Brussels – European defence is becoming a titanic undertaking. Amid differing ‘visions’ and growing energy needs, the security and preparedness strategy put forward by the Commission in its White Paper has, as its main side effects, incompatibility with the NATO model, new friction with the United States, and the risk of further increases in energy bills. The European Parliament’s Think Tank lists these critical issues in a study for the Industry Committee.
The document notes that currently, “the European defence sector operates in an increasingly complex energy landscape, defined by interdependencies.” This dependence “exposes Europe to multiple risks, including supply chain disruptions, declining domestic refining capacities, and geopolitical pressures.” The EU must change its approach, but the path ahead is not easy.
The energy challenge
If not the main issue, energy is certainly one of the most complex problems to solve. Currently, electricity accounts for just 17 percent of defence-related energy consumption. However, “modern defence operations and industrial production are increasingly energy-intensive, making energy security a central factor in European defence readiness and strategic autonomy,” the experts from the European Parliament’s Think Tank write.
In the background, there is therefore an increasing demand for electricity and electrification, which are indispensable for advanced weaponry, drones, digital infrastructure, and electric mobility. On the one hand, this is “creating new interdependencies between operational readiness and infrastructure resilience,” and on the other hand, rising demand inevitably drives up prices, so an increase in supply commensurate with demand will be needed to avoid further increases in energy bills.
Defense runs on oil. The Green Deal is impossible, especially within NATO
reconciling these conflicting interests will become progressively more challenging,” the study warns. Certainly, as long as Donald Trump sits in the White House, the idea of ‘green’ armed forces is out of the question, and now, at the political level, it is necessary to determine how to invest in industry the resources that Europeans pledged within the framework of the Atlantic Alliance.
Alternatives to crude oil and the risks of new dependencies on China
aviation fuels “can support operational flexibility, reduce logistical vulnerabilities, and complement
conventional energy sources,” the study requested by the Industry Committee suggests. Of course, these are solutions that still need to be developed, but their evolving value is acknowledged. “Although these technologies currently face limitations in energy density,
reliability, and integration, pilot projects and institutional initiatives highlight their potential for both military
use and dual-use civilian applications.”
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English version by the Translation Service of Withub
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