Europe’s arsenal of democracy needs an upgrade

AS THE war in Ukraine drags on, the challenge of meeting the country’s battlefield needs has become more pressing. Stocks of key Western weapons systems are running low – particularly in Europe, where efforts to replenish them are hampered by a creaking defence-industrial base.

Failing to address those vulnerabilities will not only jeopardise Ukraine’s prospects but undermine the security of Europe as a whole.

With the US initially providing the bulk of military assistance to Ukraine, the European Union (EU) has had to scramble to keep up. It allocated one billion euros (S$1.4 billion) from the European Peace Facility to reimburse member states that donated to Ukraine from their stockpiles, and spent another one billion euros to support joint weapons procurement. It also came up with 500 million euros in financing to ramp up manufacturing capacity.