NATO Plans AI-Driven ‘Automated Defence Zone’ Along Russian Borders

NATO is advancing plans to strengthen its defences along European borders with Russia by establishing an AI-assisted “automated zone” that does not rely on human ground forces, German General Thomas Lowin said Saturday.

The automated zone is intended to serve as a defensive buffer before enemy forces could reach “a sort of hot zone” where conventional combat might occur, explained Lowin, NATO’s deputy chief of staff for operations, in an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

“The sensors — on the ground, in space, in cyberspace and in the air — would detect enemy movements or weapons deployments and inform all NATO countries in real time,” he said. The system would activate defences including drones, semi-autonomous combat vehicles, land-based robots, automatic air defences, and anti-missile systems.

Lowin emphasized that any use of lethal force would “always be under human responsibility.”

Test programmes for the AI-guided system are reportedly underway in Poland and Romania, with NATO aiming to make the network operational by the end of 2027. The system is designed to complement existing NATO weapons and forces.

The initiative reflects growing concern among European NATO members that Russia, whose economy remains geared toward war due to the conflict in Ukraine, could seek further territorial expansion into EU nations.

Poland, for instance, is set to sign a deal for “the biggest anti-drone system in Europe,” according to Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who said the contract addresses “an urgent operational demand” but did not disclose costs or the company involved.

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