Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL)
What is EFDL

EFDL Deterrance Capabilities

NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (EFDL) is a NATO regional initiative led by Allies, supported by U.S. Army Europe and Africa, to defeat adversary mass and momentum with low cost, attritable uncrewed systems, AI-enabled targeting, and layered defenses.

EFDL is the transformational warfighting concept that harnesses the U.S. Army's Continuous Transformation strategy to enhance NATO's deterrence posture in line with NATO Regional Plans. It leverages uncrewed and minimally crewed systems, backed with an integrated mission command network using live data to accelerate decision-making, to offset forward posture and counter adversary advantages in mass and momentum.

It is complementary to multi-national and multi-lateral efforts such as Poland's East Shield and informs ground deterrence with NATO’s Eastern Sentry.

Europe Africa EFDL Videos
Video by Sgt. James Garcia
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Sosinkski Bradley Night Fire Interview
100th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Jan. 31, 2026 | 4:07
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Sosinski, a Squad leader with 3rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, talks about his platoon peformance during a night fire range with the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles during a live fire exercise at FOS Herkus, Lithuania, Feb. 1, 2026. An exercise designed to test combat readiness under limited visibility. This training involved maneuvering multiple M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles while suppressing targets at varying distances, before transitioning to complex breaching operations. Drills like these help maintain readiness along the NATO Eastern Front. (U.S. Army Video by Sgt. James Garcia)
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