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Robert Abela admitted this week what has been pretty obvious for anyone who is not ideologically blindfolded by Malta’s neutrality: The Armed Forces of Malta lacks defence capabilities.

Speaking in Brussels ahead of an EU leaders’ meeting on defence and security in Europe, the Prime Minister dropped the statement casually in comments he gave TVM.

While not suggesting that the Constitution should change, Abela did however question whether Malta’s neutrality served as a hindrance to improving the islands’ defence.

It’s important to unpack what Abela was hinting at. Technically and legally there is nothing in the Constitution that prevents Malta from arming itself to have better defence capabilities. The reality though is that no matter how much the country decides to invest in upgrading the military’s weaponry and equipment, it will always have the limitations of a small island State. This means that Malta will have to depend for its defence on the umbrella offered by EU membership.

This is where the situation gets tricky. Is Malta’s neutrality, or a very restricted interpretation of it, hindering the country from improving its defence capabilities by also participating in EU defence and security initiatives?

Irrespective of its constitutional neutrality, Malta is not immune to attack by foreign agents, whether these are state actors or terrorist groups. And this is not a far-fetched scenario.

Malta has correctly applied all sanctions against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine three years ago. It is the right thing to do in the face of unprovoked aggression. But this has undoubtedly put Malta, along with the rest of the EU, in Russia’s bad book whether we like it or not.

It is just one example of a potential threat that is more likely to manifest itself  in the form of non-conventional warfare such as cyber attacks on critical public infrastructure, or even maritime ‘accidents’ that severe Malta’s subsea electricity cables with Sicily.

The AFM’s mindset and that of policymakers has until today been focussed on controlling immigration and performing rescue missions, rendering the military a glorified coastguard. This must change.

The AFM’s mindset must evolve into that of a defence organisation that has the capability to protect and defend Malta’s critical public infrastructure and its people, at least until reinforcements from other EU states can arrive. Today, the AFM’s air defence capabilities are next to zilch and its maritime assets are hardly equipped to ward off a seaborne threat. The AFM has no drones to enable more effective surveillance far beyond Malta’s shores, especially areas where subsea electricity and data cables are found.

Nothing is known of the AFM’s capability to assess, determine and ward off cyber-attacks. Participation in UN peacekeeping missions is limited – the Lebanon mission stands out as the only substantive mission where Maltese soldiers have been on regular rotation – thus depriving soldiers the experience of being in foreign theatres. Similarly, Malta’s participation in EU-sanctioned defence missions such as the Red Sea operation remains very limited, even if the protection of international shipping routes is in our interest.

To achieve this shift towards a more defence-oriented organisation, spending on the military must increase. But more importantly, Malta must also be an active participant in EU defence initiatives that include joint procurement, better logistical coordination, improved sharing of intelligence, joint training exercises and participation in the EU Sky Shield Initiative.

Malta does not need to forego its neutrality to engage more at EU level on defence and security measures. For starters, Abela’s government can advance Malta’s membership of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), which is intended to deepen defence cooperation between EU Member States. All EU states except Malta are part of PESCO. Even neutral countries like Ireland and Austria have realised the importance of not being left out of such initiatives.

Abela’s comments do sound hypocritical after the histrionics of the Labour Party in last year’s European election campaign when it accused Roberta Metsola of warmongering for saying similar things. But the Prime Minister did well to raise the subject, even though it appears to have caught the rest of his government off guard.