Europe’s missile renaissance: New conventional deterrence options

Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its large-scale use of ballistic and cruise missiles has led some European countries to re-evaluate the benefits of possessing additional conventional long-range strike capabilities. This has given rise to a joint effort known as the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA), which aims to develop a ground-launched missile with a range of 1,000-2,000 kilometres to improve ‘the defence of Europe and to strengthen the European defence industrial and technological base’ and to contribute to ‘strengthening the European pillar of the Alliance, for better sharing of the burden between Allies’.
This event summarised Russia’s use of ballistic and cruise missiles in Ukraine, outline European countries’ existing and under-development analogous capabilities and explored the political, technical and budgetary challenges associated with a co-development that will need to be addressed if ELSA is to bear fruit.