{"id":60106,"date":"2016-09-11T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-11T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:29:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:29:39","slug":"western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LONDON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Made nervous by Russian aggression in the Ukraine and fears of terrorism caused by the Islamic\u00a0State group, cuts in Western European defense spending have finally come to a halt after a 20-year decline. <br\/><br\/> Across the region, the once seemingly relentless reduction in defense budgets started to reverse last year, and while the expected increases for the rest of the decade are modest, they are at least heading in the direction the defense industry has long hoped for.<br\/><br\/>The question facing industry and analysts alike\u00a0is whether that is a short-term bump or a longer trend\u00a0that will survive a series of upcoming elections throughout the region.<br\/><br\/><a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/top100-2016\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Link: null\"><b>Click here for our full coverage of the Defense News Top 100, including our interactive list of companies<\/b><\/a><br\/><br\/>&#8220;Our calculations for the Western Europe nations show combined defense spending at $164 billion, [or \u20ac146 billion], this year,&#8221; said Dan Darling, the European analyst at Forecast International. &#8220;Over the course of our five-year projections, we expect that cumulative total to reach $182 billion by 2021 in nominal terms, an 11 percent overall increase at around $3.6 billion per annum based on an exchange rate of $1 equaling \u20ac0.8853.<br\/><br\/> &#8220;Most of this rise will be attributable to increased investments on the part of Germany and the UK, with the others all remaining largely stagnant or, in the case of France and the Netherlands, only increasing roughly equal to inflation.&#8221;<br\/><br\/> But while the big military players in Western Europe are either increasing spending or at least stabilizing budgets, the biggest European defense increases are coming from those nations closest to Russia.<br\/><br\/> A report published by a group of European think tanks earlier this year estimated that while central and eastern European budget spending would rise 19.9 percent between 2015 and 2016, Western Europe would manage just a 2.7 percent increase. <br\/><br\/>Calculations by Forecast International cover Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain while the think tank estimates also include minor nations like Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and Switzerland. <br\/><br\/> The general uptick in spending across European alliance members allowed NATO to claim at its July summit meeting in Warsaw that the funding situation was at last looking up. <br\/><br\/> &#8220;Since Wales [the venue for the previous summit in 2014], we have turned a corner. Collectively, allies&#8217; defence expenditures have increased in 2016 for the first time since 2009. In just two years, a majority of allies have halted or reversed declines in defence spending in real terms,&#8221; the alliance said in its end-of-meeting communiqu\u00e9.<br\/><br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That won\u2019t distract the US administration from continuing to pressure European alliance members to do better on the spending front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only the UK, among NATO members in the Western European region, meets the alliances guideline of spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and even then the British have had to juggle\u00a0their definition of defense spending to edge above the target figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Regardless of which candidate wins the coming November election in the US, one should expect the same level of pressure to be applied by Washington on European NATO members as under the Bush and Obama administrations,&#8221; Darling said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Though a Clinton administration may prove more diplomatic in tone than a Trump administration, both would almost certainly call upon Europe to do more for itself monetarily and materially in the area of defense,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether further increases in Western Europe are sustainable likely depends, as in the past, on economic conditions over the coming years as much as the growing threat, according to Darling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;With the ongoing deficit concerns, high sovereign debt levels and low economic growth rates across much of the region there could be some real pressures facing the European defense environment down the line. As was seen previously every time there has been an economic or debt hiccup in Europe, most governments have looked to squeeze savings from their respective defense ministries,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The European think tank report made a similar point when talking about the whole of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Despite political commitments it\u2019s too early to say whether the uptick in defense budgets will translate into a lasting increase in spending,&#8221; the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-smg-jwplayer-video\"><atype-video-jwplayer nostick=\"true\" playlisturl=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/v2\/playlists\/fCzRqMW8?tags=f0de1ec6-40a0-471f-b884-6dedcd316f74\" aspectratio=\"16 \/ 9\" mute autostart=\"false\"><\/atype-video-jwplayer><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">David O&#8217;Sullivan discusses the impact of Brexit on the European Union.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Domestic Uncertainties<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But while defense spending appears on the rise, the picture is clouded by political uncertainties in Western Europe. Spain still has no government after eight months and two elections. France, Germany and the Netherlands have general elections next year, and Italy has a referendum in October on constitutional reform, which could also be seen as a vote of confidence in the government of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the UK&#8217;s vote in favor of leaving the European Union, known as Brexit, there is also the matter of the negotiations\u00a0\u2014\u00a0likely to get underway next year\u00a0\u2014\u00a0on the terms of Britain\u2019s relationship with the EU, which will\u00a0have\u00a0significant consequences for the UK economy and possibly defense spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Analysts in London have previously said that while defense spending, which is hovering around the \u00a335 billion (US $47 billion) mark, is currently ring fenced from cuts, it may not be immune if a significant economic downturn results from Brexit or other causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trevor Taylor, a senior analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), reckons the slump in the value of the pound after the exit vote could also pose a problem if it continues for any length of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The roughly 15 percent fall of the pound, if sustained, could increase the cost of British defense imports by &#8220;around \u00a3700 million per annum from 2018-19\u00a0\u2014\u00a0some 2 percent of the total defense budget,&#8221; Taylor said in a RUSI commentary published in mid-August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of what happens in the upcoming Brexit negotiations, not everybody in the European Union has been wringing their hands at the impact on defense caused by the planned British withdrawal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some analysts believe that Brexit could actually be a blessing in disguise for European defense efforts, according to Pauline Massart, deputy director for European security at Brussels-based think tank Friends of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The UK was never a fan of the European Defence Agency, nor of the [EU] battlegroups\u00a0\u2014\u00a0which in any case are\u00a0rather a moot point since they have never been used. The UK was always of the opinion that NATO was the way to go in defense and that any EU efforts would create duplication and be a waste of time,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gen. Vincenzo Camporini, a former head of the Italian general staff, who is now the vice president and a security and defense analyst with the Rome-based\u00a0think tank Istituto Affari Internazionali, told Defense News that the EU\u2019s plans for a series of multinational battle groups run by an EU military headquarters could now flourish with the UK\u2019s exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The UK\u2019s opposition to setting up the EU military HQ put a stop to it,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prospects for European collaboration appear brighter after the leaders of France, Germany and Italy all stressed military cooperation when they met in Italy for a post-Brexit summit on Aug 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Massart warned their statements were too short on detail to draw any conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;[German Chancellor Angela] Merkel, Renzi and [French President Francois] Hollande\u2019s statements on this have been rather vague so far, and I\u2019m unsure, considering these countries\u2019 electoral calendars and pressures, that they have much room for maneuver,&#8221;\u00a0Massart said.