عسكري
أوروبا تشهد تحوّلاً في الإنفاق العسكري
May 2, 2023 - الهجوم الروسي على أوكرانيا أجبر أوروبا - التي لا تزال تعتمد بشكل كبير على الولايات المتحدة بشأن الأمن - على زيادة الإنفاق العسكري بأكبر قدر منذ نهاية الحرب الباردة قبل ثلاثة عقود.
European nations have adopted a piecemeal approach to defence -- European armies have 17 types of main battle tanks and 20 different fighter aircraft, while the U.S. has one tank and six types of fighters. Europe depends on the U.S. for command and control, intelligence and surveillance, air transport and aerial refuelling.
Following Russia’s brutal war of aggression in Ukraine, Europe’s military spending rose from US$420.7 billion in 2021 to $480.3 billion last year -- a rise of 14.2 per cent, according to the think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
EU member states carry out more than 80% of defence procurement nationally. In 2021, the European Commission attempted to ramp up defence R&D spending through a new €8 billion European Defence Fund (EDF). The EDF supports research and development (R&D) in the defence industry. However, the Left in the European Parliament has been vocal against the EDF since its launch.
“Throwing billions into the arms industry is politically wrong, not least because this money could be used to tackle the economic, ecological, and social crisis. Instead, we’re developing equipment to fuel violence and war,” denounced MEP Özlem Demirel.