5%+ would likely put Europe ahead of the US in spending on military. Even 3%+ would be such a significant amount of noney that almost noone except the US could compete.
That said, its a price we should pay instead of relying on the US as a partner.
Us and Israel show what the downstream effects on tech innovation are. It may not be a coincidence
There's innovation without having to constantly kill and terrorize your neighbors and provoke wars to test your tech.
no I understand that part, it just seems that at least today, there is a relation between a dynamic tech industry and high military spending. There's some historical evidence too (gps, internet, ...). Europe has a really stagnant tech industry (comparatively speaking), and low military spending. anyway, maybe the relation is spurious, e.g. maybe china is a good counterexample here (?)