NATO allies seek to give top commander more freedom to shoot down drones
NATO countries are expected to approve a proposal by next month's summit that would grant the alliance's supreme commander greater flexibility in countering rising drone threats.
According to two NATO diplomats and one alliance official, member states aim to provide U.S. General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, with expanded authority to engage drones ahead of the July 7-8 leaders' summit in Ankara.
Currently, each NATO member dictates rules of engagement for its national weapons, creating a patchwork of restrictions that hinders rapid response. The new proposal would allow Grynkewich greater leeway to shift air defense assets across the alliance and adjust alert readiness levels without formal approval. It would also integrate ballistic air defense systems into fighter jet air policing missions along the Eastern Flank, transitioning them to air defense roles.
NATO has faced a growing number of aerial threats, including drone swarms entering Poland and Romania, airspace violations in Estonia, and suspicious drones over Latvia—incidents that have caused damage, injuries, and political turmoil in Eastern Flank countries. Discussions on relaxing national caveats have been ongoing since at least October, but the launch of Iranian ballistic missiles toward Turkey earlier this year added urgency to adopting an alliance-wide approach.
Grynkewich presented his proposals for increased flexibility to the 32 ambassadors earlier this year. An alliance official noted that nations often turn to NATO when drones enter their airspace but also need to lift their own restrictions to enable effective collective action.
