The second panel will examine how air power contributes to deterrence and defence below the threshold of armed conflict—where hybrid tactics exploit ambiguity, deny attribution, and seek to fracture Alliance cohesion without triggering a conventional response. In this “grey zone,” air power and air domain operations aren’t limited to a crisis response option but provide a continuous instrument in strategic competition. The discussion will explore how air power, enabled by multi-domain integration, can sustain persistent presence and situational awareness, enable rapid attribution and exposure of malign activity, and offer calibrated options for signalling and response that support political coherence and escalation management.

The panel will also address the practical constraints that shape air power effectiveness in hybrid competition. Divergent national authorities and rules of engagement, differing interpretations of doctrine and TTPs, and reliance on enabling assets that may sit outside a military commander’s direct control—including commercial space and civilian cyber capabilities—can all complicate timely action. Panellists will assess what posture, platforms, munitions, training, and command-and-control adaptations are required to keep decision advantage and operational credibility in a domain defined by persistence, speed, and narrative. Above all, the discussion will focus on how NATO can employ air power in ways that constrain hybrid actors and actions, reinforce Alliance unity, and protect the integrity of the Euro-Atlantic security space.