The impact of disruptive technologies on defence

On 20 April 2021, Daniel Fiott represented the EU Institute for Security Studies at a major R&T conference organised by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the Portuguese Ministry of Defence. The event focused on the impact of disruptive technologies on defence, and it was organised under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU. Daniel served as a moderator for the three panel sessions that focused on disruptive technologies, artificial intelligence and automated systems. The conference highlighted the EDA’s important role in European defence research and emerging technologies. It called for the EU to sustain and further increase investment in innovative and disruptive technologies to support state-of-the-art defence capabilities.

Over 500 participants registered for the conference and keynote speakers included João Gomes Cravinho (Portuguese Minister of Defence), Jiří Šedivý (EDA Chief Executive), Stephen Quest (Director General, Joint Research Centre, European Commission), General André Lanata (NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation) and Petter Bedoire (Chief Technology Officer at Saab Group). Speakers at the event included senior officials from the Portuguese Ministry of Defence, the EDA, European Commission, European External Action Service – EU Military Staff, research institutes and industry.

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