Resilience as Defence: Hybrid Threat Policy Alignment Across the EU

Cooperation between governments and EU institutions is widely seen as a key condition for resilience against hybrid warfare, given that threats such as disinformation, cyberattacks, and critical infrastructure disruption cut across sectors and borders. This paper examines whether and how such cooperation is reflected in the defence- and security-related strategies at two levels: between the EU and its member states, and among member states themselves. In doing so, it speaks directly to debates on the construction of a European defence ecosystem and the extent to which resilience is becoming part of European defence integration. The paper asks three interrelated questions: (1) How are hybrid threats and resilience defined and framed in EU-level security and defence strategy documents? (2) To what extent do national security and defence strategies of selected EU member states converge with these EU-level framings? (3) To what extent are member states converging with each other in the way they define hybrid threats, assign responsibilities, and specify resilience-building instruments? Empirically, the study draws on a systematic analysis of EU strategic documents and national security and defence strategies. It adopts a two-stage research design. First, it conducts a broad mapping of strategy documents across a larger set of EU member states, grouping countries according to how hybrid threats are defined and how resilience instruments and policy tools are articulated. Second, it undertakes an in-depth qualitative analysis of a smaller number of representative cases drawn from these clusters, allowing closer examination of governance arrangements, institutional responsibilities, and patterns of EU-national coordination. Methodologically, the paper combines qualitative content analysis with structured text analysis to trace changes over time in (a) hybrid threat definitions, (b) resilience instruments and policy tools, and (c) governance arrangements, including references to coordination with EU bodies and cross-border mechanisms. The paper proceeds from the assumption that hybrid warfare generates functional pressures for coordination that blur traditional boundaries between internal and external security, as well as between civilian and military policy domains. Therefore, assessing alignment across member states in threat responses and resilience tools is key to evaluating the European defence ecosystem’s ability to counter and deter hybrid threats.