\u00a0&#8220;I expect we\u2019ll see more cooperation on internal security and counterterrorism and intelligence sharing than on proper \u2018hard defense\u2019 issues in the coming months.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Nuclear Budget<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In France\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the EU\u2019s biggest defense spender once the British depart\u00a0\u2014\u00a0the upcoming general election is\u00a0unlikely\u00a0to shift policy but could eventually result in further budget increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The expected win for the conservative Les R\u00e9publicains (LR) party in France against the Socialist party of Hollande would mean &#8220;no great difference&#8221; in defense policy, said Francois G\u00e9r\u00e9, chairman of the Paris-based think tank Institut Fran\u00e7ais d\u2019Analyse Strat\u00e9gique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next president will inherit the present six-year military budget law adopted by Hollande and which runs to 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All the candidates in the upcoming LR primaries have said they would bring military spending back to 2 percent of GDP. But those statements on the campaign trail are far from binding, said the analyst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">France presently spends \u20ac32 billion on the annual defense budget, or 1.5 percent of GDP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A key budgetary factor will be upgrading nuclear weapons, notably the next-generation atomic-powered submarines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Annual spending on nuclear weapons is expected to peak at\u00a0\u20ac6\u00a0billion in 2025, around double the amount\u00a0spent last year, said co-authors Jean Guisnel and Bruno Tertrais in their book, &#8220;The President and the Bomb.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That figure represents about a third of the defense equipment budget, compared to the present estimated 10 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British have a similar problem, as a program to build four new Trident missile-armed nuclear submarines is set to swallow up to \u00a341 billion over the life of the construction program, and at its peak will eat a large portion of the equipment budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July, Germany, Europe\u2019s biggest economy, announced it intends to significantly increase defense spending by roughly 14.5 percent up to 2020 compared to an overall federal government spending increase of 10 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If approved by the Bundestag, defense spending will rise from\u00a0\u20ac34.29 billion this year to\u00a0\u20ac39.18 billion in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That increase was in part a response to the threat from Russia and terrorism, but it was also part triggered by an embarrassing Bundeswehr report in 2014 on the material readiness of the armed services, which noted that the inventory of nearly every major German weapon system was deemed far short of requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of the funding hike is going to fix the problem of forces hollowed out by a succession of defense spending cuts but capability improvements as well, particularly in the armored vehicle, ground-based air defense and maritime sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The political impasse in Spain caused by the ongoing failure to form a government has meant the 2015 budget of\u00a0\u20ac5.76 billion in 2015 has provisionally been repeated for 2016 and is likely to be repeated again next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Pierre Tran, Esteban Villarejo, Martin Banks, Lars Hoffman and Tom Kington contributed to this report.<br\/><br\/><br\/><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Western Europe has plussed-up defense spending, but for how long?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":116154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":25,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[46,11,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3351],"class_list":["post-60106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-global","category-industry","category-top-100"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"UJHNMDUAYVFRVHHGFSGH7DB67M","arc_canonical_url":"\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Western Europe has plussed-up defense spending, but for how long?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Western Europe has plussed-up defense spending, but for how long?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-11T16:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:29:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrew Chuter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrew Chuter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2016-09-11T16:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:29:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1676,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Europe\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"Industry\",\n\t                \"Top 100 Companies\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2016-09-11T16:00:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:29:39+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Western Europe has plussed-up defense spending, but for how long?\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/2016\\\/09\\\/11\\\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Top 100 Companies\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/top-100\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"top-100\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary - Defense News","description":"Western Europe has plussed-up defense spending, but for how long?","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary","og_description":"Western Europe has plussed-up defense spending, but for how long?","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2016-09-11T16:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T00:29:39+00:00","author":"Andrew Chuter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andrew Chuter","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary","datePublished":"2016-09-11T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:29:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/"},"wordCount":1676,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Europe","Global","Industry","Top 100 Companies"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/","name":"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2016-09-11T16:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:29:39+00:00","description":"Western Europe has plussed-up defense spending, but for how long?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/2016\/09\/11\/western-europe-defense-spending-increase-may-prove-temporary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Top 100 Companies","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/top-100\/","ad_zone":"top-100"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Western Europe Defense Spending Increase May Prove Temporary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/britain-thames-defense.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60106"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60120,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60106\/revisions\/60120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60106"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=60106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}