Although the European Union boasts one of the "largest" military forces in the world, with 1.4 million armed personnel, its fragmentation into 27 states and the absence of a unified chain of command renders the EU "irrelevant" from a military perspective. Mario Draghi, the former president of the ECB, stated this. "The mounting challenges to our eastern border have been apparent for at least a decade. Russia makes no secret of viewing us as an adversary to be defeated through hybrid warfare. It attacked Crimea ten years ago and then invaded Ukraine three years ago", he stated. However, he continued, "although this threat has grown, we have done little to improve our collective defense. Today, Europe's military manpower totals 1.4 million, making it one of the world's largest militaries. However, it is separated into 27 armies, with no common chain of command, technological fragmentation, and a lack of common strategies, rendering us militarily irrelevant. With the withdrawal of the U.S. security umbrella, we are beginning to recognize our vulnerability. But the only thing we should be surprised about is the speed of this change".