Forging Europe's Defence Backbone: The Strategic Reawakening of the Franco-German Axis

In the post–Cold War period, European security relied heavily on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, which for decades was regarded as a cornerstone of transatlantic solidarity. At the same time, many European countries—Germany foremost among them—significantly reduced their defence budgets. The German Bundeswehr, for example, underwent “years of post–Cold War disarmament and austerity” before recent developments reversed this course. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked a turning point, shaking Europe out of its post–Cold War sense of security and prompting the EU’s leading powers to strengthen military cooperation. In this context, a renewed Franco-German axis has emerged in the field of European defence, set to assume a central role in the continent’s security strategy.