US European Command (USEUCOM) and the Polish Ministry of National Defense co-hosted a regional counter-drone workshop with experts from the UK, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania and Ukraine in Poznan, Poland, from May 20-24, 2024.
The workshop aimed to facilitate information sharing, enhance counter-drone capabilities, and develop training programmes to prepare joint response forces for the evolving drone threat, including surveillance, harassment, and attacks.
“Drones are highly prolific and evolving at an exponential rate across all domains – air, ground, underwater and surface,” said British Army Maj. Gen. Charles Hewit, vice director of operations at USEUCOM. “To keep pace with this rapidly advancing threat, we must work closely with our capable allies and partners to share expertise and develop collaborative counter-drone solutions.”
Polish Army Brig. Gen. Kazimiertz Dynski, chief of the Air and Missile Defense directorate, said the workshop allowed allies and partners from across Europe to synchronise efforts. “Only through interoperability, agreements and an integrated approach can we effectively counter the drone threat facing our nations,” Dynski said.
The workshop allowed participating delegations to synchronise efforts, establish interoperability agreements and integrate counter-drone capabilities across the region. Participants discussed each country’s counter-drone force laydowns, which helped identify potential capability, equipment and policy gaps to ensure full protection of US, allied and partner nation equities. Aligning military and law enforcement jurisdictions was also deemed critical to ensuring a synchronised counter-drone effort across the participating countries.
“Overall, the workshop facilitated greater cooperation and information sharing among the allied nations to collectively protect against drone surveillance, harassment and attacks through an integrated network and common operating picture,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Jason Harris, USEUCOM protection chief.
The workshop is part of an ongoing effort by USEUCOM and allies to address the proliferation of drones by adversaries and other threat networks.
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Image: A Polish and US soldier observe a counter-drone simulation during a regional counter-drone workshop co-hosted by USEUCOM and the Polish Ministry of National Defense in Poznan, Poland, May 20-24, 2024. (Photo by 1st Lt. Gabriele Gocso/USEUCOM)
