Inside Russia’s Hybrid Drone Warfare Targeting Europe

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – As Russian drone incursions across Europe spike, the EU has committed to one of the most ambitious multi-nation defense projects in history: a Europe-wide “drone wall,” envisioned as a network of new sensors, AI software, jammers, cheap missiles, and more to thwart small-drone attacks.

Hybrid air denial: The new gray zone battleground raging above Europe. Denmark imposed a nationwide ban on all civilian drone flights as EU leaders gather in Copenhagen for a summit. This follows repeated drone incursions in recent weeks, which Denmark calls Russian “hybrid attacks.”

Germany’s Munich airport has resumed operations after drone sightings led to the cancellation of 17 flights, the diversion of 15 others and the stranding of some 3,000 passengers.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEFING – the PDB:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Report to Congress on U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control. Throughout 2025, Trump has discussed potential talks with Russia and China concerning nuclear weapons reductions.

A Congressional Budget Office report estimating the potential costs of the Golden Dome missile defense system landed like a fiscal bombshell. In May Trump said it would cost $175 billion over three years. The projected cost over two decades is between $161 billion and $542 billion. A “robust all-threat defense” scenario came in at $3.6 trillion.

A delegation from Kyiv was in Washington to finalize a deal to sell the U.S. military tens of millions of drones. Ukraine is now a world leader in some types of uncrewed weapons technology.

HOMELAND SECURITY

President Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and says the U.S. is now in a “non-international armed conflict.”

Trump administration is tapping National Guard and Army Reserve lawyers to be temporary immigration judges after firing dozens of existing judges, the latest step in a broader plan.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) asked for an unprecedentedly massive drone flight ban over Chicago due to a “credible threat” that law enforcement would be attacked by uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) amid large scale detentions and protests.

DEFENSE POLITICS

Pentagon leaders are moving to further cull the department’s civilian workforce by targeting underperformers for removal.

Wearing beards is a core tenet of some faiths, which has prompted the military to grant religious accommodations to Sikh, Muslim, and Norse Pagan service members for over a decade. No more.

Historically, the U.S. military has been an engine for cultural and social change in America. Hegseth’s vision for the armed forces runs counter to that. Good.

US POWER OVERSEAS

Venezuela’s government has blasted an “illegal incursion” near its borders by U.S F-35 stealth fighters and accused the US of “military harassment” and threatening the “security of the nation.”

Pentagon has downgraded the rank of the Air Force’s top commander in Europe to a three-star general.

Pentagon published first official images of USMC F-35Bs forward-deployed to the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico. The jets, 10 in total, joined a growing mix of forces across the region taking part in the Trump administration’s counter-narcotics operations.

Sierra Nevada Corp. has revealed new details about a closely held new air defense system, BRAWLR, that it claims has already helped down scores of aerial threats, though it won’t say where.

CHINA THREAT

China’s ‘near space’ legal warfare. After an Air Force fighter jet shot down a Chinese high-altitude balloon flying at about 60,000-65,000 feet (18-20 km) altitude in sovereign U.S. airspace in 2023, some suggested that the incident raised questions about the ambiguous legal status of high-altitude airspace, sometimes referred to as “near space.”

New information shows that Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken money directly from Chinese investors, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of the U.S.’ most important military contractors.

Three men are facing federal charges for selling forklifts to the military that were branded as “Made in the USA” but were actually produced in China.

RUSSIA THREAT

U.S. has agreed to provide Ukraine with targeting intelligence for its long-range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure.

Russia’s sustained bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid is deepening concerns about the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities after a drone knocked out power for more than three hours to the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine.

Europe can no longer assume U.S. space power will be available at scale and speed. The real gap with the U.S. lies in high-end, niche strategic space capabilities, above all, missile early warning.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

The Israeli military has dismantled an entire humanitarian flotilla seeking to break its siege on war-ravaged Gaza, arresting hundreds of activists from dozens of vessels.

Hamas will demand key revisions to Trump’s Gaza ceasefire proposal but is likely to accept the plan in coming days as a basis for renewed negotiations.

Israel-Gaza war: A timeline of key events. On the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel – and two years of subsequent war – the whole geopolitical landscape of the Middle East has changed.

SPACE THREATS

Russia is attempting to jam UK military satellites on a regular basis, according to UK Space Command.

Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) is to demonstrate that Space Force satellites can be equipped with small, inexpensive, on-board radar systems to warn of potential threats from nearby satellites.

New satellite will help cyber defenders train to stop hackers in orbit and protect space operations from cyber attackers. One company has launched a satellite to serve as an on-orbit cyber range to test out defenses.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

What to know about the ‘Gen Z’ protests. Gen Z, the first generation to grow up in the internet age, has been at the forefront of anti-government protests in Africa, Asia and South America, causing governments to dissolve and leaders to resign.

UK has acknowledged the growing challenges facing submarines in an era of rapid technological change, after the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy warned of a likely future where oceans become “effectively transparent and submarines are no longer allowed to hide.”

Netherlands’ highest court is ruling on an appeal by the government against a ban on sending parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel.

US MILITARY

Space Force considers ranges in Texas, Virginia, and more for future launches. It is running out of room at its launch ranges in Florida and California and is looking to expand its government and commercial spaceport partnerships to accommodate growing launch demand.

Active-duty Marines and sailors must still get the annual flu shot, despite changes to the Pentagon’s policy.

Army combined two four-star commands under one leader who will oversee everything from soldier recruitment and training doctrine to the modernization of equipment and preparation for future combat.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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