Digital and Technological Sovereignty in the Age of Strategic Competition: Implications for Security and Defense

Abstract

The transformation of digital and technological sovereignty from abstract concepts to operational imperatives marks a defining feature of contemporary international security. This comprehensive analysis examines how states navigate the intersection of digital governance and technological autonomy in an era characterized by intensifying strategic competition, supply chain vulnerabilities, and the weaponization of interdependence. Drawing on recent developments through 2025, we analyze divergent sovereignty models across major powers and regions—the European Union's normative-regulatory approach, the United States' security-industrial paradigm, China's state-centered control model, Russia's defensive isolation strategy, and emerging hybrid frameworks in the Indo-Pacific and Latin America. The study reveals that while convergence exists in recognizing sovereignty as essential for strategic autonomy, fundamental divergences persist in normative foundations, policy instruments, and security implications. For defense communities, these sovereignty dynamics reshape military planning, alliance structures, and deterrence strategies, suggesting that the future security architecture will be determined by how states reconcile autonomy aspirations with the inescapable realities of technological interdependence.