In a way this is the dry run for when IRIS² starts service in another four years or so, the European Starshield equivalent
Note that the alternative is sending money overseas to rent US infrastructure. It may make a lot of sense to deploy spending locally where it stays in the economy rather than overseas, a standard "import substitution" play.
but the US is somehow simultaneously less of a welfare/nanny state. I suppose that is a tell: it's not about the actual monetary amounts, but about the national priorities posture and political alignment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_St...
You're asking how it can be viable to give money to unprofitable companies in the hope that some of them will repay it by becoming very profitable in future on a website run by YC? Really?
Chinese weapons .. no. Plenty of traditional EU arms companies to do that, and this is one area where I'm OK with the traditional EU protectionism.
A more interesting question is the two big countries which are part of NATO, on the European continent, but NOT part of the EU: UK and Turkey.
The PRC has stated it will continue to back Russia against Ukraine [0] which is a red line for the EU. Additionally, the PRC has been running disinfo ops against EU member states tech exports [1] while still attempting industrial espionage on European institutions [2].
China will not become a trusted partner of the EU as long as:
1. It continues to conduct industrial espionage against EU institutions
2. Attempts to undermine EU industrial and dual use exports
3. It continues to support Russia diplomatically and materially at the expense of Ukraine
4. It attempts to undermine the EU as an institution [3][4][5][6]
5. It continues to threaten EU nationals through physical [7] and legal [8] intimidation.
It's the same reason trust has reduced in the US as well.
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[0] - https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316875/ch...
[1] - https://www.defense.gouv.fr/desinformation/nos-analyses-froi...
[2] - https://www.intelligenceonline.fr/asie-pacifique/2026/01/14/...
[3] - https://fddi.fudan.edu.cn/_t2515/57/f8/c21257a743416/page.ht...
[4] - https://www.ft.com/content/1ed0b791-a447-48f4-9c38-abbf5f283...
[5] - https://www.ft.com/content/81700fc4-8f23-4bec-87e9-59a83f215...
[6] - https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/ex-mitarbeiter...
[7] - https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2024/07/02/deux-espio...
[8] - https://www.intelligenceonline.fr/asie-pacifique/2025/12/23/...
This is why the EU has made a defense and technology partnerships with India (Arunachal) [0], Vietnam (Hoang Sa) [1], Japan (Senkaku) [2], and South Korea (Yellow Sea) [3] and is indirectly supporting Taiwan [4].
Interesting how you also ignore the fact that the PRC has attempted to personally harm EU nationals in the past 2 years through physical and legal intimidation.
[0] - https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/security-and-defence-eu-and-...
[1] - https://www.eeas.europa.eu/euvn-comprehensive-strategic-part...
[2] - https://www.eeas.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/202...
[3] - https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/security-and-defence-partner...
[4] - https://www.reuters.com/world/china/taiwan-says-european-cou...
The US has not only done that, but also threatened invasion of EU OCT and annexation of citizens.
Also EU doesn't have fiscal freedom. Germany is the only country barely keeping it together and without any hard reform France is a ticking time bomb when it come to its debt-to-GDP.
For example, Eutelsat - which is providing the backbone for GOVSATCOM and IRIS2 - is a three-way partnership between India's Bharti Group (Sunil Mittal), the French, and the UK. Or GCAP where Japan's Mitsubishi Group is acting as both a technology and capital partner to Italy and the UK.
This was also a major driver behind the EU-India Defense Pact and the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership - both of which were overshadowed by the EU-India FTA.
A multilateral organization like the EU has the muscle to integrate and cooperate with other partners, which is something that shouldn't be underestimated, as this builds resilience via redundancy.
Edit: Interesting how this is the second time [0] in the past few weeks where an HN comment I wrote that was optimistic about the EU's capacity was downvoted. There's a reason the PRC is still conducting industrial espionage on EU institutions [1].
[0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46696996
[1] - https://www.intelligenceonline.fr/asie-pacifique/2026/01/14/...
Additionally, Israel has a defense pact with Greece and Cyprus to protect them against Turkish aggression [6], which is more than what other EU states are providing to Greece and Cyprus.
This is why Israel is a critical part of the EU's multilateral defense fabric - Eastern Mediterranean and CEE EU member states are already close partners with Israel.
[0] - https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/DOC_0000271219.pdf
[1] - https://www.czdefence.cz/clanek/cesko-izraelska-spoluprace-v...
[2] - https://vm.ee/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/Israel%2...
[3] - https://www.gov.cy/proedros-proedria/koini-diakiryxi-tis-10i...
[4] - https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/romania-b...
[5] - https://www.iai.co.il/israel-aerospace-industries-announces-...
[6] - https://www.gov.cy/proedros-proedria/koini-diakiryxi-tis-10i...
1.) not all cee countries are pro-israel. Especially Poland as the biggest country there is rather anti - Israel. 2.) Most European countries and almost eu countries are part of NATO. Thus Greece is protected by Article 5. In addition there is Article 42 from the EU. In a.potential Cyprus - Greece - Turkey Eu has more to offer than Israel military wise.
Nothing new there, but I wouldn't assume Chinese bot army being behind it. The Russians, American MAGA, European alt-right each have an interest in such suppression (and RU and USA also conduct industrial espionage on EU). You may assume each of these parties is present in a thread about European sovereignty, but either way the mods discourage any discussion about moderation. You're best off emailing one of them.
[0] - https://www.defense.gouv.fr/desinformation/nos-analyses-froi...
[1] - https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/nieuws/2024/10/nederlandse...
All of this is also true in the US.
[1] https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/india-china-europe-...
[0] - http://theory.people.com.cn/n1/2021/1116/c40531-32283350.htm...
So this is great and all but it's too little too late.
The EU and USA have similar total GDP measured by PPP, and USA spends 3.4%. So 10% would be wildly excessive by any measure. In addition the EU has three times the population of the unstated enemy, Russia.
But it's true that this initiative is happening too late.
Then again, in the current system it makes sense, since there is no EU army, leading to huge overhead for each country.