Across Europe, we are witnessing a worrying pattern – governments are slashing humanitarian budgets to fund defence.
As someone who spent 20 years in the British Army and then dedicated my career to humanitarian efforts in some of the world’s most dangerous environments, I can say that this will come back to bite us. Aid is Europe’s first line of defence.
19 August marks World Humanitarian Day, dedicated to honouring humanitarian workers and standing with people affected by conflict. But how can we honour humanitarian workers while simultaneously cutting their funding?
This year we’ve seen the biggest decline in foreign aid ever recorded. This is being justified in countries like Germany, France and the UK as a necessary sacrifice to fund defence budgets in an increasingly dangerous time.
I firmly believe that European countries must invest more in their armed forces. I have witnessed firsthand how the nature of warfare is changing. I’ve seen battlefields in Ukraine dominated by drones, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and constant surveillance.
It is terrifying how advanced these technologies of war are – AI-powered drones by air, by land, by sea. We are unprepared. We are vulnerable to Vladimir Putin. As a soldier who has sacrificed, that is a bitter pill to swallow.
The much-awaited European Security Strategy, expected this autumn, is critical to strengthen Europe’s military capabilities and respond to the realities of modern warfare. It should be ambitious and visionary, driving better alignment between EU Member States and their allies.
It’s a chance for Europe to position itself as a global security actor, capable of standing up for itself in the face of Russia’s war against Ukraine, President Trump’s threats against NATO, and generally increasing geopolitical competition and hostility.
But the Security Strategy is also about resilience and prevention. Global aid reduces instability and builds resilience in fragile states. It can reduce the very conditions that fuel conflict. This should be a no-brainer. Defence and aid are not competing priorities.
They should go hand in hand. Wars have collateral damage, and defence spending must not come at the expense of development and humanitarian support. Cutting aid is short-sighted -doesn’t save money, it creates instability, extremism, mass migration and supply chain collapse that will end up on Europe’s doorstep.
I’ve been on battlefields, and I’ve lost close friends there. I’ve protected journalists in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, to ensure that people suffering in these wars can tell their stories. I’ve delivered food and supported families devastated by conflict.
It is always better to prevent instability than go to war.
