military expenditure of the member states amounted to €223.4 billion in 2018. This represents 1.4% of European Union GDP. European military expenditure includes spending on joint projects such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and joint procurement of equipment. The European Union's combined active military forces in 2016 totaled 1,410,626 personnel. In a speech in 2012, Swedish General Håkan Syrén criticised the spending levels of European Union countries, saying that in the future those countries' military capability will decrease, creating "critical shortfalls". Guide to table: All figure entries in the table below are provided by the European Defence Agency for the year 2017, except for Germany's personnel figure, which is for 2016. Figures from other sources are not included. The "operations & maintenance expenditure" category may in some circumstances also include finances on-top of the nations defence budget. The categories "troops prepared for deployed operations" and "troops prepared for deployed and sustained operation" only include land force personnel. Naval forces The combined component strength of the naval forces of member states is some 514 commissioned warships. Of those in service, 4 are fleet carriers. The EU also has 4 amphibious assault ships and 20 amphibious support ships in service. Of the EU's 49 submarines, 10 are nuclear-powered submarines while 39 are conventional attack submarines. Operation Atalanta (formally European Union Naval Force Somalia) is the first ever (and still ongoing) naval operation of the European Union. It is part of a larger global action by the EU in the Horn of Africa to deal with the Somali crisis. As of January 2011 twenty-three EU nations participate in the operation. France and Italy have blue-water navies. Guide to table: Ceremonial vessels, research vessels, supply vessels, training vessels, and icebreakers are not included. The table only counts warships that are commissioned (or equivalent) and active. Surface vessels displacing less than 200 tonnes are not included, regardless of other characteristics. The "amphibious support ship" category includes amphibious transport docks and dock landing ships, and tank landing ships. Frigates over 6,000 tonnes are classified as destroyers. The "patrol vessel" category includes missile boats. The "anti-mine ship" category includes mine countermeasures vessels, minesweepers and minehunters. Generally, total tonnage of ships is more important than total number of ships, as it gives a better indication of capability. Land forces Combined, the member states of the European Union maintain large numbers of various land-based military vehicles and weaponry. Guide to