PARIS — European NATO nations decreased their reliance on america for weapons imports prior to now 12 months, funneling a larger share of their overseas protection acquisitions to South Korea, France and Israel, evaluation by the Stockholm Worldwide Peace Analysis Institute confirmed.
The U.S. accounted for 58% of main arms imports by NATO’s European member states within the 2021-2025 interval, in response to a March 9 report by the Swedish suppose tank. That’s down from 64% for the 5 years by means of 2024, primarily based on SIPRI’s year-earlier report.
Europe stepped up protection spending following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, prompting a greater than threefold soar within the area’s arms imports. Now European leaders wish to scale back their dependency on the U.S., as threats by President Donald Trump towards allies and a coverage shift in the direction of American homeland protection have raised doubts whether or not the nation remains to be a dependable ally.
“Menace perceptions regarding Russia, compounded by uncertainties over the USA’s dedication to defending its European allies, have boosted demand for arms amongst European member states,” SIPRI mentioned in its report.
Whereas European protection companies boosted manufacturing, and European Union funding help for the bloc’s home weapons trade led to plenty of intra-EU orders, European nations continued to import U.S. arms prior to now 5 years, particularly fight plane and long-range air-defense techniques, in response to Katarina Djokic, a researcher with SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Programme.
Twelve European nations had a complete of 466 F-35 fighter jets on order or preselected for order by the top of 2025, together with 39 of the Lockheed Martin jets ordered or preselected for order final 12 months.
South Korea was the next-biggest provider to European NATO members, securing 8.6% of their arms imports in the newest five-year interval, from 6.5% reported final 12 months. Israel accounted for 7.7% of European NATO imports, from 3.9% within the interval by means of 2024. France elevated its share to 7.4% from 6.5%.
World weapons exports rose on the quickest tempo in a decade as Europe greater than tripled weapons imports within the face of a threatening Russia. The amount of main arms transferred between states rose 9.2% in 2021-2025 from the prior five-year interval, the largest enhance because the 2011-2015 bracket, in response to SIPRI..
‘Deliveries to Ukraine since 2022 are the obvious issue, however most different European states have additionally began importing considerably extra arms to shore up their navy capabilities towards a perceived rising risk from Russia,” mentioned Mathew George, director of SIPRI’s Arms Transfers Programme.
Shipments of U.S. weapons to Europe rose 217% in 2021-2025 from the prior five-year interval, in response to SIPRI. That included arms for Ukraine, with the suppose tank counting weapons purchased by different nations for switch to the Ukrainian forces, together with air-defense missiles and guided bombs, as U.S. exports to Ukraine.
The U.S. remained the world’s largest arms exporter in 2021-2025, with a market share of 34%, forward of France with 9.8%. Russia accounted for six.8% of worldwide weapons transfers between states, a couple of third of its share within the prior five-year interval.
“For importers, U.S. arms provide superior capabilities and a approach of fostering good relations with the USA, whereas the USA views arms exports as a software of overseas coverage and a approach of strengthening its arms trade,” mentioned Pieter Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.
Germany overtook China to turn into the world’s fourth-biggest arms exporter in 2021-2025, with 24% of German exports going to Ukraine. Italy climbed to sixth place from tenth within the prior five-year interval, with 59% of the nation’s arms exports going to the Center East.
The U.S. had excellent orders for 936 fight plane by the top of 2025, adopted by France with 180 or extra plane, and China with 90 fight plane in its order e book. Order knowledge may give “a tough indication” of which nations would be the high exporters in coming years, SIPRI says.
The UK had 34 or extra main warships on order, much like Germany, in response to SIPRI. Israel had at the very least 78 export orders for missile air-defense techniques, Germany had at the very least 66 such techniques on order, and the U.S. 55 or extra, in response to SIPRI.
Ukraine was the biggest weapons importer within the 2021-2025 interval, accounting for 9.7% of worldwide arms imports, with the U.S. the supply for 44% of Ukraine’s imports, adopted by Germany with 14%. Arms transfers to Ukraine had been “considerably decrease” in 2025 than within the previous two years because the U.S. decreased its navy help to the nation, in response to SIPRI.
India was the world’s second-biggest importer of arms, even when its share of worldwide imports fell 4% within the interval, primarily based on the SIPRI knowledge. Elsewhere in Asia, Pakistan’s imports of main arms rose 66% from the prior 5 years, whereas Japan lifted imports by 76% and Taiwan by 54%.
“Fears over China’s intentions and its rising navy capabilities proceed to affect armament efforts in different elements of Asia and Oceania, which regularly nonetheless rely upon imported arms,” mentioned Siemon Wezeman, senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.
“In South Asia, the excessive quantity of arms that India imports is essentially because of the perceived risk from China and to India’s long-running battle with the primary recipient of Chinese language arms exports, Pakistan,” Siemon Wezeman mentioned. “Imported weapons had been used within the 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan, each nuclear-armed states.”
In Africa, imports by Algeria fell by 78% in 2021-2025 from the prior interval, whereas these by Morocco elevated 12%, making the latter the continent’s largest arms importer.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Protection Information. He began his profession at Bloomberg Information and has expertise reporting on expertise, commodity markets and politics.
