Europe Must Focus Defense Strategy to Respond to Hybrid Warfare, Says EU Chief

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Oct. 8 said that Europe must respond with measures that go beyond traditional defense to tackle Russia’s hybrid warfare.

During a speech at the European Parliament, von der Leyen told lawmakers that there has been a “worrisome pattern of growing threats” to European security that falls outside of the normal scope of conventional war, including sabotage of undersea cables, cyberattacks, and, most recently, drone incursions over Europe’s skies.

“It’s time to call it by its name: This is hybrid warfare, and we have to take it very [seriously],” she told lawmakers in Strasbourg, France.

NATO describes hybrid warfare as a fusion of conventional and unconventional means, including subverting or destabilizing the adversary and conducting attacks in such a way that identifying those responsible is difficult.

Hybrid warfare often occurs in the gray zone, the threshold below conventional war, which can include cyberattacks, attacks on critical infrastructure, and espionage.

“We must not only react; we must deter because if we hesitate to act, the gray zone will only expand,” von der Leyen said.

Although she did not allege that all recent incidents alluded to were committed by Moscow, the head of the European Union’s executive branch said that Russia wants to “sow division” in Europe.

Russia has consistently denied accusations that it has intentionally entered NATO airspace and has previously denied involvement in other alleged sabotage and attacks on European infrastructure.

“Tackling Russia’s hybrid war is not only about traditional defense, it is about software for drones. It is about spare parts for pipelines. It is about rapid cyber response teams,” the EU chief said, signalling that a whole new mindset is required to deal with the changing nature of international conflict and the forms of threat posed.

Drone Wall

Primary among Europe’s strategies is a drone wall, a proposed system to detect, track, and intercept unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) violating the bloc’s airspace that the European leader has been calling for since the latest rash of drone sightings began.

Von der Leyen said on Oct. 8 that the drone wall forms part of the planned Eastern Flank Watch and is a “response to the realities of modern warfare.”

She noted that when there were UAV incursions over Poland, NATO allies were forced to deploy “very expensive systems”—latest-generation fighter jets—to take down “relatively cheap, mass-produced drones.”

“This is absolutely not sustainable,” she said. “We need an anti-drone system that is affordable and fit for purpose.”

The EU has already unveiled an 800 billion euro ($930 billion) plan to rearm itself as part of its “Readiness 2030” security strategy. Von der Leyen said that in the development of a pan-European defense plan, Brussels will coordinate “very closely” with NATO.

She confirmed to lawmakers that the European leaders will present their readiness roadmap—called “Preserving Peace”—in two weeks.

‘Timely, Necessary’

Last week, EU leaders formally backed a plan for anti-drone measures.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, whose country recently experienced drone incursions, said after the EU summit on Oct. 1 that “Europe must be able to defend itself.”

“We need to strengthen our production of drones, of anti-drone capabilities, and this includes building up a European network of anti-drone measures that can protect and, of course, also neutralize intrusion from outside,” she said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte previously praised the drone wall idea as “timely and necessary,” but Russia criticized the proposal.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “As history has shown, erecting walls is always a bad thing.”

Reuters contributed to this report.