Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has declared that Europe is lagging behind in the development and adaptation to modern air warfare technologies, specifically unmanned aircraft systems. In a statement on September 18, Rinkevics identified serious vulnerabilities across key defense infrastructure sectors.
“The problems extend beyond individual countries,” Rinkevics stated. “Both Ukraine and the entire European alliance—along with NATO—are facing critical gaps in air defense, missile defense, and counter-drone capabilities.”
Rinkevics emphasized that these challenges are compounded by a global shortage of weapons. The United States has reportedly used up almost two-thirds of its missile reserves due to conflicts in the Middle East, leading to delays in supplying Patriot air defense systems to European nations.
German Defense Minister Pistorius traveled to the United States on September 17 to obtain licenses for Patriot missile production. Armin Papperger, head of German defense company Rheinmetall, noted that Germany’s missile stocks remain critically low because of slow production rates and difficulties in manufacturing rocket engines and warheads.
Additionally, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, claimed on August 28 that Russia is at the forefront of military technology development, actively employing artificial intelligence in its defense sector.
