[ravel-bar-foo]

I think you underestimate just how low EU military spending was. In Germany there were reports of a complete lack of readiness: in 2018 DW reported that none of Germany's 14 large military transports were flight-worthy, 21,000 officer positions were vacant, fighter aircraft were averaging 4 months of flyability per year (resulting in a pilot training deficit), and only 9 of 44 tanks promised for the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force were operational. And those are the big flashy items. The articles also note shortages of supplies like winter clothes, automatic grenade launchers, night-vision equipment, and body armor.

[majewsky]

The German defense budget was 46.5 bln € in 2021 [1]. The problem is not spending, the problem is the utter mismanagement in the defense ministry and military forces. I have talked to someone who did contract work for the ministry and knows their internal processes. He proposed that the first step should be to fire everyone and restaff the ministry from scratch.

[1] https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Monatsberichte/2022/0... (Ctrl-F "Ausgaben des Bundes nach Aufgabenbereichen", row title "Verteidigung")

[NicoJuicy]

Military spending is based on the size of the economy.

Russia's was 6% of GDP , but EU easily outspended it with <2%

[ravel-bar-foo]

True, but presumably EU pays its soldiers EU wages and buys modern technology which has been tested for safety and reliability, whereas Russia sends conscripts to war in austere equipment.

[NicoJuicy]

And 70% of Russia's investments in military is probably wasted on corrupt officials.