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They don't have sheer numbers unless they go full mobilization. They already put almost entire Russian ground force, which is 280k, into battle almost 200k of i
by terafo 5y ago
They don't have sheer numbers unless they go full mobilization. They already put almost entire Russian ground force, which is 280k, into battle almost 200k of it went into Ukraine with initial invasion force. And since then they've been moving everything they have left into Ukraine(military contingent from karabakh and abkhazia regions, troops from far east etc.). 1 million is the capacity of their whole military, and ground troops that could be used in the invasion are only the fraction of it(airforce is useful, but can't be used as ground troops, fleet isn't that useful TBH and only fraction of it is in the Black sea right now and they can't get more there). And they need at least someone to guard their borders(and Russia's borders are vast).
- dmitriid 5y ago> They don't have sheer numbers unless they go full mobilization. They already put almost entire Russian ground force, which is 280k, into battle That is sheer numbers. The EU has 1 million active military personnel on paper. Of that, less than 30k are "land troops prepared for deployed and sustained operations" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Security_and_Defence_Policy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Security_and_Defence_Po...
- terafo 5y agoThis isn't enough to win. Ukrainian Ground Forces were 200k at the beginning of this war, for comparison. And Ukraine have been conducting mobilization since the war started, so it's larger by a lot now and will grow with each day of war.
- drran 5y ago200k reservists cannot join Ukrainian army because of lack of equipment and money. I have no truck, for example, so I cannot move a few tonnes of communication equipment rapidly, so my combat-readiness is low.
- dmitriid 5y ago> This isn't enough to win. If only I was discussing that, right? > And Ukraine have been conducting mobilization since the war started Yes, but the original question was, "Why is Europe increasing defense spending". The sum total of Europe's deployed forces is smaller than Ukraine's was before this war.