Europe’s rearmament effort risks collapse without public backing

European headlines are increasingly filled with reports on rearmament, defence budgets, and war-readiness guidelines. Securing Europe’s safety requires consistent political will and public backing, but experts caution that widespread apathy and resistance to higher military spending—especially when it means welfare cuts—could leave the continent dangerously exposed to looming threats.

At June’s NATO summit in The Hague, all member states except Spain pledged to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP. With defence production scaling up across Europe and new security laws advancing, governments seem to be shedding years of complacency. Still, a recent Project Syndicate article stresses that leaders must rally broad public support if this renewed commitment to defence is to endure.

Building lasting resilience takes more than budgets, missiles, or legal frameworks; it hinges on steady political and public endorsement. Without this, today’s measures risk being short-term fixes rather than a durable strategy.

The article cites Ukraine as a case in point: Russia’s war continues partly due to robust domestic support, while Ukraine endures because its people remain determined to defend their homeland despite severe shortages. Conversely, changing public opinion has stalled recent initiatives to boost aid for Kyiv in the US, Slovakia, and Poland.

Public support for foreign and defence policies is as crucial as cutting-edge weaponry. Yet enthusiasm for rearmament in Europe remains troublingly weak.

One study revealed that about half of respondents in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK expect a world war within the next decade. Yet across the EU, only 32% say they would fight if war broke out.

An additional Eurobarometer survey exposes an even wider readiness gap: 58% of respondents admitted they do not feel prepared for disasters, and just 46% said they would know what to do in an emergency.

Furthermore, elections in Germany, Romania, Poland, and Portugal reflected strong public resistance to higher defence budgets and bolder foreign policy—a sentiment worsened by the unpredictability of allied strategies, such as abrupt US shifts.

Europe must bolster its own strength, but the author argues that distorted narratives and symbolic pacifism have clouded the debate, making consensus on collective security harder to achieve. As a result, many Europeans remain doubtful of an imminent military threat, dismissing expert alerts as exaggeration. While some acknowledge the risk, it has yet to translate into strong, sustained public support for defence.

To overcome this, the article suggests three priorities for leaders to reshape the conversation:

1. Defence spending should not be portrayed as a narrow military outlay but as an essential investment in Europe’s future

Security is not only about tanks and troops—it safeguards freedoms, stability, and prosperity. In an era of hybrid threats, from cyberattacks to energy blackmail, defence spending ensures hospitals remain secure, homes stay heated, and democratic systems function without external interference.

2. Strong links should be drawn between defence and infrastructure development

Building roads, bridges, and energy interconnectors would improve both security and living standards. Europe’s defence should encompass robust energy networks, secure digital systems, and resilient public services. Cybersecurity, for instance, is vital to protecting hospitals from crippling attacks.

The article also notes that accelerating the green transition helps Europe meet climate targets and curb reliance on hostile energy suppliers. The Iberian Peninsula blackout in April 2025 underscored the fragility of power grids and the need for better resilience.

3. Public support for rearmament will grow if its benefits are visible

Governments must make sure the economic gains of defence and infrastructure projects reach citizens by linking national security with industrial revival, job creation, and tax incentives. The UK’s latest Strategic Defence Review, for instance, mentions jobs tied to defence upgrades more than a dozen times.

The piece emphasizes that without strong public backing, even the most ambitious defence plans will fail to take hold.

By Nazrin Sadigova