In March 2025, army chiefs of more than 30 Western countries met in Paris. They urged Europe to be ready for war, and to operate without US support if needed. Two of army chiefs - Gen Knighton of the UK and Gen Breuer of Germany - called for Europe to rearm rapidly and for the European public to accept preparation for war. Gen Fabien of France said "war is no longer hypothetical; it's plausible within this decade". NATO's chief Mark Rutte, while framing Russia as a direct long-term threat, said Europe is already "in harm's way".

As part of the EU's Readiness 2030 initiative, up to 800 billion will be mobilised for defence; joint procurement and defence industry expansion are being accelerated; Finland, Estonia, Norway, Greece, Switzerland already have mandatory military service; and border militarisation has increased with more surveillance and troop mobility.

Europe is not just preparing for independent European defence capability; it's rebuilding its defence industrial base - its shifting towards a war-economy.

Last month German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius unveiled Germany's strategy for becoming Europe's strongest military by 2039, with 460,000 combat-ready troops. Titled 'Verantwortung für Europa' i.e. Responsibility for Europe, the strategy also marks a doctrinal shift toward a 'one theater approach', treating NATO territory, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific as interconnected security spaces rather than discrete theaters.

A month earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had presented his 'Forward Deterrence' strategy with a new nuclear strategy. France will increase its nuclear warheads and allow temporary deployment of French........

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