Op-Ed: Europe should treat energy security as defence policy
18 February 2026
Authored by General Sir Richard Shirreff, (Ret.) KCB, CBE
“We should treat energy security as de facto defence policy,” writes ESLC-E member General Sir Richard Shirreff, (Ret.) KCB, CBE, former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, in this opinion piece in the Financial Times. “That means moving beyond thinking about energy solely in terms of efficiency and decarbonisation, and prioritising resilience and strength in the face of aggression.”
Energy infrastructure is crucial to Europe’s economic security and defence. When power fails, production stalls, essential services, from hospitals to railways and communications, are disrupted, and compromised supply lines can degrade the operational capability of armed forces.
Russia targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure daily, while blending cyber and kinetic attacks to probe Europe’s defences, including a December cyberattack on Poland’s electricity grid that disabled communications systems. Amidst this backdrop, Europe needs to build a resilient energy system in the face of adversaries and competitors seeking to challenge it.
This requires Europe to place resilience and security at the centre of its thinking. Alongside effective management of supply chain risks, Europe must fortify, modernise and decentralise its electricity infrastructure — drawing on energy domestic sources as well as grid-scale storage. The stakes could not be higher: without the ability to power its economies, Europe cannot defend its borders.