Secure connectivity is essential to Europe’s defense and resilience and should be treated as a strategic priority, a new report published by Vodafone highlights.
The report “Columnthe backbone of digital Europe: secure connectivity as a central pillar of defense” looks at how European security is now inseparable from the security of its connectivity and how Europe must adapt to this reality by accelerating investment and promoting pro-innovation policies.
Connectivity is essential for services of critical national importance, such as hospitals, energy networks, transport and logistics systems or financial markets – and is now becoming indispensable for the command and control mechanisms of the armed forces. If this infrastructure is disrupted or compromised, the consequences can spread far beyond a single strategic industry, undermining economic stability and defense strategy.
The Vodafone report warns that political leaders frequently treat connectivity as an economic good rather than a central pillar of European defense and resilience. Critical investments are delayed or underfunded, and crisis situations are coordinated ad hoc, with fragmented responsibilities split between civilian and military authorities.
Europe’s security is now inseparable from the security of its connectivity. But if Europe continues to treat connectivity as a basic, ‘low-cost’ utility service, it will expose citizens, democratic institutions and allies to increasing risks. To manage all these challenges, an investment and innovation-friendly framework is essential, supported by coherent and consistent policies at European level.
Europe has a choice – it can prioritize connectivity as a central element of security and thus strengthen one of the most important lines of defense against modern warfare.
The war in Ukraine demonstrates that military action can put significant pressure on connectivity. When it copes, it can exponentially increase a country’s resilience. The conflict demonstrates that digital networks are strategic assets—they not only support security, but play a major role in countering hybrid and electronic warfare.
To strengthen the role of telecommunications in protecting Europe’s prosperity and security, Vodafone identifies five key recommendations:
- Recognize secure connectivity as a strategic security asset and translating this into national profile strategies, EU and NATO planning, as well as defense capabilities.
- Establishing stable and reliable mechanisms to collaborate between governments, operators and allies to coordinate crisis response, correlate information, protect submarine, satellite and cyber infrastructure, and strengthen pan-European cross-border resilience.
- Bridging investment gaps in digital infrastructure criticism,
where states do not individually achieve the level of resilience and redundancy needed by Europe. So there is a need for applied incentives and harmonized policies that support infrastructure protection, including through the Digital Networks Act. - An open strategic approach through partnerships with trusted allieslike the UK, to jointly develop critical technologies and align security standards and technological sovereignty at European level.
- Investing in digital inclusion and literacy to support citizens to identify sources of disinformation and maintain trust in democratic institutions, strengthening the resilience of European society.
This approach will enable Europe to use its robust network infrastructure to gain strategic advantage, deterring adversaries, supporting allies and protecting the safety and prosperity of its citizens.
More details are available in the full report published here: https://www.vodafone.com/news/newsroom/public-policy/dna%20report
