Deglobalization and the rehabilitation of Western defense industrial sovereignty

Abstract

In recent years, global security has been disrupted by a series of “unknown unknown” events, such as COVID-19, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Palestinian crisis. These challenges have led Western nations to weigh the strategic risks of defense industry vulnerabilities against the economic benefits of globalization. As a result, the U.S., Australia, the EU, and the UK have launched strategies focused on bolstering defense industrial sovereignty. This paper examines the common themes and relative strengths of these strategies.