On 2 September 2026 HIL Heeresinstandsetzungslogistik GmbH, a German buyer whose procurement activity is classified as defence, published an amended tender for technical gases supplied in rented and deposit containers in which security of supply accounts for 30 per cent of the award score and price for the remaining 70 per cent. The weighting is small in money terms and revealing in substance. Industrial gases are rarely the most valuable input to a production line, laboratory or maintenance activity, yet the process they serve may be unusable without gas of the correct composition, purity, pressure and flow, delivered through compatible and safe equipment. The dependency is therefore not adequately described by asking whether Europe produces enough nitrogen, oxygen or other technical gases in aggregate. For a defence user, the relevant object is the complete service that converts an industrial molecule into an accepted input at the point of use: cylinders, tanks, compressors, dryers, valves, regulators, distribution pipework, analysers, control systems, inspection, calibration, trained personnel and contractual access to maintenance. The problem is consequently narrower than European gas self-sufficiency but more demanding than commodity availability. What remains unresolved is under which ownership, technical and contractual arrangements a defence user can preserve an acceptable gas service and, when necessary, replace a supplier without an unplanned interruption in the activity the gas supports.