Affordable Mass vs. Precision: The New Industrial Doctrine of Economic Munitions (DAMM)

The current evolution of the European security architecture is undergoing a fundamental transformation, shifting its strategic focus from the traditional acquisition of high-end, singular platforms toward the comprehensive resilience of the enabling value chain. For several decades, Western military doctrine was predicated on the assumption that qualitative technological superiority—embodied in extremely precise and expensive munitions—could effectively compensate for a relative lack of numerical mass in short-duration conflicts. However, the return of symmetric, high-intensity warfare on the European continent has exposed critical limitations in this approach, as strategic stockpiles are often depleted within the first weeks of active engagement. The concept of “Affordable Mass” has therefore emerged as an indispensable strategic corrective, designed to ensure that European forces can sustain operations during prolonged wars of attrition without suffering a systemic collapse of offensive and defensive capabilities. This analysis examines the transition toward a balanced force structure, where sophisticated, high-precision weapon systems are integrated by vast volumes of low-cost munitions capable of saturating the modern battlespace. By integrating mass into the defense calculus, the European Union and its allies aim to achieve a state of operational readiness grounded in industrial reality rather than speculative tactical perfection. This shift represents a new era of industrial realism, treating the supply chain not as a secondary support function but as a primary asset of national and collective deterrence. Sovereign defense is now defined by the infrastructure that guarantees constant lethality over time.