{"id":65323,"date":"2023-07-07T17:17:24","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T17:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/07\/07\/natos-task-in-vilnius-is-simple-transform-european-defense\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:40:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:40:35","slug":"natos-task-in-vilnius-is-simple-transform-european-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2023\/07\/07\/natos-task-in-vilnius-is-simple-transform-european-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO\u2019s task in Vilnius is simple: Transform European defense"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO\u2019s leaders will gather next week for a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\">war in Ukraine<\/a> will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/what-will-happen-natos-summit-vilnius\" target=\"_blank\">dominate their agenda<\/a>, another crucial task for NATO leaders will be to transform European defense: no small feat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">European defense is vital to NATO. A strong European pillar gives NATO more forces to deter and defeat aggression on home soil and reduces the burden on the U.S. of defending Europe. Fair burden-sharing has been in NATO\u2019s DNA since its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/docu\/stratdoc\/eng\/a491201a.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">first strategic concept<\/a> in 1949 stated that \u201ceach nation\u2019s contributions should be in proportion\u201d to its means. Upholding this principle is even more important in a new era of global competition where the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">primary focus of U.S. policy<\/a> is on China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, European defense is in a shockingly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/transforming-european-defense-new-focus-integration\" target=\"_blank\">poor state<\/a>. After two-decades of underinvestment and a focus on expeditionary operations, European forces are not fit for purpose to conduct the collective defense <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/europes-high-end-military-challenges-future-european-capabilities-and-missions\" target=\"_blank\">missions<\/a> that now drive NATO\u2019s military and force planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">European forces suffer from significant gaps in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/are-european-navies-ready-navigate-ever-more-contested-maritime-domain\" target=\"_blank\">naval forces<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/europes-missing-piece-case-air-domain-enablers\" target=\"_blank\">air enablers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/making-most-european-sky-shield-initiative\" target=\"_blank\">air defense<\/a>, and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/europe-nato-defense-spending-ammunition-combat-effective\/\" target=\"_blank\">battle-decisive ammunition<\/a>\u201d (artillery munitions and missiles). For example, while European defense spending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sipri.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2023-04\/2304_fs_milex_2022.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">rose by 38% from 2013 to 2022<\/a> \u2014 Central and Western Europe spent a cumulative $345 billion last year \u2014 this has led to a mere a 4% increase in combat battalions among some of Europe\u2019s largest armies (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.iiss.org\/research-paper\/2023\/06\/the-future-of-natos-european-land-forces\/\" target=\"_blank\">from 218 to 227 battalions<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2023\/07\/05\/neutral-switzerland-and-austria-will-join-european-air-defense-project\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP17318601864026.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Neutral Switzerland and Austria will join European air defense project<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Alpine country is the second neutral nation after Austria to signal its intention to join the European Sky Shield Initiative launched by Germany.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the scale of Europe\u2019s military assistance to Ukraine is impressive, it has also put European militaries in a hole, as they need to backfill their own stocks while continuing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2023\/05\/14\/military-honors-for-ukrainian-president-as-he-visits-germany\/\" target=\"_blank\">support Ukraine for \u201cas long as it takes.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To strengthen European security while in Vilnius, NATO leaders should take bold steps in four areas: spending, cooperation, industrial capacity and resilience. They should capture these in a \u201cVilnius Declaration\u201d to strengthen the European pillar of NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First and foremost, transforming European defense requires raising defense spending. After the Cold War, Europe rebalanced spending on \u201cguns vs. butter\u201d from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/finance-and-economics\/2023\/06\/22\/can-the-west-build-up-its-armed-forces-on-the-cheap\" target=\"_blank\">an average of around 6%<\/a> of national gross domestic product on defense to <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php?title=Government_expenditure_on_defence#Evolution_of_.27defence.27_expenditure_over_1995-2021\" target=\"_blank\">1.6% in 1995 and 1.3% in 2021<\/a>. While Russia\u2019s aggression catalyzed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sipri.org\/media\/press-release\/2023\/world-military-expenditure-reaches-new-record-high-european-spending-surges\" target=\"_blank\">marked increase<\/a> in European defense spending since 2014, only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/nato_static_fl2014\/assets\/pdf\/2023\/3\/pdf\/sgar22-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">seven NATO allies<\/a> currently meet its 2% target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The task of NATO\u2019s leaders in Vilnius is to forge a new alliancewide \u201cguns vs. butter\u201d consensus that reflects reality. This task is not limited to Vilnius: The European Union\u2019s Stability and Growth Pact requires the majority of NATO\u2019s members (23 of 31 allies) to reconcile increased defense spending with a potential new period of government austerity. EU <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/germanys-financial-attack-nato\" target=\"_blank\">finance ministers<\/a> must get with the program, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second, transforming European defense will require boosting cooperation within Europe. Although European nations are spending more on defense, they are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/solving-europes-defense-dilemma-overcoming-challenges-european-defense-cooperation\" target=\"_blank\">cooperating less<\/a>. Cooperation among EU nations <a href=\"https:\/\/eda.europa.eu\/docs\/default-source\/brochures\/eda---defence-data-2021---web---final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">dropped<\/a> from 21% of total defense procurement in 2016 to 11% in 2020, despite several initiatives designed to encourage cooperation. NATO can improve these prospects in Vilnius by making cooperation a political priority \u2014 just as it did in 2012 when the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/official_texts_87593.