Page 36 - RusRPTFeb24

Currently without the US, the EU has neither the military equipment nor the manpower to face Moscow in a high-intensity conflict, Politico says. Since the end of the Cold War, the size of Europe’s militaries has shriveled. Many European countries scrapped unpopular conscription laws and shifted to professional militaries. Between 1989 and 2022, the number of EU military personnel dropped from 3.4 million to 1.3 million.
Poland’s military has long oscillated around 100,000 personnel, but in recent years it has started to grow. The previous government wanted that to rise to 300,000 but the new administration of Prime Minister Donald Tusk has been more cautious about bandying around such big numbers. Germany has 183,150 active duty personnel. Rounding out the top European military powers are France, with 303,750 personnel, and the U.K with 150,350.
Finland, where tensions with Russia have been a key question ahead of a presidential election at the end of January, is among the European countries most prepared for confrontation with Moscow. A country of 5.5 million, it has 900,000 citizens with basic military training.
Last year, Putin boosted the size of the Russian military (including reservists) to 3.3 million, adding 170,000 personnel, with more than 600,000 now fighting in Ukraine.
36 RUSSIA Country Report February 2024 www.intellinews.com