Europe must control digital defence layers: navigation, connectivity, AI, drones (ecfr.eu)

• Iranian drone strikes on data centres and Russian GNSS jamming highlight digital vulnerabilities.
• EU defence spending reached record €343bn in 2024; SAFE €150bn loan facility launched.
• Recommendations: EU-level funding, binding interoperability, Ukraine integration.

"ECFR analysis argues Europe must retain operational control over four digital defence layers: navigation, connectivity, AI compute, and drones. Russia jams GNSS over the Baltic; Iranian drones struck data centres. Recommendations include EU-level funding, binding interoperability, treating IRIS² as strategic infrastructure, and permanently integrating Ukraine for rapid innovation cycles."