Challenger
Research
Webinar, April 7
The UAS Governance Gap
Securing European Airspace Against Drone Incursions Before the Next Crisis
Overview
Unmanned aerial systems are advancing faster than Europe’s governance structures can adapt. Detection capability is improving, yet authority to intervene remains fragmented across the UK and EU.
This executive briefing examines where legal architecture, regulatory design and defence expenditure are misaligned, and what that means for infrastructure resilience and strategic deterrence.
What This Briefing Covers
Legal authority fragmentation across EU member states
Where legal authority doesn’t match operational responsibility.
Operational divergence in counter-UAS frameworks
Comparative approaches across Poland, the UK, Germany and Italy.
The awareness gap between political and industry stakeholders
Divergent levels of concern and urgency regarding UAS incursions, and how this impacts policy momentum and reform timelines.
Procurement and expenditure misalignment
Defence spending increases without corresponding reform of legal authority and testing frameworks.
This session is designed for defence leaders, infrastructure operators, policymakers and regulatory professionals seeking a structured understanding of Europe’s evolving drone exposure.
Speakers
Dr James Reeves
Managing Director, Challenger Research
Dr James Reeves leads Challenger Research’s work at the intersection of defence, regulation and geopolitics. With a background in strategic policy analysis and emerging risk, he directed this cross-UK and EU assessment.
Thomas Welborn
Founder, TWA
Tom Welborn is an experienced insights professional specialising in political strategy and public engagement. His work focuses on designing campaigns that speak to voters who are often overlooked in policy debates and therefore remain disengaged from complex national issues.
Seyide Direk
Regulatory Lead, Challenger Research
Seyide Direk is Challenger Research’s Regulatory Lead and a Senior Policy Analyst specialising in European regulatory and governance frameworks. Formerly at the European Enterprise Alliance, she contributed to policy development supporting social and economic resilience across Member States. At Challenger, she focuses on statutory authority, compliance architecture and regulatory misalignment in emerging hybrid and counter-UAS domains.
Sofia Zanin
Policy Analyst, Challenger Research
Sofia Zanin is a Policy Analyst specialising in hybrid threats, conflict risk and governance fragmentation. Her work focuses on attribution challenges, civil–military coordination, escalation dynamics and institutional gaps affecting policy response in grey-zone and sub-threshold environments.
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