*[Enwl-eng] Changing times, increasing profits
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Changing times, increasing profitsA shift toward rearmament in Europe is good news for military contractors.
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In what’s sure to be good news for defense contractors, European nations are considering rearmament in the face of global instability. That was the takeaway from this year’s Munich Security Conference, where leaders from Britain and Germany made the case that standing by and relying on the US for protection is no longer enough for the region. Carol Schaeffer, a reporter based in Berlin who attended the conference, told Ekō that there is “little debate” on the necessity of rearmament among Europeans at Munich. But for others in the region, including the general public, there’s some uncertainty. Part of that is due to who was invited to attend the conference. “The far-right AfD and the pro-Russia, anti-immigrant leftist splinter party BSW were not invited,” Schaeffer said. “The leftist Die Linke, despite its skepticism of rearmament, however, remained on the guest list.” UK Chief of Defense Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton and German Chief of Defense General Carsten Breuer called for more investment in military preparedness in an article published in the Guardian and Die Welt Sunday. The two top military officials cited Russia’s aggressive moves in Eastern Europe as a primary concern. According to Schaeffer, military preparedness—including weapons manufacturing—is a motivator for how the Ukraine war ends. “Ukraine is heavily invested in positioning itself as a potential military and defense supply contractor to the rest of Europe as part of its pitch to EU leaders to keep support for ending the war strong,” Schaeffer said. “The idea being that when the war ends, a central industry in Ukraine will be arms production and defense for the rest of Europe.” The US’s political instability, defined by President Donald Trump’s decision to essentially leave Ukraine to fend for itself, was an unwritten subtext in the essay: “History teaches us that deterrence fails when adversaries sense disunity and weakness.” During the Munich conference, US leaders like Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear that the current government is pushing forward with a posture more friendly to far-right regimes than it is traditional allies; Hungary and Slovakia, for example, are “key components” of the US-EU relationship, Rubio said. “The security report from MSC declared that the transatlantic relationship is in ‘ruins.’ And this is the language you will hear repeated,” Schaeffer said. “I don't think anyone in Europe can credibly consider the United States a steadfast ally anymore, no matter how many Trump appointees make gestures towards that promise.” In a sign of how this is paying off for military contractors, companies in the defense and tech industries tied to European spending in the sector reported raising $8.7 billion in 2025, a number that is likely to grow if the message from Munich of expanded military spending is accurate. “Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure.”—Kaja Kallas, EU Foreign Affairs (the Guardian) (Die Welt) (the Irish Times) (Resilience Media) In other newsNo elections In other Munich news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country will not hold elections without at least a two month ceasefire. The comments came, in part, as a response to an offer from Russia to halt attacks for one day for voting. Zelensky made clear that was a nonstarter. “Give us two months of a ceasefire—and we will go to elections. That’s it. Ceasefire, security, infrastructure. We need time to prepare.”—Zelensky (Kyiv Independent) (Kyiv Post) Tensions in Southeast Asia Thailand and Cambodia are having border clashes, though the two countries are largely keeping the conflict contained. Despite a ceasefire, violence has continued, with land crossings overall closed (though air travel is still green-lit). Eye on the prize Italy is looking to strengthen its ties to certain African countries. At the second Italy-Africa Summit, held this year in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni reaffirmed her commitment to investment in the continent. It’s part of a pivot for Italy, and one that is likely to pay off for corporations and moneyed interests in the country. “We want to build things together.”—Meloni (Africa News) (ENA) Here’s your campaign of the day
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Date: вт, 17 февр. 2026 г. в 10:16
Subject: Changing times, increasing profits
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