Defence Industrial Transformation Roadmap (EDTIB Expansion): Rebuilding Europe’s Capacity for Deterrence through Production

The Defence Industrial Transformation Roadmap (DITR) stands at the centre of the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, representing the European Union’s strategic effort to rebuild its defence-industrial base as the foundation of credible deterrence. For decades, Europe’s capacity to produce military systems has eroded under the combined pressures of disinvestment, regulatory complexity, and dependence on external suppliers. The White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 explicitly recognises that operational readiness and strategic autonomy are inseparable from industrial strength: no Union can defend itself if it cannot manufacture, innovate, and supply its own forces at speed and scale. The DITR is therefore conceived as a comprehensive framework to revitalise the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB), ensuring that production, innovation, and skills align with the demands of modern warfare. It introduces the principles of “deterrence through production” and “readiness through innovation,” treating industrial policy as a security instrument rather than a purely economic one. The roadmap seeks to close long-standing capability and supply-chain gaps, reinforce Europe’s control over critical technologies, and reduce dependencies on non-EU suppliers of raw materials and key components. Ultimately, the DITR embodies the industrial dimension of Europe’s strategic autonomy — the capacity to equip and defend itself through its own technological and manufacturing power.