Europe’s Rearmament Dilemmas
Journal: Current History
Year: 2026

Europe has entered a profound rearmament cycle driven by Russia’s war on Ukraine, sharpening US strategic conditionality, and intensifying global geopolitical rivalry. After decades of underinvestment, European states are attempting to rebuild depleted stockpiles, scale up industrial production, and reconcile defense investments with fiscal, political, and technological constraints. The European Union has emerged as an important actor, deploying novel financial instruments, regulatory reforms, a