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Entire Europe – and particularly its Eastern part – has not seen such a boom in the military industry since the end of the Cold War.
Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzer is a very nice example of how it is possible to make a complete switch toward manufacturing armaments according to NATO standards. Image credit: Armed Forces of Poland
In comparison, before the annexation of Crimea on 20 February 2014, military manufacturing was nearly standing still. The situation changed quickly, and the defense industry literally boomed following Russia’s repeated invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Presently, European companies are manufacturing different guns, ammunition, artillery shells, and other military provisions at an increasingly faster rate.
A number of allies are providing direct military aid to Ukraine, with the largest backing in terms of absolute numbers coming from the United States, Britain, and Poland.
The nearest neighbors see providing direct military, economic, and social support to Ukraine as a matter of regional security. That is why the governments of those states are using this opportunity to revive the arms industry – which is now more necessary than ever.
Eastern European countries have also established significant capacity to repair NATO equipment. Pictured: German-made PzH 2000 on its way back to Ukraine after successful repairs in Lithuania.
“Taking into account the realities of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the visible attitude of many countries aimed at increased spending in the field of defense budgets, there is a real chance to enter new markets and increase export revenues in the coming years,” commented Sebastian Chwalek, CEO of Poland’s PGZ.
Chwalek also noted that the production of certain types of armaments has tripled compared to previous years.
The need to manufacture new weapons comes due to the fact that Soviet-era weapons and ammunition supplies are already at the end. Large numbers of these resources have been transferred to Ukraine, and they helped this country to successfully resist the Russian invasion. Now, the Eastern European military industry is reorienting itself toward modern NATO standards, with the first arms already in production.
“Eastern European countries support Ukraine substantially. At the same time it’s an opportunity for them to build up their military production industry,” commented Christoph Trebesch, a professor at the Kiel Institute
According to the data from the Czech Ministry of Defence, Czech arms exports will be at a record high since 1989. This trend creates revenue and new employment possibilities for the local people.
But the most important is a different thing: citizens living in the countries of the former Soviet block clearly remember times when they were occupied by the Soviet Union, which was centered around Russia – and they do not want this history to repeat itself.
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