The European Commission (EC) has taken this Thursday a decisive step towards the consolidation of a , with the presentation of its ambitious 2030 roadmap to “preserve peace and Defense readiness”, based on four projects aimed at strengthen the continent’s ability to protect itself from external threatsespecially the .
“Recent threats have revealed that Europe is in danger. We must protect all citizens and every square centimeter of our territory. AND Europe must respond with unity, solidarity and determination“, indicated the president of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen.
This refers to the growing concern generated by the war in Ukraine and the fears that Moscow could attack in the coming years to a Member State of the Union. The Commission has also taken into account the who has repeatedly urged Europe to take a more active role in its own defense.
For her part, the head of foreign policy of the EU, Kaja Kallahas also warned during the presentation of the plan that “The danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. It is clear that we need to strengthen our defenses against Russia“. “It does not have the capacity to launch an attack against the EU today, but it could prepare in the coming years,” he noted.
Among the most notable projects is the creation of a on the eastern flank, renamed ‘European Counter Drone Defense Initiative’ and designed to protect European airspace against Russian incursions and other hybrid attacks.
This system will be fully operational by the end of 2027 and it will work on close coordination with NATOwhose operational and planning capacity “will continue to prevail”, stressed Kallas, who stressed that “this is a plan to maintain peace.” He has also mentioned that the European Defense Agency (EDA)will take care of coordinate demand and reduce the military capabilities gap by 2030.
The roadmap, to which , proposes a model of pan-European military cooperation without creating its own command structuresin a clear division of responsibilities with NATO. “It is not about creating an operational structure. That is NATO’s responsibility”community sources clarify. The projects, the text emphasizes, will be open to the participation of all member states and will seek to increase collective security without diminishing the importance of the Atlantic Alliance.
In this sense, the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte denied on Wednesday that there are any duplications between both institutions. “NATO’s strength lies in its military capabilities and decisions, while the EU’s role is in activating its internal market and launching its defense industry,” he declared, defending the collaboration between both organizations.
An anti-drone wall with 360-degree vision
The star project, the anti-drone wall, will be a system of “multiple layers of technologically advanced systems” with “interoperable capabilities for detecting, tracking and neutralizing dronesas well as capabilities for attack ground targets leveraging drone technology to conduct precision strikes.”
The initiative was born in response to the incursions of Russian aircraft in the countries of the eastern flank, but will have a focus on comprehensive or 360 degree securityas claimed by Spain, Italy and Greece, to also include the protection of southern Europe, although the priority will be the eastern border.
This system will also apply to the border surveillancethe fight against the instrumentalization of migrationthe critical infrastructure protection and the prevention of transnational organized crime.
A flexible system against new threats
The anti-drone wall will not be limited to being a passive defense against air raids. The roadmap highlights that the project will adapt to “other threats beyond those coming from the borders of Russia and Belarus”in reference to incidents such as the one that occurred last September, when . It is thus defined as a “flexible, agile and cutting-edge” initiativedesigned to “counter drone threats in all areas of European territory.”
The Commission has taken into account in its planning the latest episodes in the Baltic Sea, where so-called vessels would have been used to launch drones against community airportscausing significant alterations in air traffic. According to the document, the European system will serve to monitor “hybrid operations, drone raids, Russia’s shadow fleet and the risk of armed aggression”.
In this way, the EU aims to protect “the entire European continent” and include “maritime security measures in the Baltic and Black Seas”all under the coordination of NATO headquarters, which reinforces the transatlantic dimension of the strategy.
Learn from the Ukrainian model
One of the most notable sections of the roadmap focuses on the technological learning from Ukrainea country that has become a world reference in .
In recent years, hundreds of Ukrainian companies have promoted a true technological revolution on the battlefield. With constant collaboration with deployed troops, these companies perfect their drones every few days for tasks ranging from surveillance and attack to evacuating wounded or transporting supplies.
While They were challenged by Western electronic warfare systemsUkraine has developed four channel dronescapable of receiving orders simultaneously on four radio frequencies. Even if Russia manages to interfere with one or more of them, the drone can continue advancing towards its target.
On the other hand, Brussels recognizes that European armies are still far from reaching that level of agility.
Air defense has become a European priority, with many countries striving to strengthen it on their own as well. In Spainlas Armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force), along with troops from the Civil Guard and the National Policethey will participate in some realistic maneuvers, described as “complex and demanding”intended to test your “rapid and effective” reaction capability against a multi-layered air attack, with special attention to the drone threat.
The Army explained on Tuesday that the exercise called ‘Atlas 25’ will take place next week, from October 20 to 24in the Médano del Loro Maneuver and Shooting Range, in the province of Huelva.
During these sessions they will address operational deployments and the lessons obtained by the Army on the eastern flankespecially in relating to the use of weapon systems against drones. The objective is to continue perfecting the techniques, tactics and procedures linked to the use of unmanned aircraft.
The practices will include Mission simulations such as neutralizing simultaneous and multi-layered attacksstarring manned and unmanned aircraftas well as cruise missiles that threaten the national space.
The exercise will be under the supervision of the Chief of Defense Staff (Jemad)with the operational direction of the 71st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of the Army. In addition, it will have the collaboration of Spanish companies, academic institutions and military research centers, with the purpose of continue advancing innovation and technological development of air defense capabilities against drones.
