Big Euro Win /s.
“Defence is a crucial component of security, and security is a prerequisite for peace, prosperity, international cooperation, and economic and social development”, wrote ASD’s then-Secretary-General Jan Pie. “By helping to ensure security, European defence manufacturers de facto make a vital contribution to a more sustainable world.”
Yeah.
But I do agree, european defence money should not be going to Elbit, Rafael & other Israeli miltech companies. Optimally not to the US either. We should not have gotten in a position where we are distracted by discussions of our suppliers supporting killing civilians in the Middle East while there is a big land war brewing in Europe that we need to deter.
(Moscow does not care whether you are green or not.)
Defence industry cannot be reasonably globalised. It should not be internationalised beyond your closest allies (EU, possibly UK). Depending on far foreign powers’ producers (US, Israel, god forbid we start buying shit from China) is a mistake.
Tools of violence cannot be freely exported like some commercial product, either, but must be handled with responsibility. That is the issue this article addresses, not the alleged hypocrisy of "green weapons" (muh pacifism!!!)
The state must take care of security and provide sufficient resources for an on-demand defence industry - to have the capabilities if they should be called upon. Because yeah, we need defence to go green, socially just etc. - sovereignty is a pre-requisite for these things (unless one is willing to bet again on a benevolent foreign power, like Europe did on the US), and for sovereignty one must have independent self-defence and force projection capabilities.
The End of History did not come, the peace dividend is over, we’re back to power conflict.
And it’s cheaper, too, in the long run.
We would not have needed to cut so many “peacetime” programs in recent years if the european defence industry was capable of keeping the peace in the east from the beginning, and not only after massive investments to resuscitate it.
Our producers could have been more innovative and efficient if we did not have cheap russian gas and oil; our renewables could have advanced further.
Rambling a bit, na ja.