A top EU official calls for a new defense industry strategy with locally made arms at its heart

A top European Union official called on Wednesday for a new defense industry strategy to respond to security challenges posed by Russia’s war on Ukraine with the purchase of weapons and ammunition made in Europe at its heart.

The Russian invasion has exposed glaring weaknesses in Europe’s arms manufacturing capacities. Reluctant to invest in staff and equipment without firm orders, the defense industry has been slow to ramp up production, most notably of the artillery shells that Ukraine so badly needs.

The creeping realization that former U.S. President Donald Trump might return to the White House and undermine support for Ukraine has also focused minds in Europe. EU heavyweights France and Germany have warned that the bloc must do more to protect itself.

“European sovereignty is about taking responsibility ourselves for what is vital, and even existential, for us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “It is about our ability but also about our willingness to defend our interests and values ourselves.”

Laying out her vision of the new strategy to members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Von der Leyen said: “At the heart of this must be a simple principle: Europe must spend more, spend better, spend European.”

The war in Ukraine spurred European nations to hike defense spending, and a lot of money is destined for the U.S. defense industry. Germany, for example, announced a 100 billion-euro ($108 billion) upgrade of its armed forces, with a big chunk of the funds dedicated to U.S. F-35 fighter jets and transport helicopters.

Von der Leyen said the aim should be for countries to buy more, and more effectively, together just as the 27 EU nations did to purchase vaccines during the