NATO defense ministers will meet in Brussels on October 15 to address growing security threats from Russia, focusing on increased defense spending, continued aid to Ukraine, and air defense upgrades. The meeting follows a pledge to spend 5% of GDP on defense by 2035, with 3.5% on military hardware, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

While European leaders are mostly in agreement that anti-drone systems of various sorts are needed, there are also concerns that drone technology and tactics are moving forward with such speed that a “drone wall” could be redundant and outdated when it launches in two or three years’ time.

Aid to Ukraine, coordinated through the US-led PURL initiative, remains key, as does reducing reliance on US systems. Germany’s IRIS-T is emerging as a preferred, cost-effective air defense option, while broader initiatives like NATO’s Eastern Sentry also face scrutiny over long-term effectiveness. They write:

Spending targets, continued aid for Ukraine, and air defense will all be discussed when NATO defense ministers gather in Brussels on October 15 for their first official meeting since the military alliance’s June summit in The Hague.

There the alliance of 32 nations committed to spending 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense by 2035. And now they need to work out how to actually achieve that. An estimated 3.5 percent of that 5 percent must go on what is known as “hard” military outlays, mostly spending on weapons, vehicles, and ammunition.

At the June gathering in the Netherlands, the United States, which has strongly pushed for increased European defense spending, will be interested to see what progress has been made to meet those targets and to check that the spending splurge isn’t backloaded toward the end of the 10-year deadline. […]

While many European nations would like to acquire Patriots, the high demand means that there is waiting list, already stretching to several years. In addition, the Patriot is focused more on long-range ballistic missile defense, whereas the IRIS-T is tailored for quick response at close to medium ranges and is particularly effective against drones. The IRIS-T is also cheaper and, at least for now, available faster for potential buyers. […]

While European leaders are mostly in agreement that anti-drone systems of various sorts are needed, there are also concerns that drone technology and tactics are moving forward with such speed that a “drone wall” could be redundant and outdated when it launches in two or three years’ time.

As shown by the four large drones that disturbed traffic over Copenhagen Airport on September 22, the threat can also come from inside the bloc, both land and sea. That has European leaders and officials questioning just how much a drone wall would really help.

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