Eastern Flank Watch (EFW): Building Europe’s Integrated Frontier of Deterrence

The Eastern Flank Watch (EFW) arises from the institutional and strategic framework established in the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 as a direct response to Russia’s sustained aggression and the structural militarisation of Europe’s eastern neighbourhood. It represents the territorial dimension of the European Union’s transformation from a coordination actor into a defence system with tangible operational capacity. Conceived in parallel with the ReArm Europe plan, EFW embodies the shift from reactive assistance to forward deterrence, combining surveillance, infrastructure, and command integration. The White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 describes the eastern border as the decisive frontier of European security, where deterrence must be visible, continuous, and technologically autonomous. The initiative’s rationale is rooted in the need to protect the Union’s territory against hybrid and kinetic threats, ensure freedom of movement for NATO and EU forces, and consolidate Europe’s role as a credible security provider. By fusing defence planning with industrial, infrastructural, and regulatory instruments, EFW symbolises the institutionalisation of European deterrence — transforming the Union’s periphery into a structured operational theatre that links national armed forces, common surveillance networks, and multinational logistics into one interoperable architecture of readiness.