Operational Dimension And Multidomain Architecture

Emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) have risen to the forefront of NATO, EU and national security strategies due to rapid shifts in the international security environment. Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 vividly demonstrated the game-changing impact of new technologies on modern warfare: off-the-shelf drones, encrypted communications, precision-guided loitering munitions and AI-enabled targeting systems have dramatically altered battlefield dynamics and hit probabilities [1] [2] . Meanwhile, China is investing heavily in autonomy, AI and hypersonic weapons and seeks control of critical technological sectors and supply chains [3] [4] . Both Russia and China have also deepened military-technical cooperation, creating adversarial strategic dependencies for Europe.

NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept explicitly warns that the PRC is striving to “control key technological and industrial sectors, critical infrastructure, and strategic materials” and create “strategic dependencies” by exploiting economic leverage [3] . It further notes that EDTs have become “key arenas of global competition” and that maintaining technological primacy “increasingly influences success on the battlefield” [2] . Allied leaders see enhanced innovation in AI, robotics, quantum and hypersonic domains as essential for credible deterrence. Since early 2022 the EU and NATO have repeatedly committed to invest in cutting-edge defence technologies to prevent losing the technological race.

At the Versailles summit (March 2022) EU heads of state pledged to “substantially increase defence expenditure, investing in critical and emerging technologies and innovation” [5] . These commitments were reiterated in the EU’s 2022 Strategic Compass, which frames EDTs as a pan-European priority for enhancing autonomy and resilience [5] [6] . NATO’s leaders have adopted a dedicated EDT strategy and in 2023 launched initiatives like the €1 billion Innovation Fund and the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) to bolster transatlantic tech cooperation [7] [8] .