deterrence credible.

One year ago, we promised action. Today, Europe is delivering – and learning valuable lessons in what works and what doesn’t. A powerful example of this is Putin’s war in Ukraine. Together, the EU and its member countries have mobilized more than $300 billion in support for Ukraine, making Europe the largest provider of overall assistance. Importantly, a significant share of military support is being spent with U.S. defense companies through joint procurement and European-funded purchases, reinforcing both Ukraine’s defense and the transatlantic industrial base.

The lesson from Ukraine is clear: modern warfare rewards speed, adaptability and scale.

Europe has become very good, our defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius recently argued , at producing “haute couture missiles” – highly sophisticated and expensive systems. The next challenge is to combine that excellence and attention to detail with the ability to produce “good enough” capabilities at scale, including drones and other rapidly deployable systems. In other words, I am reminded of the English idiom “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”

Later this year, the EU will formulate its vision for securing the region in our new European Security Strategy. It will help shape the next chapter of Europe’s defense transformation.

Stay tuned – we are just getting started.

Jovita Neliupšienė is the ambassador of the European Union to the United States.

去年欧盟宣布其前所未有的国防投资计划时，许多美国人质疑欧洲能否兑现承诺。有人认为我们重新武装的速度太慢，国防工业过于分散难以发展壮大，或者过于依赖美国的军事力量。一年后，欧洲的回应并非一份新闻稿或一句空头支票，而是已批准的预算、不断扩大的生产规模、加速的采购进程以及正在交付的国防能力。

这并非昙花一现，而是着眼于自身发展的结构性转变。诚然，这需要时间，但道路已通，列车已驶离车站。我们邀请美国朋友们不要以陈旧的观念来评判我们，而应以我们共同创造的成就来评判。

我上次在本刊撰文是在2025年，当时我们制​​定了一项计划——“2030年战备计划”，这是一项耗资近万亿美元的路线图，旨在采购新型武器和技术装备。这标志着欧盟在欧洲国防开支中的角色需要进行根本性的重新思考，同时也为美国国防企业带来了巨大的机遇。

今天，我们正在将这一计划付诸实施。让我们来看看已经取得的进展——到2025年，欧洲各国国防开支总额将达到GDP的2.1%，高于北约的基准水平。波兰、立陶宛、拉脱维亚和爱沙尼亚等前线盟国正朝着将国防开支提高到GDP的5%的目标迈进。在欧盟新的2000亿美元国防融资计划下，已有18个成员国迈出了下一步。首批超过60亿美元的资金已投入使用，用于帮助各国加快采购速度、加强国防生产，并提升欧洲和北约所需的国防能力。

增加国防预算只是其中的一部分。欧洲对国防的思考方式已经发生了根本性的转变。欧洲过度依赖安全外包的时代已经结束。新的工厂正在投产，现有生产线正在扩建，私人投资正涌入下一代无人机、装甲车、人工智能和电子战领域。这些投资已经开始转化为新的产业合作关系。在北约峰会上，洛克希德·马丁公司和莱茵金属公司宣布计划在德国一家新建的工厂生产ATACMS导弹，这将是该系统首次在美国境外生产。

我们也在改变欧洲的国防采购方式。长期以来，27个国家的国防市场各自遵循不同的规则，造成重复建设、延误和不必要的成本。欧盟正在帮助整合这些市场，使各国更容易进行联合采购、共同投资，并为相关产业提供可预测的需求，从而扩大生产规模，更快地交付能力。这些举措以及其他措施正在帮助欧洲从碎片化走向一体化。

2024年1月1日，约维塔·内柳普谢涅就任欧盟驻美国大使。（欧盟图片）

这一切并非以牺牲美国利益为代价，恰恰相反。随着欧洲加大对自身国防的投入，整个联盟的韧性也随之增强，能够更好地应对我们共同面临的威胁。欧洲仍然是美国国防工业最大的客户，占美国武器出口总额（价值1300亿美元）的近40%，并支持着美国的制造业、创新和高技能就业。与此同时，欧洲超过一半的国防采购仍然来自美国供应商。欧洲的国防投资正在创造一个更大的市场，而随着这个市场的增长，美国国防企业的机遇也随之增加。

我要明确指出——此次军事集结并非为了取代美国。而是为了成为一个更强大、更有能力的盟友，以及在安全关系中更平衡的伙伴，这种关系惠及大西洋两岸，并保持威慑的可信度。

一年前，我们承诺采取行动。今天，欧洲正在兑现承诺，并从中汲取宝贵的经验教训，了解哪些做法行之有效，哪些做法无效。普京在乌克兰发动的战争就是一个强有力的例证。欧盟及其成员国已共同调动超过3000亿美元的资金支持乌克兰，使欧洲成为最大的援助提供方。值得注意的是，相当一部分军事援助资金通过联合采购和欧洲资助的采购方式流向美国国防企业，这既加强了乌克兰的国防能力，也巩固了跨大西洋的工业基础。

乌克兰战争的教训很明确：现代战争讲究速度、适应性和规模。

我们的国防专员安德留斯·库比留斯最近指出，欧洲在制造“高级定制导弹”（高度精密且昂贵的系统）方面已经非常出色。接下来的挑战是如何将这种卓越品质和对细节的关注与大规模生产“足够好”的能力结合起来，包括无人机和其他可快速部署的系统。换句话说，这让我想起了一句英语谚语：“不要让完美成为优秀的敌人。”

今年晚些时候，欧盟将在新的《欧洲安全战略》中制定其保障该地区安全的愿景。这将有助于塑造欧洲防务转型的新篇章。

敬请期待——我们才刚刚开始。

约维塔·内柳普谢涅是欧盟驻美国大使。