Preserving Peace - Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. What Does Defense Readiness Mean?
3. Bridging Europe's Capability Gaps by 2030: Key Steps and Milestones
4. Launching European Readiness Flagship Projects
5. The Defense Industrial Dimension
6. Ukraine as a Key Component of European Readiness Efforts
7. Horizontal Enabling Factors
8. The Way Forward: The Path to 2030

Document Introduction

This document is a strategic communication jointly submitted by the European Commission and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to the European Parliament, the European Council, and the Council on October 16, 2025. Its core context is that Europe faces the most severe and complex strategic security environment since the end of the Cold War. The report clearly states that Russia's full-scale military aggression against Ukraine constitutes a "persistent threat to European security for the foreseeable future," and emphasizes that the increasing number of global hotspots, hybrid threats, technological disruptions, and strategic competition compel Europe to act immediately to establish a sufficiently strong defense posture by 2030 to credibly deter adversaries and respond to any aggression.

The document aims to translate the previously published *Defense Readiness White Paper* and the political guidance from the European Council into a clear roadmap with defined objectives, specific delivery date milestones, and progress tracking indicators. Its logical starting point is the recognition that Europe has reversed decades of underinvestment in defense, with significant increases in member states' defense budgets. However, the current key challenge lies in efficiently converting these investments into a full spectrum of operational capabilities covering land, sea, air, cyber, and outer space, and ensuring that armed forces are prepared for high-intensity conflict. To this end, the report proposes a systematic framework encompassing capability building, industrial base, technological innovation, partnerships, and horizontal enabling factors.

In terms of specific content, the report first defines the meaning of "defense readiness" as the ability of member states' armed forces to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to any defense-related crisis, which relies on well-equipped, well-resourced, coordinated, and interoperable forces. Subsequently, the report details the path to bridging key capability gaps by 2030, with the core mechanism being the establishment of member state-led "Capability Coalitions" for cooperative research, development, and procurement in priority areas (such as air and missile defense, drones/counter-drones, cyber and artificial intelligence, space, artillery systems, etc.). As urgent measures, the report proposes launching several pan-European "Readiness Flagship Projects," including a European Drone Defense Initiative, Eastern Flank Surveillance, a European Air Shield, and a European Space Shield, to concentrate resources on addressing the most pressing threats.

Defense industry and technological innovation are placed at the strategic core. The report emphasizes that a strong, resilient, and innovative European defense industrial and technological base is crucial for deterrence and security. To achieve this, it is necessary to deepen understanding of industrial capacity, aggregate demand through multi-year procurement plans, and vigorously stimulate R&D investment and innovation through instruments such as the European Defense Industry Program, the Competitiveness Fund, and the Horizon Europe program, particularly in disruptive technology fields like artificial intelligence, drones, and space. Simultaneously, the report addresses supply chain security, critical raw material security, skilled talent reserves, and industrial cooperation with like-minded partners.

Ukraine is seen as an indispensable part of Europe's overall defense effort. The report proposes mechanisms such as long-term security assurance frameworks, compensation loans, integration into Capability Coalitions, and a Drone Coalition to continuously strengthen Ukraine's "qualitative military edge" and deeply integrate its defense industry into the European defense technology and industrial base for mutual empowerment. Furthermore, the report details horizontal enabling measures such as establishing a genuine EU internal market for defense equipment, creating an EU-wide military mobility area, and ensuring sufficient financial resources and investment to provide institutional and resource guarantees for the readiness objectives.

This roadmap sets a series of specific milestones from the end of 2025 to 2030 and plans to monitor progress and provide political guidance through annual Defense Readiness Reports. Its ultimate goal is to shape a Europe that is more operationally autonomous, more coordinated, and capable of assuming its fair share of responsibility for its own defense, in close complementarity and cooperation with NATO, in order to preserve peace and ensure its strategic security in the 21st century.