European states have embarked on the long road to rebuilding their defence capabilities. After decades of underinvestment in the armed forces and the defence-industrial base, the challenges are significant. However, since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO countries have committed to ambitious readiness and war-fighting plans.

Against this background, this IISS Strategic Dossier evaluates key areas for building defence capabilities in Europe, including recent developments in the transatlantic defence ecosystem, defence spending, defence-industrial production capacity, building more resilient forces and improving supply-chain security. Europe’s ability to meet its NATO commitments will depend on the degree to which it manages to address these important issues.

The analysis covers the trend of increased defence spending by most European NATO members and the growth in defence production capacity in important capability areas. It also provides insights into the ways in which various European countries have sought to address their recruitment and retention challenges.

The volume discusses other ongoing challenges, including uncertainty over the long-term affordability, sustainability and effectiveness of increased defence spending in Europe. In addition, the dossier highlights the requirement for long-term government investment, as well as firm demand signals, in order to sustain increased defence production.

This IISS Strategic Dossier was produced in the context of the IISS Prague Defence Summit (PDS) 2024, which has been supported by the government of the Czech Republic.