Prime time debates with few prime time ideas
The televised debates sum up Germany's election campaign perfectly: they have been strangely devoid of proposals, and filled with reactiveness
Experts & Staff
Ulrike Franke
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
German foreign and defence policy; European defence, technology and geopolitics; UAVs/drones; artificial intelligence; military technology; Franco-German defence cooperation
Languages
French, English, German
Biography
Dr. Ulrike Franke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in the Paris office. Her areas of focus include German and European security and defence, the future of warfare, and the impact of new technologies such as drones and AI on geopolitics and warfare.
Franke has published widely on these and other topics, and regularly appears as commentator in the media. She co-hosts Sicherheitshalber, a German-language podcast on security and defence, and is also a member of the French Collimateur: Le Casque et la Plume podcast team.
She holds a PhD in international relations from the University of Oxford. In her thesis she studied the use of drones by Western armed forces. She also holds a BA from Sciences Po Paris and a double MA from Sciences Po Paris and the University of St. Gallen.
Franke is a policy affiliate at GovAI and teaches at Sciences Po Paris.
The End of the World #9: Interview with Cathy O’Neil
For the rest of the summer Mark Leonard will be breaking from the usual World in 30 Minutes format to talk about how the global…
A European approach to military drones and artificial intelligence
When people hear the word ‘drones’, they think of targeted killings and the United States. They picture the “Predator” or the “Reaper”, the world’s most…
New European Security Initiative
Edited by Ulrike Esther Franke, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil & Susi Dennison
Winners and losers in the UK election
This time, ECFR's director Mark Leonard is on the other side of the microphone and tells you all you need to know about the results…
Germany, not China, will be Donald Trump’s enemy number one
Donald Trump's government is increasingly taking aim at Germany – it is time for Berlin to acknowledge the potential danger
The New European Counter-Terror Wars
With Michael Clarke, former Director-General of RUSI & Anthony Dworkin, Senior Policy Fellow, ECFR Chaired by Ulrike Esther Franke, Researcher, ECFR The event…
ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes: European Defence
Mark Leonard speaks with former Director of the European Defence Agency Nick Witney, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil and Ulrike Esther Franke about European defence in the…
ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes: Summer Readings
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard speaks with ECFR experts Vessela Tcherneva, Silvia Francescon, Ulrike Franke, Borja Lasheras, and board member Ivan Krastev, about summer readings. The…
ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes: Terror in Germany and the refugee crisis
ECFR’s director Mark Leonard speaks with Ulrike Franke, research assistant and expert on security and drones, Josef Janning, co-head of ECFR’s Berlin office, and Volker…
Publications
Star tech enterprise: Emerging technologies in Russia’s war on Ukraine
Russia’s war on Ukraine has featured many of the technological advances the world has made over the past decades. If Europeans are serious about their defence capabilities, they need to learn from this use of emerging technology on both sides of the war
Geo-tech politics: Why technology shapes European power
New technologies are a significant force shaping international relations. If the EU wants to be more than a mediator between the US and China, it will need to change its mindset
Ambiguous alliance: Neutrality, opt-outs, and European defence
The EU’s work on its Strategic Compass should include debates on the special status states’ future role in European defence
Artificial divide: How Europe and America could clash over AI
Artificial intelligence is a rapidly advancing field that policymakers everywhere are struggling to keep up with
Europe’s digital sovereignty: From rulemaker to superpower in the age of US-China rivalry
The EU cannot continue to rely on its regulatory power but must become a tech superpower in its own right. Referees do not win the game
The big engine that might: How France and Germany can build a geopolitical Europe
The EU Coalition Explorer survey reveals the importance of Germany and France within the EU, and the impact they can have when they cooperate with each other
Not smart enough: The poverty of European military thinking on artificial intelligence
Failing to coordinate properly in the AI area could threaten future European defence cooperation, including PESCO and the European Defence
Machine politics: Europe and the AI revolution
The EU appears to be largely uninterested in AI’s geopolitical importance, but its member states can only influence the global development of AI if they act tog
Harnessing artificial intelligence
If Europe does not address these difficult questions soon it will find itself surrounded by more powerful rivals deploying AI against it
The Young and the Restful: Why young Germans have no vision for Europe
Polls and interviews conducted for the paper indicate that German millennials are surprisingly conservative and liable to status quo bias
Articles
The trouble with FCAS: Why Europe’s fighter jet project is not taking off
The disagreement over the Franco-German-Spanish fighter aircraft system, FCAS, shows that when it comes to building a European defence industry, political will is not enough
Drones in Ukraine: Four lessons for the West
From overreliance on China to the growing involvement of civilians, the extensive use of drones in the Ukraine war offers crucial lessons for future conflicts
Breaking tradition: Why Russia’s war is making Switzerland question its neutrality
Europe’s rapidly changing geopolitical position is causing Switzerland to rethink elements of its neutrality. This dramatic break in tradition should be a warning to other European countries that the continent’s security context is less safe and less certain
Home alone: Germany’s security and defence policy when its closest allies are gone
