Defence Working Group Meeting

On 10 February 2026, the SME Connect Defence Working Group convened at the European Parliament in Strasbourg to exchange views on Europe’s preparedness and resilience in the context of hybrid threats.

The meeting gathered SMEs, industry representatives, and stakeholders to discuss hybrid warfare, emergency preparedness, protection of critical infrastructure, offline and crisis-response capabilities, and the role of SMEs in maintaining operational continuity under pressure.

Markus Becker, Chair of the SME Connect Defence Working Group, opened the meeting by underlining the strategic role of SMEs in Europe’s defence ecosystem, stressing that resilience, technological know-how, and operational capability increasingly reside within smaller and medium-sized companies. He highlighted the need for closer cooperation between industry, policymakers, and public authorities to ensure SMEs can contribute effectively to Europe’s security and defence readiness.

Jörg Dreger, Managing Partner at DREGER Group GmbH, delivered a presentation on “Hybrid warfare: strategic and operational readiness of Europe”, outlining how hybrid threats target societies, infrastructure, and supply chains over extended periods. He emphasised the importance of situational awareness, offline capabilities, crisis coordination, and practical preparedness at individual, organisational, and governmental levels, drawing lessons from real-world scenarios such as cyberattacks, blackouts, and disruptions to critical services.

The meeting was followed by the SME Europe expert roundtable on “Future of European Defence and SMEs” organised in partnership with SME Connect and hosted by Riho Terras MEP and joined by Simonas Šatūnas, Head of Cabinet to the European Commissioner for Defence and Space.