In the age of decentralized warfare, conflicts are no longer bound by geography. A drone launched from a garage, or a malicious line of code can hit as hard as a missile, though it can be deployed far from any conventional front lines. Nation states must now defend everywhere at once, and critical infrastructure has well and truly become a major target.
As the face of warfare changes completely, Western governments must adapt to keep up, reevaluate what constitutes “defense,” and prioritize the importance of cybersecurity innovation. At the NATO Summit earlier this summer, the alliance took an essential first step towards building this modern defense landscape. It agreed to boost defense spending towards 5% of GDP and reiterated NATO members’ Article 5 commitments.
