Defense without strategy

lessons from History on vulnerability and deterrence

Abstract

The return of war to the European continent has accelerated a long-overdue reflection: what does it mean to defend Europe?
More than weaponry, 21st-century sovereignty is built on logistics, training, technology, and, above all, deterrence capacity. This article offers a critical reading of the EU’s defense budgets and argues that the major challenges of contemporary defense require not just soldiers, but management systems, organizational intelligence, digital interoperability, and sovereignty. Drawing on the
Draghi, Letta, and Heitor reports, historical parallels, and based on the author’s practical experience, we argue that the next frontier of European strategic autonomy will be digital, human, and strategic – and that some of the most significant failures of the past were, ultimately, failures of management.