'Wake-up call for Europeans to step up: There’s been a lack of investment' in defence

William Hilderbrandt is pleased to welcome Basil Germond, Professor of International Security in the School of Global Affairs and Co-Director of the University research institute Security Lancaster. He examines the emerging European-led initiative to secure the Strait of Hormuz in a post-war context, placing it within broader questions of maritime security, geopolitical negotiation, and transatlantic relations. From his perspective, this initiative reflects a strategic shift: European actors are no longer merely reacting within a US-led framework, but are attempting to shape the conditions of peace and stability themselves.