By relying extensively on France and the US for its security and defence, Germany could easily find itself isolated and at risk. Berlin needs to act fast
Drones in Ukraine and beyond: Everything you need to know
The Ukrainian battlespace features the most intensive use of drones in a military conflict in history, marking a shift in warfare tactics and technology
Wheels up for Vilnius: Three lessons Germany’s NATO partners should draw from its new national security strategy
Germany’s first ever national security strategy contained few big surprises – but the country’s NATO partners can still draw three key lessons from the document
Foreign and defence policy in the German election
The parties in Germany’s next coalition government could find it hard to bridge their differences on foreign and defence policy
Why Afghanistan was not a failure of European strategic autonomy
Hand-wringing over Europe’s supposed failure to step up in Afghanistan ignores the fact that Europeans were principally there to support the US
Europe needs a change in mindset on technology and geopolitics
Technological change is already having far-reaching effects on the international balance of power. If the EU is to become a true geopolitical actor, it cannot shy away from these challenges
Why a ‘Black-Green’ German government could finally create a coherent defence policy
The election of a new CDU party leader last weekend might be the first step towards a novel Black-Green coalition government – whose defence policy could be surprisingly visionary, if the parties are willing to work together
Specials
European Sovereignty Index
The EU can overcome the new challenges it faces and can shape the global order. To achieve this, Europeans will need to improve their joint capacity to act
EU Cohesion Monitor
European cohesion is bouncing back after crisis years. The EU Cohesion Monitor presents new insights on cohesion as an underestimated source of strength and collective action in the EU
EU Coalition Explorer
The Coalition Explorer illustrates the expert opinions of more than 800 respondents who work on European policy and creates a visual understanding of the views held by Europe’s professional political class
European Solidarity Tracker
The European Solidarity Tracker collects and displays instances of pan-European solidarity throughout the coronavirus crisis
Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
The nightmare of the dark: The security fears that keep Europeans awake at night
Great power competition is increasingly shaping Europeans’ security environment, while other security threats are also on the rise, from terrorism and cyber attacks to climate change
New European Security Initiative
Edited by Ulrike Esther Franke, Manuel Lafont Rapnouil & Susi Dennison
Podcasts
Live from MSC 2026: Transatlantic turning point
Mark Leonard welcomes Jeremy Cliffe, Ulrike Franke, Janka Oertel and Majda Ruge live from the Munich Security Conference to unpack its biggest moments
The future of European air defence
Mark Leonard welcomes Ulrike Franke to unpack the crisis around Europe’s Future Combat Air System
Drones over Denmark: Russia tests NATO’s defences
Mark Leonard and Ulrike Franke discuss what Russia’s probing of European airspace means for the continent’s security
Live from the Munich Security Conference: Europe’s wake-up call
In Munich, Mark Leonard welcomes Ulrike Franke, Camille Grand, Janka Oertel and Jana Puglierin to unpack this year’s security conference
Defence and the Zeitenwende: Glass half-empty or half-full?
Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, hosts Jeremy Cliffe and Jana Puglierin talk German defence and the future of the country’s armed forces. They review the first…
Under fire: Unpacking Germany’s defence policy drama
Mark Leonard welcomes Ulrike Franke and Jana Puglierin to discuss the recent turmoil surrounding Germany’s defence policy
Live from the Munich Security Conference: Where is world politics turning?
Mark Leonard reports live from the Munich Security Conference
Lead time: How Germany should move on from Merkel | Episode 4 – Tech
What are the necessary steps the new German government needs to take to advance and support European tech sovereignty?
CDU foreign policy post-Merkel
How would a chancellor Armin Laschet approach foreign policy questions on China, Russia, and defence?
The geopolitics of technology
The EU is often described as a “regulatory superpower” benefitting from the so-called “Brussels effect.” But is the bloc also able to set its own rules and standards when it comes to new technologies?
Events
European Power
European defence: Expectations and demands of non-EU partners
This event is part of the German Forum on Security Policy, organised by the Federal Academy for Security Policy (BAKS).
13
Jan
European Power
Deutsch-französische Zusammenarbeit im Bereich der europäischen Verteidigungsindustrie || La coopération franco-allemande dans le domaine de l’industrie européenne de la défense
Deutsch-französische Debatte zu Rüstungskooperation im Kontext strategischer Autonomie | Un évènement franco-allemand dans le domaine de l’industrie de défense, pour la construction d’une autonomie stratégique
14
Jun
European Power
Deutschland vor der Wahl – Einschätzungen aus der Perspektive internationaler Politik
Der Checkpoint EXTRA findet als Kooperation zwischen der bpb und dem Berliner Büro des European Council on Foreign Relations statt
European Power
Digital sovereignty of the European Union in the international arena
First part of a series jointly organised by the European Movement International and ECFR exploring the challenges the European Union is facing
14
Apr
ECFR x Intelligence² Germany – Debate: We must stop big data’s pandemic power grab
An Oxford-style debate in cooperation with Intelligence² Germany
12
Nov
European Power
Artificial Intelligence in Geopolitics and Warfare: The London – Brussels – DC Connection
A discussion workshop on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on geopolitics and warfare, and how Europe and the US can work together for everyone’s benefit
In the media
Ulrike Franke on drones as the future of military technology
Ulrike Franke on the use of drones in the Iran war
Ulrike Franke on Trump, Europe and the uncertain future of NATO and Europe
Ulrike Franke on the growing significance of drone technologies
Ulrike Franke on Switzerland’s reaction to russian invasion of Ukraine