Preparedness metrics and drone incident data
New Age Defense and the Ukrainian think tank BRDO launched the Drone Security Index (DSI) on October 30 to assess how European countries prepare for drone attacks. The index assesses national preparedness in four specific areas, which include prevention, detection, response, and recovery, while giving each area equal weighting. In 18 EU countries, 129 drone incidents were recorded since 2022. Germany recorded 23 confirmed attacks since 2022, making it the second most targeted country after Romania. A score below 50 identifies a nation as totally unprepared.
| Metric | DSI Specification |
|---|---|
| Assessment Areas | prevention, detection, response, and recovery |
| High Preparedness | above 87.5 |
| Total Unpreparedness | below 50 |
Russia continues to probe for weaknesses in the continent’s defense in locations such as Lithuania, Romania, and Germany. The DSI provides information to help countries take measures to improve readiness. Taras Yemchura, the head of the Defense Policy Sector at BRDO, said, "The index is not a rating or a competition between countries. It is a planning tool." The index incorporates Ukraine’s experience in repelling attacks and adapting countermeasures alongside NATO and EU frameworks on infrastructure resilience. The DSI is a practical planning tool for a continent facing increasing drone activity.
Implementation and defense cooperation
The two organizations will conduct pilot assessments in Germany and Poland in November. Following these pilots, the organizations plan to cover 16 other countries in 2027, including Canada, the U.K., and NATO Eastern Flank nations. Kateryna Mykhalko, the head of New Age Defense, said that the sooner Europe starts thinking in terms of modern warfare, the more productive defense cooperation, the creation of joint ventures and arms exports will be. "It is Ukraine, with its unique experience in the mass use of drones of various types in war, that can strengthen partners’ readiness for new threats," Mykhalko said.
The launch occurs the same day European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis announced two drone technology hubs in Latvia and the Netherlands, following the EU opening calls for defense project funding just one day earlier. The index provides the data needed for European defense officials to evaluate their specific vulnerabilities to drone-based strikes.
