The VDE is responding: The question of how quickly Germany and Europe can become defensible and, above all, resilient across the board is also a technological one. With its new VDE Defense division, the VDE is addressing the growing importance of technological systems in security and defense policy.
The VDE Defense division is being established with the firm conviction that the civil security of our society and the defensive responsiveness of our country and our allies in the EU and NATO today do not depend solely on its armed and security forces. Engineers also contribute to this by making systems more robust, reducing technological dependencies, and making digital and physical infrastructures more resilient.
Societal safety, which is what the VDE stands for as a technology organization, is achieved through intelligently planned technologies, standards, research, and an understanding of complex system interrelationships. The safety of civil society is part of the VDE's historical DNA. VDE Defense also follows Wilhelm von Humboldt's principle: “Without safety, there is no freedom.” Modern civil and military security means reducing vulnerabilities—before they are exploited. In this way, the lifelines of society are protected long before any damage occurs.
VDE Defense will be broadly positioned and internationally active. Not every activity or content paper will be presented in detail on this website. VDE Defense also sees this as a contribution to safety and resilience.
VDE Defense focuses on five key areas
1. Resilience is the key
Since its founding in 1893, the VDE has stood for the orderly, safety-oriented development of technical innovations. Even back then, Werner von Siemens recognized that technical progress requires clear normative rules to be reliable and trustworthy. From this founding DNA, the VDE developed into the largest technology organization in the European Union. Safety has always meant more than just error prevention — it was intended to build trust in new technologies.
In an increasingly interconnected, complex, and disruption-prone world, however, traditional safety is no longer sufficient. What is needed is resilience: the ability of technical systems, infrastructures, and organizations to withstand disruptions, adapt, and quickly become functional again. For the VDE, resilience is not a departure from its original mission, but rather its consistent further development. However, resilience is not only a technical task but also a societal one. Democracies are under pressure from hybrid warfare, disinformation, and targeted destabilization for example, in the context of the Russian attack on Ukraine. These attacks, especially in the digital realm, target trust, social cohesion, and the ability of democratic institutions to act. A society that fails to recognize or take such threats seriously loses its resilience. Deterrence and security therefore rest not solely on military strength, but also on internal resolve, political clarity, and societal support. Freedom and stability do not come without a cost — they require resources, priorities, and difficult decisions.
Beyond the societal dimension, resilience is a key success factor for technical systems and critical infrastructure. In light of cyberattacks, geopolitical tensions, climate risks, and supply chain issues, a holistic, forward-looking approach is needed that systematically integrates resilience, adaptability, and recovery capabilities.
For the VDE in the context of VDE Defense, resilience is not a “nice-to-have,” but a core requirement of security strategy and a logical extension of the VDE’s historical DNA.
For the VDE, this becomes concrete in the area of resilience of our power and communication networks: both are so closely intertwined that disruptions in one network have an immediate impact on the other. Modern security and defense systems are also highly networked, software-driven, and dependent on complex supply chains. This is precisely what makes them powerful—but also vulnerable. For Germany, as NATO’s logistical hub, this creates a special security policy responsibility.
The Roadmap Systemstabilität (Roadmap for System Stability) from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs is intended to facilitate the transition to a fully renewable yet secure power system. The VDE coordinates or supports many of the roadmap’s key measures—from the integration of decentralized generators to the protection and emergency power supply of data centers, and higher cybersecurity standards. However, delays at the EU level—specifically regarding the Connection Network Code 2.0—are slowing down modernization. The VDE also emphasizes that medical care—including medical technology, logistics, and data infrastructure—is becoming increasingly relevant to security policy, as it is increasingly targeted by cyberattacks and supply chain risks.
2. Safeguarding Technological Sovereignty: Microelectronics as a Key Strategic Technology for Europe’s Security and Defense Capabilities
In its position paper Technologische Souveränität: Vorschlag einer Methodik und Handlungsempfehlungen (Technological Sovereignty: Proposal for a Methodology and Recommendations for Action) as well as in the position papers Hidden Electronics I, II, III, IV, the VDE has made it clear: Microelectronics is the invisible nervous system of our society — often underestimated, but critical to the system. Technological sovereignty does not mean self-sufficiency, but rather the ability to possess in-house expertise, resilient supply chains, testing and certification structures, and a sufficient number of skilled workers in key strategic technologies.
Microelectronics is the foundation of modern industrial, security, and defense architectures. It forms the basis of virtually all security-relevant applications: sensor technology, radar, secure communications, navigation, electronic warfare, drone and missile defense, cryptographic technologies, and medical systems for field care. Without high-performance, available, and trustworthy chips, there can be neither digital transformation nor strategic capability.
Europe’s vulnerability is particularly evident in the semiconductor sector. Europe’s share of global chip production has fallen from around 20 percent to less than 8 percent over the past two decades. This dependence on third countries poses significant security risks: in the event of a crisis or conflict, critical components might not be sufficiently available. This would pose an immediate problem for defense and security systems.
