NATO
Allied Command Transformation
December 9, 2022
Investigating the Future of Allied Warfare Development
NATO’s Allied Command Transformation held the Alliance Warfare Development Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, from December 6 – 8. The Alliance Warfare Development Conference is an annual event for military and civilian decision-makers to collaborate on warfare development.
The conference investigates the future of Allied warfare development….The 30 Allies protecting more than one billion citizens must remain committed to adapting to strategic challenges that we can anticipate but not predict, whether that is 20 minutes or 20 years into the future.
NATO has…a solid history of successful operations on four continents. But today, the Alliance requires agile processes and a culture of innovation to quickly develop and field tools and techniques to address emerging threats across ever-diversifying environments and domains. How NATO meets that challenge is the focus of the Alliance Warfare Development Conference.
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Looking at the nature of modern warfare is more informative, noting the challenge of drawing definitive conclusions whilst a conflict is ongoing. It is instructive to examine the Russian invasion of Ukraine and draw lessons broader than tactics….
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Warfare development already presents enough challenges to NATO. While its combined numerical strength is unrivaled, its ability to operate effectively together under unknown future conditions depends heavily on ensuring digital interoperability.
[D]efence capabilities of small, land-locked, or former Warsaw Pact countries will be different from those of large nations with strategic weapons and expeditionary forces. Forging member countries’ capacity into an effective and interoperable whole is one of the primary objectives for NATO warfare development.
…NATO people and organizations, from soldiers and citizens to generals and prime ministers, must be prepared, flexible, and persistently adaptive in response to rapid changes in the security environment. NATO must plan, equip, and train to fight in dynamic conditions.
Anti-bellum 