The defense secretaries of two major US allies have issued an unprecedented public plea to people across Europe to support a major increase in defense spending to head off a potential war with an increasingly Western-oriented Russia.
German and British officials warned in a joint article published by Britain’s Guardian newspaper and Germany’s Die Welt that European countries were “facing uncomfortable truths” about security and having to make “difficult choices” about spending.
“As painfully demonstrated in Ukraine, Moscow’s military buildup, combined with its willingness to wage war on our continent, represents a growing risk that demands our collective attention,” wrote German Defense Secretary General Carsten Breuer and British Chief of Defense Staff Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.
“Moscow’s intentions are broader than the current conflict,” they added, arguing that the public must support increased defense spending even if it might hurt other public service programs, the “peace dividend” from the end of the Cold War.
Over the past decade, European Union member states (of which the UK is not a member) have already doubled their defense spending, but more is needed, defense secretaries argued.
“It is clear that the threats we face require gradual changes to our defense and security,” they wrote.
“Rearmament is not warmongering. It is the responsible action of a nation determined to protect its people and maintain peace,” they said.
The article was published on the heels of the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Europe, which has relied for decades on U.S. assistance as the backbone of its security, to take greater responsibility for its own defense.
The Defense Secretary’s article notes that NATO leaders have already committed to spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense by 2035.
“The public needs to understand the difficult choices the government must make to strengthen deterrence,” the two defense secretaries wrote.
But even at home, selling this message can be difficult.
A January poll by research firm YouGov found that only about 25% of Brits supported raising taxes to pay for defense or cutting public services to free up more money for weapons.
A recent Politico poll found that just 24% of Germans support increasing defense spending if it interferes with other programs.
Achieving a key goal of the leaders, a “whole-of-society approach” to national defense, will require convincing a skeptical public.
“Defense is not just the duty of uniformed personnel; it is the duty of each of us,” they wrote.
In addition to pledging to increase defense spending, defense secretaries said both countries were taking concrete steps to improve readiness and deterrence, including Britain building six new munitions factories and Germany redeploying troops closer to its eastern border.
The UK Ministry of Defense also announced over the weekend that it would send a carrier strike group led by the Prince of Wales to the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean this year to “deter Russian aggression and protect critical undersea infrastructure.”
The carrier’s strike group, which includes F-35 fighter jets, will work with U.S., European and Canadian forces during the deployment, the ministry said in a statement.
Defense Secretary John Healey said in a statement: “This deployment will help improve Britain’s combat readiness, increase its contribution to NATO, strengthen operations with key allies and keep the UK strong at home and abroad.”
