Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, a process of securitisation of the European Union's (EU) external action can be observed. From an institutional perspective, the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) increasingly overlaps with the Common Security and Defence...

Russia's fullscale invasion of Ukraine since 24 February 2022 has not shaken France's security policy as fundamentally as it has Germany's. France sees its previous goals confirmed, particularly in terms of strengthening Europe's strategic sovereignty. Nevertheless, it has been adapting in many...

Europe can no longer rely on the United States for its defence but is currently lacking essential capabilities to assure security itself. European countries should not give up on NATO but seek to close capability gaps by developing the European defence industrial base. The EU can play an...

Various options are being discussed to increase Germany's defense capabilities. Increasing the size of the Bundeswehr is proving difficult, and compulsory military service hardly seems feasible for economic and socio-political reasons. A European army and technological alternatives such as...

Although the new EU fiscal rules improve the macroeconomic logic and differentiation, they offer very little leeway for urgently needed, debt-financed defence spending. However, the EU Commission's proposal to solve this via flexible escape clauses undermines the credibility of the rules. A new...

In recent weeks, Japan’s government under Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has im­plemented significant adjustments to the country’s security policy. In December 2022, Tokyo published a new National Security Strategy along with two other defence-related strategic documents. In doing so, the...