Strategic Autonomy Debates and European Union Defense Industrial Cooperation

Background: The renewed emphasis on European strategic autonomy following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and persistent concerns regarding the reliability of United States security commitments has accelerated European Union defense industrial cooperation initiatives, including joint procurement programs progressing through 2023 and 2024. Aims/objectives: This research examines the institutional and political obstacles confronting European Union efforts to develop coordinated defense industrial capacity and reduce dependency on external arms suppliers. Method: A qualitative policy analysis was conducted using European Defence Fund documentation, national defense procurement records, and interviews with defense industry and policy specialists covering the relevant cooperation initiatives. Results: Findings indicate that national defense industrial interests and divergent threat perceptions among member states significantly constrained progress toward unified procurement standards, with larger defense-producing states resistant to measures perceived as disadvantaging domestic industrial bases. Smaller member states expressed concern regarding continued dependency on a limited number of larger suppliers within proposed joint frameworks. Conclusion: The research concludes that European strategic autonomy in defense remains aspirational rather than operationally realized, constrained by persistent national industrial interests. Incremental functional cooperation in specific capability areas, rather than comprehensive defense union, represents the more realistic near-term pathway toward greater European defense industrial coordination and reduced reliance on non-European arms suppliers over time.

Keywords: strategic autonomy, European Union defense, defense industrial cooperation, NATO burden-sharing, European security