A majority of Europeans support the creation of a European Union army, with 71% backing the proposal, as concerns grow over the reliability of US security commitments, according to a new survey by security think tank GLOBSEC.
The 2026 Trends report, published by GLOBSEC, found that support for an EU army was widespread across the countries surveyed, reaching 82% in Romania, 78% in Lithuania, and 75% in France.
Support also stood at around 70% in Poland and Bulgaria, while 69% of respondents in Germany backed the idea, despite traditional reservations in some countries about deeper European defense integration.
The survey covered 14 countries across the transatlantic region, including 11 EU member states, Ukraine, the UK, and the US.
The findings also indicated strong support for strengthening Europe's defense capabilities alongside NATO, rather than replacing the transatlantic alliance.
Some 78% of respondents in EU countries supported developing the bloc's own defense capabilities alongside NATO, while 77% of respondents in NATO member countries said they would vote to remain in the alliance.
Support for greater military preparedness also extended to compulsory military service. Among respondents in countries without conscription, 64% favored its reintroduction, with the strongest support seen in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Slovakia.
According to the report, more than 80% of respondents believe European countries should assume greater responsibility for their own security if the US reduces its role.
Meanwhile, 60% support increased defense spending, while a similar proportion said they would personally defend their country if it came under attack.
However, confidence in Europe's ability to defend itself remains limited. Only half of respondents believe Europe could ensure its own security without strong US support, while just one-third consider their own country prepared for a major crisis or war.
The report also highlighted growing friction with Washington, with more than one-third of European respondents viewing the US as a security threat to their country. The figure exceeded half in Germany.
Additionally, 73% of respondents expressed negative views of US military interventions abroad, including those in Iran and Venezuela.
Despite these concerns, more than three-quarters of respondents continued to see the US role in European security as important. Support for maintaining a US troop presence in Europe exceeded opposition in every surveyed country except Bulgaria.
On the war in Ukraine, six in 10 respondents said the country's security was important to their own country's security, while a similar proportion supported continued assistance to Kyiv.
Russia remained the main external threat identified by respondents, with more than two-thirds viewing Moscow as a threat.
Information manipulation was also identified as one of the most serious threats linked to Russia. However, the report found that more than one-third of respondents continued to accept the Kremlin narrative that the West provoked Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The findings further highlighted widespread dissatisfaction with democratic governance, with only 8% of respondents considering their country's democracy to be fully functioning.
