Responsible Rearmament: Why Europe’s Defence Ambitions Must Be Matched by Ethical Commitment
As Europe enters a new strategic era, ethics must not be left behind. With the 2025 launch of the ReArm Europe Plan, the European Union is embarking on an unprecedented investment in defence and deterrence—mobilising hundreds of billions of euros to strengthen military capabilities, secure technological sovereignty, and reinforce its global posture.
But in this race toward strategic autonomy, a critical question arises: How do we rearm without disarming our values?
At Plus Ethics, we believe that rearmament and responsibility are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, the legitimacy and sustainability of Europe’s defence agenda depend on the integration of ethical foresight at every step of the innovation cycle. Our latest Policy Brief, Ethics on the Frontline, highlights the urgent need for ethical, legal, and societal safeguards in the emerging EU security and defence landscape.
From Peacebuilding to Deterrence: A Strategic Shift
The shift from a peace-first to a defence-first narrative marks a significant change in the EU’s identity. Instruments like the European Defence Fund (EDF) and security-driven calls under Horizon Europe are mobilising not only industrial actors but also SMEs and civil research organisations. While this broadens the innovation ecosystem, it also raises new ethical challenges—especially when technologies such as autonomous systems, surveillance tools, and AI-powered decision-making enter dual-use or sensitive domains.
Ethics Cannot Be a Checkbox
In our work across both civil and defence R&D projects—such as ECOBALLIFE, ARMETISS, STARLIGHT, and VESTLIFE—we’ve seen first-hand that ethical integration is too often reduced to formal deliverables or static templates. This is particularly risky in defence contexts, where urgency, secrecy, and political pressure can easily sideline deliberation.
To prevent ethics from becoming an afterthought, we call for:
- Mandatory Ethics Advisory Boards in high-risk projects
- Dedicated ethics work packages with sufficient funding
- Real stakeholder engagement beyond symbolic consultation
- Scenario-based ethical impact assessments for dual-use technologies
- Clear mechanisms for transparency and public communication
Why This Matters Now
The exclusion of military systems from the scope of the EU’s AI Act (Article 2) is a reminder that general regulation is not enough. Defence innovation must develop its own robust ethical frameworks—ones that align not only with legal compliance, but with democratic values and human rights principles.
Responsible rearmament is not a contradiction. It is what distinguishes the European model of security from others based on opacity, coercion, or unchecked escalation. Ethics is not a constraint—it is a strategic asset.