Building Europe’s digital shield: The race for sovereignty and security

Once defined by heavy hardware, long procurement cycles and analog secrecy, the defense sector in Europe is now pivoting toward something faster, smarter and far more digital.

Across the continent, defense organizations and national agencies are pouring billions of euros into modernizing their digital infrastructure, reinforcing their cyberdefenses and exploring the next frontier of software-defined defense and AI.

This is not transformation for transformation’s sake. It’s a matter of sovereignty, resilience and security in an increasingly unpredictable world.

A technological wake-up call

The increasingly complex global landscape has not only brought geopolitical upheavals but also forced governments and military organizations across Europe to ask themselves: Are we digitally ready?

Many of these organizations were still struggling with outdated systems, siloed data and the public sector’s slow-moving IT frameworks. The intent to modernize had always been there, but urgency changed everything: Last year, at least 10 European NATO members increased their defense expenditure (as a share of GDP) by more than 20%.

At the same time, a range of organizations — including internal defense service providers and defence engineering companies — began accelerating digital transformation on an unprecedented scale. This meant identifying gaps in their existing IT capabilities and seeking trusted technology partners to help bridge them.

Building the backbone: Digital infrastructure

Modern defense happens across interconnected networks, clouds and systems that have to work flawlessly and securely in real time. Soon, frontline commanders won’t just rely on radio updates. They’ll expect sensor data from multidomain operations — spanning land, air, sea and cyber — to be processed by AI, enabling faster, more informed decision-making in the field and swifter responses to threats.

To achieve this, defense organizations are rebuilding their digital infrastructure from the ground up, replacing legacy systems with resilient and secure platforms. These include private and air-gapped clouds — isolated environments that ensure mission-critical data never leaves the safe perimeter — and advanced solutions for AI, computing, storage, collaboration and real-time situational reporting.

The themes that define this era — resilience, sovereignty, data fusion and zero trust security — are foundational to a new kind of digital defense ecosystem.

Defence forces have to be sovereign, operating securely, decisively and independently. For NTT DATA, that means designing IT infrastructure for defense clients that balances technological innovation with the most stringent national and international security laws. We help them build systems that allow them to operate independently, without reliance on external powers.

Cyberdefense is a critical consideration

Cybersecurity is important in every sector, but in defense, it’s a matter of survival. Every day, tens of thousands of attacks target military networks globally — some probing for weaknesses, others designed to damage or steal sensitive data. In 2023, government and military organizations were the second most targeted industry, with 1,598 attacks (down 4% from 2022).

The difference between defending a company and defending a military organization is the impact. If a company is hacked, jobs may be lost. If a military system is hacked, national security is at stake.

This is why defense organizations are investing heavily in cyberdefense, not just to protect data but also to secure the very infrastructure that supports operations in the field. They’re going beyond firewalls and encryption to create a culture of cyber resilience built on internal training, real-time threat intelligence and autonomous response systems, among others.

The lessons NTT DATA has learned from protecting military-grade networks in other regions are now helping European defense organizations build multilayered security systems tailored to their legal and operational realities.

From AI experiments to AI-powered operations

It’s no stretch of the imagination to picture a defense operations center in Germany using an AI-powered dashboard to predict where cyberattacks are likely to originate in the next 24 hours, fusing satellite data, network logs and threat intelligence reports.

European defense organizations are trialing the technology for intelligence analysis, logistics optimization, predictive maintenance and decision support systems, among many other use cases. But they face a unique challenge: balancing AI’s power with the absolute need for security and control.

When we develop AI models for our defense clients, we bypass public hyperscaler platforms and use carefully selected partners to deploy the models in secure environments, trained onsite by experts with the right clearance.

By combining technical innovation with deep, localized regulatory understanding, we advise these clients on how to keep their data protected, sovereign and compliant with European law.

Software-defined defense: New speed, new challenges

Not long ago, a system like an air-defense platform might have remained unchanged for decades after installation. But in a world where new threats emerge every week, static systems are liabilities.

Enter software-defined defense, a shift that’s as revolutionary as it sounds. Instead of rigid, hardware-bound systems, it introduces modular, software-driven architectures that can be adapted and scaled rapidly.

Although defense organizations can now update their software far more regularly, the industry isn’t yet ready for that pace. We help to bridge this gap by developing digital twins — virtual replicas of defense systems where software updates can be tested and validated before deployment.

We’re also helping our clients to build what’s known as a combat cloud: a secure and interoperable digital layer where data from defense systems, sensors and command units can flow in real time via communications technologies including satellite or 5G.

This level of rapid modernization lays the foundation for truly adaptive, multidomain defense operations.

How NTT DATA makes a difference

So, how does NTT DATA’s global experience and proven track record translate into trust and reliability for European defense organizations?

Drawing on our extensive experience in the defense sector, we aim to be the most trusted advisor and integrator across the continent. Our global reach, proven track record and long-standing partnerships mean we’re uniquely positioned to connect the key pillars of defense — European ministries of defence, the military, and private-sector defense providers.

We’re the independent, trusted partner at the center of this “magic triangle,” and by deepening our understanding of our clients’ challenges and the dynamics within this ecosystem, we will be well positioned to help Europe master the complexities of tomorrow’s digital battlefield.