A stronger European defense industry capable of producing military equipment at a greater scale and speed is essential for maintaining credible deterrence in an increasingly dangerous security environment, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a joint opinion article published on Sunday.
Writing in The Economist, the two leaders argued that Europe has entered a new security era in which it can no longer rely on outsourcing much of its defense and must instead expand its industrial capacity to meet growing military demands.
"In this more dangerous world, a stronger European defense industry capable of producing at scale and at speed is crucial to credible deterrence," they wrote, stressing that the only way to achieve this goal is through closer cooperation among European countries, industries, allies and partners.
The article says European NATO allies and European Union member states are increasing defense spending, opening new factories and expanding production lines, while traditional defense manufacturers and new technology companies alike are accelerating output.
Von der Leyen and Rutte highlighted growing innovation in areas such as drones, unmanned ground vehicles and electronic warfare systems, adding that some civilian manufacturers are also repurposing facilities to produce defense-related components.
Despite the progress, they warned that significant capability gaps remain, including shortages of fighter aircraft, air defense and missile defense systems, drones, naval assets and military stockpiles.
They said continued military support for Ukraine and instability in the Middle East have placed additional pressure on inventories, while current production capacity remains insufficient to meet demand.
The two leaders also pointed to what they described as expanding defense cooperation among Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, arguing that Moscow has shifted its economy toward sustained wartime production while China's defense industry and nuclear arsenal continue to grow.
They said Europe and North America possess the economic strength, technological expertise and industrial capacity needed to respond, calling for deeper transatlantic cooperation to accelerate defense production and innovation.
"It is our shared priority to ensure that the industrial base across Europe and North America delivers more, better and faster—because that is how we ensure our security," they wrote.
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