What is Europe’s ‘drone wall’?

Details are scant, because the effort is in its early stages. Given the rash of recent Russian drone incursions into European airspace, officials have an incentive to move quickly.

The idea was discussed Wednesday in Copenhagen as leaders from across the 27-nation bloc gathered to talk about defense, with many leaders expressing hope, while others warned that the project may not be a panacea.

Here’s what we know about the plan:

How did the idea come about?

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, floated the idea of an “eastern flank watch,” including the drone wall, in her annual state of the union speech last month. The proposal had an immediate sense of urgency. Russian drones had entered Polish airspace that same day. Later in September, Romania reported a Russian drone incursion, and Russian fighter jets entered the skies over Estonia.

“We need to act now — Europe must deliver a strong and united response to Russia’s drone incursions at our borders,” von der Leyen said this week. “That is why we will propose immediate actions to create the drone wall.”

What is a drone wall, and what would it do?

Many countries already have or are working on anti-drone technologies. The goal in this case would be a joint shield to better detect, track and intercept drones when they enter airspace over the European Union or one of its close allies.

The wall would not be a physical barrier, but rather a coordinated network of drone trackers — potentially using tools like radar, jammers and acoustic sensors — along with improved information and data sharing.

Mark Rutte, the secretary-general of NATO, which is working with the European Union and its member states on the project, said Tuesday that “we cannot spend millions of euros or dollars on missiles to take out the drones, which are only costing a couple of thousand of dollars.”

What exactly the drone wall might look like and how it would be paid for are up for debate, as is the timeline for completing it. The project would draw on expertise developed in Ukraine, which has already been advising its European allies.

Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, said at a news conference following the Copenhagen meeting Wednesday that the effort “includes building up a European network of anti-drones, measures that can detect and, of course, also neutralize intrusion from outside.”

The drone wall would be part of a broader initiative aimed at better policing the European Union’s eastern reaches. That push could also include improved maritime security and real-time space surveillance, which would improve the bloc’s ability to track military movements.

Why does Europe want this?

Europe was on edge before the recent drone incursions. Russia has been spending heavily on the military, and it is rapidly conscripting men into its army. As the war in Ukraine has dragged on, this year has brought uncertainty about President Donald Trump’s commitment to Ukraine, NATO and European security.

So Europe is trying to send a message of preparedness. But experts say timing is critical.

“We cannot wait one year for this to become operational,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former NATO secretary-general, told reporters last week.

Already, though, some European leaders have expressed skepticism that an effective joint project could be cobbled together quickly.

“We should pay attention to manage expectations,” Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, said this week. “We are not talking about a concept that will be realized in the next three or four years.”

Who would pay for it?

The idea is that the European Union will help to finance the project, although exactly how is unclear.

“We will build a comprehensive EU financial toolbox to make this shield a reality,” Andrius Kubilius, the bloc’s commissioner responsible for defense and space, said in a statement last week.

Some member states want the bloc to play a particularly active role. Poland’s deputy prime minister has said that “the EU should launch a completely new program encompassing grants and subsidies, not just loans.”

What degree of support is politically feasible remains to be seen. But leaders entering the meeting in Copenhagen emphasized that the project needed to move swiftly from talk to action.

“I see a lot of good initiatives,” said Gitanas Nauseda, president of Lithuania. “But you know, the documents do not defend. The documents do not detect the drones coming from Russia or from Belarus.”

Frederiksen sounded a cautious note.

“Technology is changing so rapidly that we cannot have one idea and believe that it will solve all our problems,” she said Wednesday. “I like the idea of a drone wall, but we have to be very frank to the Europeans that no matter what kind of capabilities we are able to buy, to innovate, to build up, there will still be drones coming into Europe.”

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