NATO is considering adopting a more assertive stance against cyber attacks, sabotage and airspace violations by Russia, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chairman of the North Atlantic alliance’s military commission, has told the Financial Times.

“We are studying everything… In cyberspace, we are somewhat reactive. We are thinking about becoming more aggressive or proactive instead of reactive,” he told the FT.

He also noted that a “pre-emptive attack” could, in some cases, be considered a “defensive action”, but noted that such an approach “moves away from our usual way of thinking and behaving”.

While some NATO members, particularly in Eastern Europe, have lobbied for a tougher stance, Dragone notes that any change requires careful consideration of legal and jurisdictional boundaries. “Being more aggressive compared to the aggression of our adversaries could be an option. [The issues are] the legal framework, the jurisdictional framework, who’s going to do that?” he asked.

Wanting to illustrate a successful deterrence operation, the Italian admiral referred to NATO’s Baltic Sentry mission, an operation that deploys allied ships, aircraft, and naval drones to monitor critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea after multiple cable-cutting incidents in 2023 and 2024.

“Since the start of the Baltic Sentry mission, nothing has happened. That means the deterrent is working,” he told the FT.

According to Dragone, the central challenge for NATO is to determine how to deter future hybrid attacks. “How deterrence is achieved – through retaliation, through pre-emptive strikes – is something we need to analyse in depth, because in the future there may be even more pressure on this issue.”