Since 2022, Russia’s war, covert operations in Europe, and demands for a larger sphere of influence have focused attention on a possible Russian attack on a NATO member. If Europe is better prepared for this contingency today, it is primarily due to the efforts of a small band of front-line states urgently improving their own defenses, rather than the European hinterland seeking to catch up. If anything, the gap between Western Europe and those states that take defense seriously has grown even