Europe's Defense Spending Surge Is Fueling a 50% Price Spike on Military Gear — and the Problem Is Getting Worse

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz (R) speaks with Estonia's Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur during their meeting at the "Defence24 Days", a conference on defence and security attended by various leaders and experts from the region, in Warsaw, Poland, on May 6, 2026. (Credit: Wojtek RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Europe is spending more on its military than at any point since the 1950s. Defense budgets are climbing across the continent. New targets have been set, new factories are being built, and the political will to rearm — absent for decades — has finally arrived.

The problem is the bill.