Transforming European Defense
The Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at CSIS provide independent analysis and a concrete plan of action to rationalize European defense through the Transforming European Defense project
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered sudden increases in military spending and the political will to act boldly on defense across Europe. While this is a potentially transformational moment for European security, significant challenges lie ahead. Europe does not just need to spend more on defense, it must also rationalize and integrate its efforts. But while Europe has often discussed the need to reduce fragmentation and unify efforts, it has mostly struggled to followed through. Proposals for rationalizing European defense have repeatedly encountered institutional resistance, bureaucratic turf wars, parochial national outlooks, and vested commercial and political interests. Europe has lacked both the political will and the direction to overcome these obstacles. This has left the continent reliant on the U.S. to fill capability and operational gaps in collective defense and crisis management.
Europe now has the will but what it lacks is direction. The Transforming European Defense project leverages the strengths of CSIS in political, military analysis, defense industry engagement, and military affairs to provide independent analysis and create a plan of action to rationalize European defense. While the broad goal is to rationalize European defense, it will also develop specific recommendations to European policymakers to reduce redundancies and inefficiencies in procurement and resourcing decisions, as well as to seek creative joint endeavors for niche aspects of European security. The project will also develop recommendations for actionable initiatives that U.S. policymakers can engage with, get behind, and push European allies to implement. This project thus seeks to impact policy on both sides of the Atlantic.
Contact Information
- Sissy Martinez
- Program Manager and Research Associate, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program
- SMartinez@csis.org
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
- aschwartz@csis.org
- Paige Montfort
- Assistant Director of Communications, External Relations
- 202.775.3173
- pmontfort@csis.org
In the News
Why European Defense Still Depends on America
in Foreign Affairs — March 7, 2023
U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine is Going to Get Complicated
Max Bergmann in War on the Rocks — March 3, 2023
Sweden's NATO dream deferred
Max Bergmann in Politico — January 27, 2023
Why Tanks Are Tripping Up the West
Max Bergmann in The New York Times — January 19, 2023
Experts


Colin Wall
All Transforming European Defense Content
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Germany's Financial Attack on NATO
Commentary by Max Bergmann — July 5, 2023
European Warfighting Resilience and NATO Race of Logistics: Ensuring That Europe Has the Fuel It Needs to Fight the Next War
Brief by Anna Dowd Dominik P. Jankowski and Cynthia Cook — June 28, 2023
Transforming European Defense Report Launch
Event — June 26, 2023
Transforming European Defense: A New Focus on Integration
Report by Max Bergmann and Otto Svendsen — June 15, 2023
The Chisinau Summit: A Litmus Test for Moldova and the EPC
Commentary by Mathieu Droin and Ilke Toygür — May 26, 2023
Making the Most of the European Sky Shield Initiative
Report by Sean Monaghan and John Christianson — May 19, 2023
Are European Navies Ready to Navigate an Ever More Contested Maritime Domain?
Report by Mathieu Droin Courtney Stiles Herdt and Gabriella Bolstad — May 16, 2023
Europe’s Missing Piece: The Case for Air Domain Enablers
Brief by Colin Wall and John Christianson — April 17, 2023
Reviving the Arsenal of Democracy: Steps for Surging Defense Industrial Capacity
Report by Cynthia Cook — March 14, 2023
Solving Europe’s Defense Dilemma: Overcoming the Challenges to European Defense Cooperation
Brief by Sean Monaghan — March 1, 2023