JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian Threat Forces Europe to Choose: Bolster Defense or Protect Social Spending” – WSJ
“With U.S. commitment to NATO uncertain, Europe faces a security rebuild that threatens budgets for other programs”
“European countries are waking up to Russia’s danger … [T]he cost of building robust defenses able to withstand a potential U.S. pullback … threatens Europe’s post-Cold War social model. With … Trump questioning America’s future in [NATO] and Russian forces on the offensive in Ukraine, European leaders are warning of an existential threat to the continent’s security. … [G]aps in Europe’s military capabilities … would take years to plug even if governments make military spending a political priority, which they haven’t done for decades. [EU] leaders … plan to address the bloc’s defense vulnerabilities and … ambition[s] to expand its defense industry. …”