Europeans are scrambling to increase self-reliance, but higher spending has actually deepened the continent’s dependence on American technology and weapons.
Analysis
European leaders are scrambling to increase their self-reliance in defense but remain highly dependent on American-made weapons systems.
Threats by the Trump administration have rattled nerves and turbocharged European efforts to build out alternative supply chains and defense systems as leaders across the continent wonder whether the United States will abandon its treaty commitments to the region.
The flurry of activity follows a series of remarks in which President Donald Trump suggested earlier this month that the United States would not defend its allies if they spent too little on defense.
“If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them,” Trump told reporters at the White House on March 6.
Trump also briefly cut off all assistance to Ukraine, going so far as to stop Kyiv from accessing commercial satellite imagery used for tracking Russian troop movements.
European leaders are considering what the future might look like if the U.S. greatly curbs their access to weapons and support.
Although European defense spending was sluggish for decades following the end of the Cold War, military expenditures have been steadily rising across the continent in response to pressure from the United States and concern about potential Russian aggression.
Indeed, in 2024, the United States was the only NATO nation that spent a smaller percentage of its GDP on defense than it did in 2014, the year that the alliance agreed to pursue a base defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP.
Ironically, however, Europe’s increased defense spending has also increased its dependence on the United States.
Arms imports by European NATO states more than doubled from 2015 to 2019, and did so again from 2020 to 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
U.S. defense materials accounted for 64 percent of all such arms imports. The next largest provider was France, at just 6.5 percent.
The path to self-reliance in defense technology is therefore likely to be a long and arduous one, as Europe remains heavily dependent on several key systems from the United States that have little or no European alternatives.
Here’s a look at the military equipment for which Europe depends on the United States:
