5 Key Recommendations to Deliver Digital Defence Readiness by 2030

Europe’s digital defence readiness cannot wait. DIGITALEUROPE has identified five key recommendations, each with a concrete 2030 target, to help the EU close the gap between technology validation and operational deployment and ensure that digital capabilities are at the core of European defence.

These recommendations are intended to support the delivery of Defence Readiness 2030 and help inform the next Multiannual Financial Framework and related initiatives, including the European Competitiveness Fund, defence procurement reform and the emerging Instrument for Strategic Enablers.

The five recommendations:

1. Build a fast pathway from validated technology to operational deployment. Shorten the path from validation to deployment through coordinated test facilities, predictable accreditation and faster procurement.
2. Digital capabilities must be at the core of defence readiness. Treat AI, software, cyber resilience, drones and counter-drones, space, secure connectivity, cloud and trusted data as core defence capabilities and backbone infrastructure.
3. Make software-defined defence the guiding principle of Europe’s capability development and procurement. Move from static platforms to secure, modular and interoperable systems that can integrate continuous upgrades.
4. Build a European defence market that aggregates demand, delivers scale and enables trusted cross-border deployment. Expand collaborative procurement, strengthen supply chains and reduce repeat testing through mutual recognition.
5. Make defence readiness a shared mission between governments, operational users and industry, backed by a resilient industrial base. Establish structured public-private cooperation, iterative capability development and industrial resilience.