ELNET's Security & Defense Initiative
ESDI
ESDI is a high-level platform dedicated to strengthening Europe-Israel cooperation on strategic security and defense challenges. Bringing together senior policymakers, military leaders, diplomats, and leading experts, ESDI fosters informed dialogue and practical partnerships on issues such as regional stability, counterterrorism, hybrid threats, cybersecurity, and emerging defense technologies. Through conferences, closed-door briefings, delegations, and policy-driven exchanges, ESDI helps build lasting networks between European and Israeli decision-makers and contributes to a deeper shared understanding of today’s rapidly evolving security environment.
On July 10, the ESDI was officially launched at the Representation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to the Federal Government. Over 70 guests from politics, the Bundeswehr, academia, science and industry attended the event to discuss Israel’s future role as a partner in the fields of security and defense. Key topics included air defense, digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence, areas in which Israel is considered one of the world’s technological pioneers.
Building on the momentum of the successful launch, the ESDI will now work to bring together decision-makers and experts from both countries in a variety of formats. In addition to developing policy recommendations, the initiative aims to turn the enormous potential of German-Israeli cooperation into concrete, future-oriented projects – practical in scope, open to innovation and technology-driven.
DEFENDING AGAINST THE SMALL DRONE REVOLUTION: GERMAN-ISRAELI PERSPECTIVES ON NEW SECURITY FRONTIERS
Small drones (sUAS) have become a defining feature of modern conflict and hybrid security challenges. Their democratized production, dual-use nature, and ease of modification allow a wide range of actors to exploit them for hostile purposes. During the visit of the German Minister of the Interior to Israel in January 2026, both countries agreed to strengthen their security cooperation including intensified colaboration on counter-drone capabilities (C-UAS).
THE GERMAN-ISRAELI DEFENSE COOPERATION
In 2025, the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Israel mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relations. However, defense cooperation between the two countries reaches back a decade further. What initially began as strictly confidential cooperation gave way in the 1990s to an open partnership, which steadily deepened and is more diverse than ever today. Check the ESDI’s latest paper on the subject –>