PRESS RELEASE
Engin Eroglu, MEP (Renew Europe), Vice-President of the European Democratic Party (EDP)
Member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defense
May 29, 2025 – Brussels
“Europe must act now – the UK is showing what modern defense policy can look like in the 21st century”. As Vice-President of the European Democratic Party and member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Security and Defense, I am watching with great attention and appreciation how the United Kingdom is transforming its armed forces – and how this transformation should be a wake-up call for the European Union. The British Armed Forces’ recently unveiled “20-40-40” military strategy marks a turning point in European security architecture. The fact that 80% of British weapon systems are to be unmanned in the future is not a radical whim, but a realistic response to the operational reality of modern warfare – especially the experiences of the war in Ukraine. The UK has understood that Drones, autonomous systems, and AI-supported reconnaissance are not just additions, but will be at the center of all military planning in the future. “The British reform is bold, modern, and necessary—Europe should take a close look. We can no longer afford to remain stuck in the conventional structures of the 1980s while the battlefield has long since gone digital,” said Engin Eroglu in Brussels. EU member states are currently lagging behind both technologically and structurally. Many continue to invest heavily in tanks, manned fighter jets, and naval projects, which are of limited use as deterrents in the face of digitized and asymmetric threats. In many places, there is a lack of operational integration of unmanned systems, standardized training, and industrial policy leadership in the field of autonomous technology.
“We are seeing in Russia, China, Turkey, and the US how national defense strategies are increasingly dominated by AI, swarm tactics, and cross-platform networking. Europe must be able to respond independently—strategically, technologically, and logistically,” Eroglu demands: “A common European defense policy can only be credible if there is the political will to ensure that we have the technological capabilities necessary to effectively defend ourselves”. What is needed now is a European industrial strategy that actively promotes drone technology, unmanned land and sea systems, and cyber defense systems. Eroglu therefore proposes the establishment of a “European Drone Valley” – a transnational center of excellence for research, development, manufacturing, and tactics that links civilian and military applications. “We must not leave innovation to chance or to individual companies. We need publicly coordinated, strategically focused investment at the European level.” He also calls for a European training program for officers that integrates drone tactics, sensor-based target control, electronic warfare, and swarm coordination as mandatory content in all military careers. “It’s not enough to procure drones – we also have to be able to operate them.”
Eroglu also calls for greater strategic awareness at the security policy level: “As long as Europe waits for the next treaty on tank cooperation, it will never be autonomous in terms of security policy. We must build technological leadership capabilities – otherwise we will always remain dependent on external partners.” Eroglu concludes: “The UK may no longer be part of the EU, but it is a European pioneer in this area. It is time we took this impetus seriously – and surpassed it at the European level with our collective innovative strength.”
