Megatrend

A Megatrend is a long-term driving force that is observable now and will continue to have a global impact in years to come

The diversification of threats and the people behind them are generating new challenges for the defence and security communities, and to society as a whole. The methods of confrontation among global players are changing and expanding to new confrontation fields. I The COVID-19 pandemic, climate crises and war, have shifted societal focus towards security, defence capacities and NATO’s role. International relations and political power positions and plays are changing, for e.g. increasingly trying to control energy resources, raw materials, aid policies, economic tools, data and cyberspace. 

Rising media access and disinformation are contributing to a ‘radicalisation of opinion’. There is an increase in unconventional weapon use. Cyber and hybrid threats are increasing (i.e. the blending of conventional with political warfare), even using migrants, fake news and election intervention tactics. Advanced technologies such as drones, autonomous systems, armed robots and exoskeletons are transforming the battlefield, and shaping the arsenals of major powers (China, Russia and the US). The EU can be a stronger, safer, leading global player by pooling resources and acting together to address these issues, and reducing industrial dependency on foreign countries.

This Megatrend is part of the Megatrends Hub