AI Driven Defense in Europe: Shaping the Future of Military

Abstract

This research examines the way Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing defense strategies among prominent European players France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the EU, with a focus on its military uses. The research confines its examination to state-level and EU-level. AI integration within European defense reflects evolving geopolitical priorities, ethical challenges, and new regulatory demands. Employing qualitative case study approach grounded in Regional Security Complex Theory (RSCT), the research draws on official policy briefs and reports. Results show Germany and France dominating AI defense innovation, while the UK emphasizes ethical AI and NATO interoperability. Italy and Spain are emerging powers with growing public-private partnerships. The EU, lacking military capability, exerts normative influence through regulatory tools like the AI Act. These dynamics reshape regional defense cohesion and power relations. Future efforts will have to be focused on cooperative regulatory strategies, ethically sound innovation, and collective defense policies to optimize ethical AI militarization and strategic autonomy in Europe. Cooperative European defense initiatives and testing regulation frameworks need to be investigated in future research. Comparative analysis with Asia or North America like regional complexes would better convey how regional systems determine AI governance, innovation, and military integration worldwide.