EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Europe needs to rearm faster and more effectively if it wants to close its military capability gaps by 2030, as shortages of ships, air defence systems, ammunition and other equipment continue to expose the limits of European defence readiness.
Speaking in Brussels on Monday ahead of a meeting of EU defence ministers, Kallas warned that the gap between Europe’s defence ambitions and the military assets currently available remains substantial. The meeting focused on support for Ukraine, hybrid threats, the Middle East and European defence capabilities.
“Europe needs to rearm faster and more effectively if we are to reach the 2030 goal,” Kallas said, according to Danish public broadcaster DR.
The EU’s Defence Readiness 2030 strategy aims to close critical capability gaps and make European countries better prepared to deter and respond to military threats. Its priorities include air and missile defence, ammunition, drones, military mobility, cyber capabilities and maritime defence.
But increased defence budgets alone do not immediately translate into available weapons, ammunition or military units.
Europe’s defence shortages are already visible
One of the clearest examples is the EU’s Operation Aspides, which protects commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea.
Kallas has said the mission was originally designed to have at least ten warships available. The security situation has since deteriorated and the operation now requires even greater naval and air capabilities, but EU countries have so far failed to provide enough vessels.
“Aspides was supposed to have ten ships available. We do not have that today,” Kallas said, according to Norwegian broadcaster TV 2.
She said demand for escorts of civilian merchant vessels is increasing and urged member states to provide additional ships. Two EU countries are reportedly considering whether they can contribute additional naval assets.
The shortage illustrates a wider problem highlighted by the European Court of Auditors. Years of insufficient investment and limited cooperation have left Europe with inadequate stocks of ammunition and missiles, long production times, dependence on suppliers outside the EU and logistical bottlenecks.
The EU has responded with a series of initiatives intended to increase production and investment. Its Readiness 2030 framework includes the €150 billion SAFE loan programme and greater fiscal flexibility for national defence spending, alongside efforts to promote joint procurement and strengthen Europe’s defence industry.
Kallas also warns of further Russian sabotage
The discussion over conventional military capabilities comes alongside growing concern about hybrid threats.
Kallas said intelligence reports indicate that Russia is planning further acts of sabotage and attacks against European democracies.
“We need to be vigilant because we see in the intelligence that Russia is planning more sabotage acts and attacks against our democracy,” she said before the defence ministers’ meeting.
According to Kallas, the aim is to divide European societies and discourage them from continuing their support for Ukraine. Russia has denied Western accusations that it is behind sabotage operations in Europe.
Hybrid threats were formally included among the subjects discussed by EU defence ministers in Brussels, alongside military support for Ukraine and developments in the Middle East.
For the EU, the immediate challenge is therefore broader than simply increasing military expenditure. European defence readiness also depends on whether higher spending can be converted quickly enough into ammunition, air defence, ships, industrial capacity and other military capabilities that can actually be deployed when needed.
