Bulletin From the Borderlands Special Report

European Defense: Industry Integration Amidst Escalating Tensions

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Bulletin From The Borderlands is a joint project between Lethal Minds and some of the most talented OSINT analysts and independent journalists working today. Our goal is to provide you with a clear, accurate, and informative view of the world, free from censorship or bias. The Bulletin will bring you the facts, our analysis, and our evidence. We hope you find our work helps you better understand the complicated and increasingly volatile world in which we live.

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The Author(s):

Edwin Dudley-Taylor: An Undergraduate at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Studying International Relations and History he has a precise focus on African and Middle Eastern affairs and politics. Additionally he has worked as an intelligence analyst for GreyDynamics and also as has a role as the Senior Editor at The Modern Insurgent.

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European Defense: Industry Integration Amidst Escalating Tensions

Amidst escalating tensions in Europe due to Russia's war in Ukraine, which it has continued to term a ‘Special Military Operation’, there have been calls to integrate the European defense industry. This would entail the production and supply of weapons and technology being made easier and smoother as opposed to the disrupted flow which has characterized the industry throughout the last year.

Key EU figures have also called on certain areas of the economic and political bloc to strengthen their contributions to the war in Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, commended Central Europe for its increasing strategic significance within the European Union and emphasized its contribution to the development of new European defense capabilities during a conference held in Prague at the beginning of September.

European Defence Industry to Scale up

Europe's security infrastructure has recently been characterized by a disrupted flow due to the continent's unpreparedness in regard to the scale of weapons and equipment supply needed by Ukraine in its full-scale war. This has created a political environment which has further been characterized by senior figures of the EU and its associated administrative branches calling for the upgrading of not only the industries which compose it but also the political processes.

The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has also shown her support for the upgrading of Europe's defense industries amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. Whilst acknowledging the United States’ vital role in securing Ukrainian independence through the mass supply of weapons and equipment, she stressed that Europe must take greater responsibility for the continent's own defense stating that “Protecting Europe is first and foremost Europe’s duty”.

Although the NATO defense pact remains the foremost pillar of Europe's collective defense, von der Leyen called for a strengthened “European pillar” within the pact. She argued that the EU (European Union), should build a greater capacity to not only defend the continent and its members but also to deter any potential threats.

Red Tape Removed

The ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has had severe knock-on effects for European security which has created calls for European Defence industries to not be burdened by bureaucracy.

The former Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, has called for European defense companies to be able to gain easier access to EU funds. He also called for mergers between companies involved in defense equipment production not to be blocked, regardless of competition and monopoly concerns.

Draghi warned that “The EU’s defense industrial base is facing structural challenges in terms of capacity, know-how and technological edge. As a result, the EU is not keeping pace with its global competitors”.