The March 2026 edition of the IRMO Brief, co-authored by Sandro Knezović, PhD, Prof. Diane Robers, PhD and Bernard Braaten, examines the European Union’s need to strengthen strategic autonomy in defence and industrial value chains amid an increasingly volatile global security environment. It argues that the war in Ukraine, great power competition, and shifting U.S. priorities have exposed structural weaknesses in Europe’s defence architecture. Key challenges include fragmented defence production, weak coordination between governments and industry, and heavy dependence on external suppliers for critical raw materials and advanced technologies. The paper advocates a more integrated EU defence industrial strategy, increased investment in research and innovation, stronger intra-EU cooperation, and diversified supply chains to enhance resilience, reduce external dependencies, and support Europe’s long-term strategic sovereignty.
Securing Europe’s Strategic Autonomy: Strengthening EU Defence and Industrial Value Chains in a Fragmented World
