European NATO Countries Doubled Arms Imports in Past Five Years

Arms imports by European nato members increased by 105 percent when comparing the five years from 2015 to 2019 to those from 2020 to 2024.

• According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 64 percent of the weaponry was imported from the United States, followed by France and South Korea (accounting for 6.5 percent each), Germany (4.7 percent) and Israel (3.9 percent).

With an increasingly belligerent Russia and trans-Atlantic relations under stress during the first Trump presidency, European nato states have taken steps to reduce their dependence on arms imports and to strengthen the European arms industry. But the trans-Atlantic arms-supply relationship has deep roots. Imports from the U.S.A. have risen, and European nato states have almost 500 combat aircraft and many other weapons still on order from the U.S.A.
—Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the sipri Arms Transfers Program

Buy European: In light of America’s unpredictable policies, Europeans are aiming to buy from other European nations.

Instead of having to purchase 70 percent of our military requirements in the U.S., we should strive to be able to cover 70 percent of our requirements in Europe.
—Wolfgang Ischinger, president of the Board of Trustees of the Munich Security Conference Foundation

Watch this trend: The Trumpet has long warned that Europe will militarize. Over the past decades, the Continent’s incremental steps have been little noticed. But these preparations have laid the groundwork for sudden militarization.

Learn more: Read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches Europe’s Push Toward a Unified Military.”