Faced with geopolitical fragmentation and the proliferation of high-intensity conflicts, Europe must switch from its logic of cooperation to a strategy of industrial resurgence. It is no longer just a question of pooling armed forces between member states but one of rebuilding a proficient military production capacity from beginning to end, adapted to the needs of the battlefield and supported by innovative public and private financing.
Today, European strategic autonomy has been weakened by a persistent dependence on critical components from outside of Europe, particularly in the five domains of modern warfare: land, sea, air, space, and information and cyberspace. Ambitious programmes have been launched to remedy this, such as EDIRPA (European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act) for weaponry, FCAS (Future Combat Air System) for the air force and IRIS2 (Europe’s satellite constellation for secure communications) for space. But the timeframes are long and the cooperative efforts fragile. The need to consolidate industrial sectors, support European innovation and develop strategic alliances is growing urgent.
Feedback from the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza is clear: the armies do not lack technology so much as reserves and simple, robust, mass-produced equipment. The era of ‘all technology’ is reaching its limits; the time has come for intelligent simplicity.
One last point: public finances are tight. To cope with the sheer scale of the various needs (munitions, cybersecurity, space, etc.), it is essential to mobilise private financing, such as infrastructure funds, family offices, dual-use capital investment (civilian and military). This movement also assumes the evolution of ESG (environmental, social and governance) criteria to integrate the imperatives of strategic sovereignty.
Efforts have begun; they must now accelerate.
Frédéric Duponchel, President, Accuracy
Accuracy Talks Straight #13 – One partner, one view