Revision History

NATO's European members are undertaking the most ambitious military buildup since the Cold War, with collective defense spending projected to nearly double to $750 billion annually by 2030. Triggered by Trump's troop withdrawals from Germany and threats of deeper cuts, the rearmament drive faces steep obstacles: a defense industrial base optimized for peacetime, capability gaps that could take a decade to close, and internal political fractures that undermine alliance cohesion.