DOK-ING’s Gordan Pesic: Innovation No Longer Optional in Europe’s Defense Sector

Innovation is no longer a competitive advantage in Europe’s defense sector—it has become a strategic responsibility. As the security environment evolves rapidly, technologies that reduce human exposure to danger are reshaping how armed forces and civil protection systems operate across the continent.

Unmanned and modular systems are increasingly central to this shift, reflecting a broader change in how Europe approaches security, industrial resilience, and technological sovereignty. The focus is moving away from sheer scale toward adaptability, reliability, and real-world operational performance.

Europe, in particular, is entering a phase in which security must be treated not only as a geopolitical concern but also as an industrial and societal one. Smaller, technologically advanced defense industries can play a disproportionate role if they prioritize innovation and integration into European value chains.

For Croatia, this moment presents an opportunity to move beyond the role of supplier and toward that of an innovation-driven contributor. Consolidating domestic capabilities and building functional cooperation between industry, academia, and government will be critical if this potential is to be realized.

At the company level, the emphasis is increasingly on next-generation unmanned platforms designed for demanding operational environments, without compromise on reliability or human safety. At the same time, the application of such technologies is expanding beyond defense into crisis response, demining, CBRN safety, energy infrastructure protection, and humanitarian operations.

“In a world where security and technology cycles change faster than ever, innovation is not optional—it is a responsibility,” said Gordan Pesic, president of the management board of DOK-ING, told Poslovni dnevnik.

The message reflects a broader ambition within parts of Europe’s defense industry: to demonstrate that advanced technology can save lives—and that smaller countries, when they invest in innovation, can leave a meaningful mark on the global market.