Europe: Military Modernization

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, European countries have gradually evolved their militaries from large, homebound forces to smaller, more specialized expeditionary ones. This shift has its origin in the Europeans' difficulties contributing to the West’s involvement in the Balkans in the 1990s and has been realized during the war in Afghanistan. Now, with countries trimming their defense spending in the wake of the European financial crisis, the European move toward more agile forces will be further shaped.