Security risks in Europe and the Indo-Pacific are growing more complex and dangerous due to gray zone tactics, cyberattacks, lawfare, and disruptive emerging technologies, global experts warned at a high-level forum held in Manila this week.
The strategic research and think tank Stratbase Institute and the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) co-hosted the forum, “Navigating Asymmetric Threats: Cross-Regional Strategies for Europe and the Indo-Pacific,” on September 18 at The Peninsula Manila, highlighting the deepening strategic convergence between the two regions.
Rear Admiral Guillaume Pinget of the French Armed Forces in the Pacific emphasized how technological tools—ranging from AI to drones and cyber capabilities—have become central to modern confrontations, warning that “the use of force in state disputes is now uninhibited.”
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año urged closer cooperation on defense, energy, and infrastructure, particularly in contested maritime zones like the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea, and Taiwan Strait. “No ASEAN member seeks conflict, but all face the risk of escalation,” Año said, stressing the need for regional resilience and alternatives to dependency on powers like China.
Stratbase Institute President Dindo Manhit echoed the call for cross-regional partnerships, stating, “Security and prosperity are our common goals,” as the Indo-Pacific and Europe face intertwined futures.
ECFR Visiting Fellow James Crabtree noted how gray zone aggression—from Russian drones in Europe to maritime tensions in the Philippines—demands shared vigilance among like-minded nations.
Experts at the forum also raised alarms over threats to undersea cable infrastructure and the weaponization of international law, while urging innovation and long-term cooperation to address fast-evolving asymmetric threats.
For Filipinos, these developments underscore the urgency of regional and global collaboration to safeguard sovereignty, economic security, and national resilience in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific.
