European leaders are planning a $4.3 billion Iron Dome-style defense system

Israel's Iron Dome defence system in action over the city of Netivot in southern Israel on October 8, 2023. MAHMUD HAMS/Getty Images

• European nations say they're planning a $4.3 billion joint air and missile defense system.
• Creating an Iron Dome similar to Israel's 'is necessary," Poland's PM Donald Tusk said.
• The European Sky Shield Initiative involves 21 countries and aims to enhance NATO's defenses.

European countries are preparing to reveal plans for a $4.3 billion Iron Dome-style air and missile defense system, Poland's prime minister announced on Monday.

Donald Tusk told Polish broadcaster AVN that the proposal, which involves the cooperation of 21 nations, will be presented to the European Council in a matter of days, the Kyiv Post reported.

The European Sky Shield Initiative, or ESSI, is conceived as a means to jointly procure ground-based interoperable air defense systems.

"The recent attack on Israel showed how essential such systems are. There is no reason for Europe not to have its missile defense shield," Tusk said, per The Telegraph.

"Creating an iron dome against missiles and drones is necessary," he added.

In a not-too-subtle reference to Russia, Tusk also said that it doesn't take much imagination to figure out where a potential attack on Europe might come from, the Telegraph reported.

Israel's Iron Dome has long been seen as one of the world's most advanced air defense systems, protecting the country's skies from rockets and other projectiles.

In April, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones against Israel, which Israel's air defenses almost completely shot down, with the assistance of US and UK forces.

While a direct hot-war attack by Russia on NATO Europe is not considered an immediate likelihood, many countries — particularly those that border Russia — are deeply alarmed. Many are also beefing up their defense spending in ways unimaginable before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

ESSI was first mooted by Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022, not long after Russia had begun pounding Ukraine's civilian infrastructure with rockets. It's been led by Germany ever since.

In July 2023, Austria and Switzerland — both traditionally neutral states — signed up to the initiative, and as of February this year the number of countries has grown to 21, with the participation of Turkey and Greece.

German think tank SWP outlined in a report last year some of the systems the German government is seeking to buy or replenish as part of ESSI. These included US-made Patriots, the IRIS-T SLM — a short-to-medium-range system capable of targeting drones, aircraft, and cruise missiles — and the long-range Arrow system currently in use in Israel.

SWP also noted that although it considers an attack on NATO countries from Russia to be unlikely in the immediate term, "improving air and missile defense in Europe could curb Russia's coercive power vis-à-vis NATO and thereby strengthen the cohesion of the alliance."

Despite Tusk's own championing of ESSI, it has faced challenges from Poland's own president Andrzej Duda, who has opposed joining it on the grounds that the country already has its own joint air defense agreements with the US and the UK.

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