European Union Proposes Major Defense System to Defend From Russia

The European Commission has announced a slew of new defense projects in the coming years, helping the EU build a massive system to defend from Russia.

The commission announced four main projects, all within the Readiness Roadmap 2030 to prepare them for any sort of Russian incursion.

The largest of these four projects is a counter-drone system to defend against Russia's constant drone incursions. Over the last few months, Russia has expanded drone attacks on Ukraine, but various drones have been spotted across ten different European countries – Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Norway, Romania, Poland, Estonia, Germany and France – many of which are quite far from Ukraine.

This European Drone Defense Initiative will aim to create a continent-wide network of anti-drone systems that can take down incoming Russian drones in any place, at any time. Several European officials have referred to the system as a "drone wall," suggesting that they may be targeting a design similar to Israel's Iron Dome but with anti-drone weapons. The system is expected to become operational by the end of 2026 and will be complete by the end of 2027.

The second project is the Eastern Flank Watch, which will improve infrastructure, defense systems, and surveillance to protect the EU's eastern borders by land, air, and sea. They expect this project to become operational by the end of 2026, but it will only be fully complete by the end of 2028.

The third and fourth projects were less urgent, but they still considered them necessary for the protection of the EU. The European Air Shield will defend against incoming missiles and other projectiles, while the European Space Shield will protect their stations and satellites outside of the atmosphere.

Now, the member governments of the European Union will come together and decide whether to agree on the proposal or not, but they are likely to approve the projects. The EU has maintained a strong focus on defense since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, with various countries ramping up defense spending and motivating others to do so as well.

Ukraine also praised the new plan, suggesting that it would increase the collective security of not just the EU, but all of Europe. Other European officials commended the detail within the plan, with each and every deadline and goal outlined for member governments to see and meet. However, the plan did not contain a total cost, as that estimate can only be confirmed after negotiations with other member nations, who may want to add or remove certain parts of the agreement.

Nevertheless, the plan represents a larger initiative as Europe prepares to fend for itself, with US President Donald Trump urging them to bolster their own militaries instead of depending so heavily on the United States. This defense plan is just the first step in the EU's plan towards military self-sufficiency, allowing them to reduce their dependence on the NATO alliance.

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Image credit to European Council on Foreign Relations