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Dear Members and Friends,
Last week in Kaunas, Lithuania, MDAA convened leaders from 14 NATO and allied nations to confront a critical challenge: the defense and deterrence of NATO’s Eastern Flank. Our discussions reinforced a vision for the future that is not only necessary but is now gaining significant momentum.
This approach directly aligns with the renewed emphasis from the current administration. Urgent calls from leaders like Secretary of War Hegseth and the incoming Department CIO, Kirsten Davies, for the rapid, scaled adoption of commercial technology are clear. The EFDL is a direct answer to that call, demonstrating how we can leverage the speed and innovation of the commercial sector to solve our most pressing military challenges.
There is a growing, dangerous misconception that the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL) is a 21st-century Maginot Line—a static wall destined for failure. This could not be further from the truth. The EFDL is not a physical barrier; it is a foundational data backbone. It is a simple but resilient digital infrastructure designed for speed, adaptation, and collective defense, enabling the future integration of advanced capabilities like AI and autonomous systems.
The core of this strategy is to reverse the traditional procurement model. Instead of starting with slow, exquisite military systems, we begin with a foundation of cheap, distributable sensors and leverage commercial cloud architecture as the default path for data. This "greenfield" approach allows us to build a robust data-sharing capability first, establishing a modern baseline from which we can then layer our more specialized systems.
As I stated at the event, we are on the wrong side of this fight. We are losing the war on cost attrition. When you have $40,000 drones going into Poland and you send up F-35s, what’s that cost ratio? We’re on the wrong end of that curve, and we have to innovate at the speed of battle.
The threat is not theoretical. Tom Goffus, Assistant Secretary General for Operations at NATO, shared a sobering anecdote about asking officials at the port of Antwerp what they had to defend against a hundred drones. The answer was "nothing." He stressed that the solution is within reach, built from the sensors and effectors available today.
These vulnerabilities are being actively tested. As MDAA Board Member Mark Montgomery observed, the recent incursions into Poland, Romania, and Estonia were not incidental. "They were a test and a message… You don’t deter by backing down to provocation. You deter by standing up to provocation."
Successful deterrence requires a demonstrated capability to defeat a Russian assault. In the face of Putin’s provocations, now is the time to show resolve by building the foundational data infrastructure that will enable a truly integrated and adaptable defense.
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