Think tank: European defense upgrades still not enough to counter Russia
European countries stepped-up military readiness after Russiaʼs actions in Crimea and Ukraine. Recent think-tank report shows more work needed to reach required defense levels
The International Institute for Strategic Studies latest analysis shows how European nations changed their defense plans since Russias moves in past decade. After the take-over of Crimea about 10 years ago and full-scale attack on Ukraine almost 3 years ago‚ countries across Europe started to up-grade their military systems
The London-based organization released its findings during a three-day meet-up in Prague (which brings together experts to talk about Euro-Atlantic defense abilities); the report points out both good progress and weak spots in current preparations. Many EU countries made big steps to improve their defense — but theres still a gap between what they have and what they need
The think-tanks research highlights that European military build-up needs more work: defense spending has gone up but readiness levels arent quite there yet. The report shows how countries are trying to fix old problems while dealing with new threats from the east‚ which means they need better tech and more training to be ready for any future issues
