EU Strategic Autonomy and Defense Capabilities After the Russian Invasion in Ukraine

The European Union (EU) leaders’ Versailles Declaration of 10–11 March 2022 reiterated the EU’s commitment to “take more responsibility for its own security” and increase its “capacity to act autonomously” while recognizing the importance of EU-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) cooperation. The EU member states agreed to invest more in defense capabilities and innovative technologies by increasing their defense expenditure: making collaborative investments, including joint procurement; investing in military capabilities; strengthening synergies in research and innovation; and developing the EU’s defense industry. It is a major first step toward the required reorientation of EU defense policy away from crisis management toward dissuasion and territorial defense. However, the initiative must be complemented by a broader reflection on the EU’s contribution to dissuasion and defense at the strategic-conceptual (Strategic Compass (EUSC)), capability development (Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)), and technological (European Defense Fund (EDF)) levels. They will have to deliver the equipment they need in a timely fashion, building on the EU’s existing efforts to increase defense cooperation among member states in three main ways: devise a new strategic approach to defense and security; obtain the military capabilities necessary to pursue that strategic approach; and stay ahead in the technology stakes.