Europe's defense boom faces a new test: Can it actually deliver weapons?

Europe’s defense boom faces a new test: turning rising budgets into deliverable weapons, factories, and deployable capability. NATO leaders are set to review progress and delivery goals at next week’s summit in Ankara, Turkey, building on last year’s spending ramp intended to convert allied commitments into “concrete results.” The article says the path from higher defense outlays is uneven, citing procurement delays, fragmented national programs, labor shortages, and strained supply chains that threaten how quickly Europe can rebuild industrial capacity after years of lower spending. Pressure is increasing on both sides of the Atlantic, including scrutiny after a warning from U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth about consequences if allies miss spending commitments. McKinsey partner Hugues Lavandier says the market is in a “price discovery moment,” with European NATO core defense spending having doubled since 2019 and projected around 800 billion euros by decade’s end. The Germany cancellation of the F126 frigate program underlines execution risks.