Skip navigation
International Centre for Defence and Security Accessibility

Night Owl Session under the Chatham House Rule

Lower Cost, Higher Impact: Drone Warfare and the Future of Defence Planning

May 16, 22:15-23:30
Room: Copenhagen

From Nagorno-Karabakh to Ukraine and Iran, drone systems and loitering munitions have shown how low-cost systems can reshape the battlefield. Modern warfare is defined by faster operational tempo, shorter learning cycles, and a pivot from traditional industrial capacity to software and computational advantage. Effectiveness now depends on integrating technology, production, and adaptation at speed. These tools, combined with open-source intelligence and cyber capabilities, have enabled smaller actors to challenge more advanced militaries. How is drone warfare transforming military power and defence planning—and how should the US, Europe, and NATO respond? How can the Allies bolster resilience and integrate new capabilities into collective defence?

Speakers

Omar Ashour

Professor of Security and Military Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and the University of Exeter

Alessandro Marrone

Head of the Defence, Security, and Space Programme at Istituto Affari Internazionali

Daivis Petraitis

Lecturer at the Baltic Defence College

Jaanus Tamm

CEO and Founder of Defsecintel Solutions

Vlasta Zekulic

Director of Strategic Management and Communications at NATO Allied Command Transformation

Moderator

Ed Arnold

Senior Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute

22:15 Words and Mortar: Laying the Groundwork for Economic Security
22:15 Hybrid Horizons: From Reaction to Initiative