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Chicago Summit issued the dedicated Declaration on Defence Capabilities<\/a> and created the \u201cSmart Defence\u201d initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast, neither the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/official_texts_196951.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Madrid declaration<\/a> nor the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/outlook\/2021\/12\/06\/nato-chief-the-alliance-is-charting-its-path-forward-amid-a-changed-security-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\">new Strategic Concept<\/a> agreed last year mentioned the importance of multinational cooperation for NATO\u2019s future capabilities. This is also in contrast to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/media\/54773\/20220311-versailles-declaration-en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">the EU\u2019s \u201cVersailles Declaration,\u201d<\/a> agreed in the wake of Russia\u2019s invasion, which championed collaboration and joint procurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO can also help transform Europe\u2019s defense-industrial base. As Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/europe-nato-defense-spending-ammunition-combat-effective\/\" target=\"_blank\">pointed out<\/a>, \u201ca capable technological and industrial base remains a prerequisite\u201d for a \u201ccombat-effective Europe.\u201d Yet, Europe\u2019s defense industry cannot keep up with Ukraine\u2019s demand. NATO defense ministers recognized this problem in February and committed to a Defence Production Action Plan in Vilnius. The plan should include multiyear procurements to allow industry to invest in the long term in ramping up production, and to meet Ukraine\u2019s needs while boosting NATO\u2019s own stocks to strengthen deterrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EU\u2019s Act in Support of Ammunition Production \u2014 or ASAP \u2014 initiative to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2023\/07\/07\/eu-moves-closer-to-boosting-ammunition-production-for-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\">ramp up production of artillery shells<\/a> is a good example. But the EU needs to scale up its own efforts. As Kallas also highlighted, if the EU managed to find <a href=\"https:\/\/commission.europa.eu\/strategy-and-policy\/recovery-plan-europe_en\" target=\"_blank\">more than \u20ac800 billion<\/a> (U.S. $869 billion) for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\">pandemic recovery<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/europe-nato-defense-spending-ammunition-combat-effective\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u20ac750 billion<\/a> (U.S. $815 billion) to mitigate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/energy-and-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\">energy crisis<\/a>, it should be able to fund more of its own defense. A call from NATO leaders in Vilnius for the EU to step up would be powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, NATO can also help transform Europe\u2019s defense against nonmilitary hybrid threats, which are emphasized in the new concept and since 2016 included within NATO\u2019s Article 5 collective defense guarantee. Since conventional deterrence <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hybridcoe.fi\/publications\/hybrid-coe-paper-12-deterring-hybrid-threats-towards-a-fifth-wave-of-deterrence-theory-and-practice\/\" target=\"_blank\">does not work<\/a> against hybrid attacks, deterrence by denial through enhancing resilience across Europe is critical. As NATO\u2019s new concept <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/official_texts_185340.htm\" target=\"_blank\">states<\/a>, \u201cnational and collective resilience are an essential basis for credible deterrence and defence and the effective fulfilment of the Alliance\u2019s core tasks.\u201d NATO already agreed a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nato.int\/cps\/en\/natohq\/official_texts_185340.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Strengthened Resilience Commitment<\/a>\u201d in 2021, which now requires implementing. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/bolstering-collective-resilience-europe\" target=\"_blank\">collective resilience planning process<\/a> would be a good start. EU coordination is important here, too, given it has many relevant regulatory, fiscal and policy tools, which NATO does not. The EU-NATO task force on critical infrastructure resilience is a good template that should be applied to cyber defense, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When NATO leaders meet in Vilnius next week, supporting Ukraine will be the most urgent agenda item, but transforming European defense is arguably more important in the long run. Strengthening Europe\u2019s defense and industrial capacity supports Ukraine directly, through military assistance, and indirectly, enabling allies to assist without fear of reprisal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help Ukraine and themselves, NATO\u2019s leaders should take bold steps on spending, cooperation, industry and resilience, capturing their commitments in a \u201cVilnius Declaration\u201d to transform European defense. Each step should be coordinated across the European defense landscape, especially with the EU, which has a growing toolbox to complement NATO\u2019s strengths. The \u201cVilnius Declaration\u201d should be reviewed next year when the trans-Atlantic alliance returns to the birthplace of the Washington Treaty, 75 years on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Max Bergmann is the director of the Stuart Center and the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He previously served as a senior adviser at the U.S. State Department. Sean Monaghan is a visiting fellow in the CSIS program.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>European forces are not fit for purpose to conduct the collective defense missions that now drive NATO\u2019s military and force planning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":117889,"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":66,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[66,160,46,11,36,17],"tags":[8586,8628],"coauthors":[4860],"class_list":["post-65323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-daily-news-roundup","category-europe","category-global","category-newsletters","category-opinion","tag-commentary","tag-ukraine"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"UYHTSJ62T5C3FIFQ5GDSGJLV44","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2023\/07\/07\/natos-task-in-vilnius-is-simple-transform-european-defense\/","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>NATO\u2019s task in Vilnius is simple: Transform European defense - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"European forces are not fit for purpose to conduct the collective defense missions that now drive NATO\u2019s military and force planning.\" \/>\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=\"NATO\u2019s task in Vilnius is simple: Transform European defense\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"European forces are not fit for purpose to conduct the collective defense missions that now drive NATO\u2019s military and force planning.\" \/>\n<meta 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