October 23, 2016

Europe Is Up In Arms Over A Military Defense Bill

More than 60,000 people have signed a petition against Preparatory Action for Defense Research, the European Union’s multi-million dollar military research project. If the budget gets approved, it will be the first time the EU has provided funding exclusively for defense research, and that obviously comes with controversy. One EU program officer called it “merely a military-industrial policy” for “liberalization of the arms trade and competition with the US.” And it would be an expensive one at that. The estimated cost to kick things off is €50-100 million between now and 2020, and would require a budget of at least €3.5 billion between 2021 and 2027. But it might make Europe feel… marginally safer? And you can’t put a price on maybe. 

Yes, I want to sound marginally more intelligent: