Artillery is no longer the weapon system that kills the most soldiers in a war. It was the deadliest since World War I, but that has changed. The Great War was also the first stage for large-scale trench warfare, with vast groups of soldiers fighting fiercely for every inch of ground. The front line was clear and defined: it was where the trenches of the opposing armies were located. Now the front is diffuse and much wider. Electronic eyes monitor every corner of a large battlefield. Soldiers must act in small groups and with great speed, trying to avoid attracting attention. They camouflage themselves as best they can and cover themselves with nets, which have become a key defense strategy, even for blocking roads and basic infrastructure.
And all this has changed because of a new type of device: drones. Unmanned vehicles—mostly flying, but not exclusively, as there are also land, sea, and underwater versions—are remotely controlled, cheap, and quick to manufacture.
Drones have changed warfare so drastically, as can be seen in Ukraine, that for a soldier it can be safer to move across the front lines on a simple electric scooter than in an armored tank loaded with weapons. A drone costing hundreds of euros can blow up a tank that cost millions. And these small devices that have so profoundly altered warfare have caused the Ukrainian front to become completely stagnant. They detect and attack almost any movement of soldiers from both sides. The battles are no longer like those fought in the trenches of World War I, but gaining even an inch of ground is just as difficult as it was then.
EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, admits in the interview we are publishing today that Europe is very slow to "learn the lessons of Ukraine" and that most EU member states "do not have the capabilities to detect and intercept drones effectively." He is optimistic, asserting that the EU is doing its homework, but is aware that much work remains to be done to guarantee its own defense in an increasingly tense geopolitical context and with the rapid advancement of weapons technology.
The European Union has no choice but to take the situation seriously. The Russian threat is real. If the attack on Ukraine weren't enough to make us think so, the recent air incursions in various EU countries have made it even more evident. And the volatility of the US administration under Donald Trump also makes it clear that it cannot be blindly trusted. Europe must be capable of defending itself if it truly wants to be independent and not resign itself to a subordinate role in the emerging multipolar world. And drone technology—the technology needed to manufacture and guide them, but also the technology needed to jam and destroy them—must be a key element of European defense strategy. Drones have changed warfare, and it is expected that they will change it even more.
