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Gone Soft? The Real Risks in Europe’s Complacent Attitude to Defence – and What To Do About It

How to stop the dimilitarisation of Europe

Masked by the euro crisis, another flagship European project, the Common Security and Defence Policy, is in danger of break-up. Behind all the talk of ‘pooling and sharing’ defence capabilities, the reality is every man for himself, as member states slash their defence budgets as each sees fit. Meanwhile, the flow of European peace-keeping operations has dried up – and Europe went missing in action in Libya.

So was former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates right to detect a culture of ‘demilitarisation’ in Europe? Certainly, European publics feel safe from armed attack; have become disillusioned with the doctrine of liberal interventionism; and are unconvinced by attempts to conjure ‘new threats’ to justify defence spending.  

In ‘How to Stop the Demilitarisation of Europe’, published by the European Council on Foreign Relations, Nick Witney suggests that such reactions are understandable, but dangerously short-sighted. He argues that:

• Europe’s future security and prosperity now depend on success in a global competition (in which the continent has lost much ground in recent weeks).
• Effective armed forces should be understood as key assets in the competition for power and influence in the new multipolar world.
• Europe’s belief that ‘soft power’ is enough is naïve, and has no other takers amongst its global competitors, or those ‘in play’ between them.

Analysing how effective militaries can contribute to shaping the global future in line with European interests and values, the author concludes that:

• EU leaders must reassess the strategic environment, reconsider the role of hard power and relaunch efforts to combine defence resources.
• The Weimar Triangle (Germany, France and Poland) should press for a heavyweight commission to conduct a European Defence Review that rewrites European strategy and redefines the role of Europe’s militaries.
• This commission should examine defence priorities and budget plans and present EU leaders with a menu of big, bold proposals for further defence integration.

“The fact is that military power is important in determining how the world is to be run and the rules and values by which it should work. Unless it gets over its discomfort with hard power, Europe’s half-hearted efforts to improve the efficiency of its defence spending will continue to fail.” Nick Witney

Contact: Nick Witney - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) - +44 (0) 7503 166 740 

                ECFR press office – .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) - +44 (0) 20 7227 6880

Click for the pdf of ‘How to stop the demilitarisation of Europe’

Click here for an ECFR audio podcast of Nick Witney debating CSDP with Jan Techau

Key facts:

• In 2010 the 27 EU members accounted for 31% of non-US global defence spending – comfortably more than Russia and China combined – and had 1.6 million military personnel in uniform.
• EU defence budgets total almost €200 billion per year.
• The depth of defence cuts has varied across Europe. Bulgaria and Latvia have cut by more than 25%, but Sweden and Poland have increased their defence budgets.
• The US is not immune to cuts: $450 billion is due to come off US defence spending over the next decade.
• Perceptions of threats to European security have changed: ECFR research from 2010 indicates that traditional threats are now widely discounted in favour of threats such as climate change and migration.

Notes to editors:

1. This paper, like all ECFR publications, represents the views of its author, not the collective position of ECFR or ECFR Council Members.
2. The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values based foreign policy.