The VDE therefore sees a need to systematically expand key strategic technologies—such as power and specialty semiconductors, radar chips, sensor systems, and highly reliable components. What is required is a long-term European expansion of design, manufacturing, and packaging capabilities, as well as the development of industrial ecosystems that meet high security and quality standards. Likewise, research findings—such as those on quantum and high-frequency technologies—must be consistently translated into deployable applications. Safeguarding technological sovereignty thus means understanding microelectronics as strategic infrastructure. It is not only an economic factor but also a defense factor: whoever controls critical chips retains operational sovereignty in crises and conflicts.
3. Promoting New Technologies and Strengthening the Role of Researchers
For a technology and science organization such as the VDE, it is important for several strategic, technological, and societal reasons to address research and new technologies in the security and defense sector, as well as the role of researchers. Modern defense and civil security today rely almost entirely on advanced technology: cybersecurity & IT security, artificial intelligence, sensor technology & communication systems, semiconductor and energy technologies, autonomous systems, etc.
Many of today’s technological innovations are classified as dual-use goods — that is, usable for both civilian and military purposes. The distinction is becoming increasingly blurred and thus more difficult to make, e.g., in AI, quantum communication, power electronics, 5G/6G communication, or drone technology. A technically oriented, independent, and neutral organization such as the VDE can help define security standards early on, assess risks, develop ethical guidelines, or help shape international standards. In this way, innovation is driven forward not in an uncontrolled manner, but responsibly.
One example is the tracking technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) – ISAC – Integrated Sensing and Communication. Originally developed for the field of autonomous road mobility, ISAC can also be used to track drones in lower airspace. The significance of drones has increased dramatically: drone flights over power plants, airports, or critical facilities are steadily rising, while traditional radar systems do not provide comprehensive coverage of lower airspace. By shining a spotlight on ISAC, the VDE aims to demonstrate ways in which drones can be tracked across the board to protect the population and critical infrastructure.
After all, security and defense technologies are a socially sensitive topic. Here, VDE Defense, as an independent, technically competent organization, aims to build bridges, provide fact-based expertise, transparently assess technological risks, advise policymakers, and combine innovation with responsibility.
4. Focus on Skilled Workers in Electrical and Information Technology
The VDE has been pointing this out for years in various studies: Germany is facing a structural bottleneck in the field of electrical and information technology. Demand is high and continues to grow steadily. This drastically rising demand is met by a pool of young talent that has been shrinking for years. By 2025, approximately 12,700 retirements will be offset by only 7,500 graduates in electrical and information technology, with a dramatic downward trend.
Electrical and information technology engineers are urgently needed, for example, for the energy transition (grid expansion, integration of renewables, storage), digitalization & AI, semiconductor and chip design, automation & Industry 4.0, cybersecurity & critical infrastructure, as well as security and defense technologies. These areas are key fields of the future—both economically and in terms of security policy.
The situation is particularly critical in the field of security and defense technologies, as 83 percent of master’s graduates in electrical and information technology at R&D-intensive universities do not hold a German passport. Half of these come from countries such as China and India, which—for security reasons—are not permitted to participate in projects related to national and alliance defense, for example.
The future holds no promise of improvement, as the annual dire reports follow a similar pattern: declining numbers of first-year students in STEM fields, high dropout rates in engineering programs, demographic change (many experienced engineers are retiring), and international competition for talent. The result is hitting the innovation and business hub hard: open positions cannot be filled, projects are delayed, and innovation potential remains untapped. The security and defense industry, however, is growing rapidly—from large defense contractors to specialized SMEs and startups. Yet the shortage of skilled workers in electrical and information technology is jeopardizing this expansion.
This is where VDE Defense “puts its finger on the wound,” because the VDE is not just any association. The VDE is the largest technology organization in the European Union, with influence in many European countries and beyond. The VDE also represents a network of science, industry, and the next generation. And the VDE is also the “voice of electrical and information technology.” The VDE’s historical role mentioned at the outset—to make technology safe, reliable, and future-proof—also entails a responsibility for the human resources underpinning this technology. Without skilled workers and electrical and information technology engineers, there can be no technical safety, no reliability, and no future-proofing.
5. VDE Testing and Certification Institute: A guarantor of safety, trust, and resilience
The VDE Testing and Certification Institute is fundamentally committed to technical safety, trustworthiness, and quality standards for critical systems. Modern safety applications are highly complex and based on software and electronics. Their functionality is directly linked to the safety of people, infrastructure, and the government’s ability to act. This is where the Testing and Certification Institute comes in: through independent testing, conformity assessments, and certifications, it ensures that technical systems and their components meet the high requirements for reliability, robustness, and resilience.
The institute’s services go far beyond traditional product testing. They include security assessments for hardware and software, the analysis of supply chains and components for vulnerabilities, and the certification of critical technologies according to international standards. For VDE Defense, this means that systems used in both civilian and military environments are trustworthy and tamper-proof—a fundamental prerequisite for operational sovereignty and strategic resilience.
The VDE Testing and Certification Institute makes safety measurable and builds trust.
