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
- Otto Svendsen
- Associate Fellow, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program
- osvendsen@csis.org
Media Queries
- H. Andrew Schwartz
- Chief Communications Officer
- 202.775.3242
- aschwartz@csis.org
- Samuel Cestari
- Media Relations Coordinator, External Relations
- 202.775.7317
- scestari@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
Mathieu Droin
Colin Wall
Sissy Martinez
All Transforming European Defense Content
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Beyond “Trump-Proofing”: NATO’s Real Adversaries
Commentary by Sean Monaghan — July 18, 2024
NATO Summit Hot Wash: A Conversation with Ambassador David Quarrey
Event — July 17, 2024
Report Launch: Europe’s Security Role in the Indo-Pacific
Event — June 26, 2024
The United States Should Press the European Union to Act on Eurobonds for Ukraine
Commentary by Max Bergmann — June 20, 2024
“Is NATO Ready for War?”: Audio Brief with Sean Monaghan
Podcast Episode by Sean Monaghan — June 12, 2024
Is NATO Ready for War?
Report by Sean Monaghan, Eskil Jakobsen, Sissy Martinez, Mathieu Droin, Gregory Sanders, Nicholas Velazquez, Cynthia Cook, Anna Dowd, and Maeve Sockwell — June 11, 2024
How European Transatlanticists Might Approach an Isolationist U.S. Administration
Report by Max Bergmann — February 1, 2024
Europe Needs a Paradigm Shift in How It Supports Ukraine
Commentary by Max Bergmann — January 17, 2024
Why the Washington Summit Should Focus on Europe
Report by Max Bergmann, Sean Monaghan, and Mathieu Droin — December 20, 2023
NATO’s Role in Protecting Critical Undersea Infrastructure
Brief by Sean Monaghan, Otto Svendsen, Michael Darrah, and Ed Arnold — December 19, 2023