EU’s hard decisions on ‘soft power’

Instead of hiding behind America’s military shield, Europe needs to spend on arms to protect its security interests, according to Nick Witney.

IN THE run-up to last December’s European Union defence summit, British general Nick Houghton warned Britain’s armed forces risked being “hollowed out.”

Too little of Britain’s reduced defence budget was being spent on personnel, he noted, and too much on “exquisite” equipment bought for the wrong reasons. “We must also be careful,” he cautioned, “that the defence budget is not disproportionately used to support the British defence industry.”