AWS Public Sector Blog

NATO’s march to multi-domain operations: Transforming the alliance with hyperscale cloud

AWS branded background design with text overlay that says "NATO’s march to multi-domain operations: Transforming the alliance with hyperscale cloud"

Across NATO’s 32 member states, today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape requires continuous modernization of advanced technology solutions, underscoring the strategic importance of the alliance’s digital transformation. This modernization effort demands speed, scale, security, and global innovation capabilities to stay ahead. Collaborating with technology leaders like Amazon Web Services (AWS) can accelerate innovation and NATO’s ability to deliver mission-ready solutions to counter known and emerging threats.

NATO’s Digital Transformation Implementation Strategy outlines how the alliance will shift into a hyper-connected, cloud-powered infrastructure. By 2030, NATO envisions a multi-domain operations (MDO) -enabled alliance with interoperability, real-time analytics, and data-driven decision making. This transformation will help mitigate against threats, enhance decision making, and keep the alliance secure, agile, and future-ready.

NATO’s ability to conduct MDO across both physical environments and cyberspace while keeping a technological edge against adversaries requires hyperscale cloud computing. Success in this complex landscape necessitates highly-accessible artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to manage vast amounts of data, apply analytics, and quickly make decisions.

Next-generation defense

Against the backdrop of a changing geopolitical landscape, synchronization among NATO member states has never been more important. Digital systems and all the standards and policies around them must be interoperable and secure at all times, in all environments, at all classifications. And, they must be powered by an infrastructure that can elastically scale to meet unpredictable demand.

The trusted cloud for government, AWS delivers the most comprehensive, reliable, secure, and purpose-built cloud capabilities for government organizations. Our core infrastructure is built to help fulfill the missions and satisfy the stringent requirements of the military, the intelligence community, civilian agencies, and high-sensitivity organizations such as NATO. Today, AWS helps more than 7,500 government organizations execute their most critical missions, modernize legacy IT, accelerate transformation journeys, and innovate the delivery of services to citizens.

Supporting NATO’s objectives

AWS is building solutions to address NATO’s most pressing challenges by using advanced cloud capabilities including AI, ML, analytics, and simulations cost-effectively. For example, AWS and select partners met with senior leaders at the NATO Edge conference and showcased the latest innovations and technologies that highlight how we support NATO’s digital transformation and enable data-driven decision making at the speed of relevance.

We are actively engaged with NATO to better understand how hyperscale cloud can help the organization realize mission success. Over the past year, AWS co-hosted three strategic events in Europe to hear directly from NATO on the aspirations and challenges they encounter in leveraging emerging technologies to strengthen alliance capabilities. These events with the Aspen Strategy Group, Concordia, and the Atlantic Council provided platforms to discuss NATO’s mission and cloud requirements, and how AWS can help achieve them.

Advanced cloud capabilities for NATO

AWS collaborates with NATO to provide cloud capabilities that advance its digital transformation goals, while supporting European defense contractors and innovators in modernizing capabilities for the alliance. As a major cloud provider with deep defense sector experience, AWS is committed to helping NATO meet requirements for resiliency, security, interoperability, and enhanced collaboration. These capabilities align directly with NATO’s transformation strategy.

Resiliency: Allies must make sure mission systems and data are accessible and operational at all times, even in the face of hardware failures, natural disasters, cyberattacks, or other disruptions. AWS delivers the highest network availability of any cloud provider and is the only cloud provider to offer three or more Availability Zones (AZs) in all Regions, providing more redundancy and better isolation to contain issues.

Security: The AWS Cloud provides proven security capabilities that enable allies to operate with speed and confidence. Through infrastructure designed to be the most secure cloud computing environment, allies gain robust protection for critical assets. Security automation reduces human error and maximizes defensive effectiveness, while built-in security controls and guidance help allies implement comprehensive end-to-end protection measures. These capabilities help protect sensitive data and systems, and enable rapid deployment of more secure mission capabilities. 

Interoperability: The AWS Cloud enables seamless communication between NATO member states through standardized interfaces and common platforms, streamlining information sharing and operational integration between allies.

Enhanced collaboration: Cloud-based platforms enable joint planning and MDO across NATO member states with secure threat intelligence sharing that drives faster and more coordinated allied responses. Shared data repositories and communication platforms can provide allies with the same real-time information, accelerating decision-making in response to emerging threats.

Moving at mission speed

AWS is resolute in our support of national security and defense customers, bringing proven capabilities that support secure, mission-critical operations. In today’s shifting security landscape, NATO’s digital transformation is essential for maintaining global stability through collective deterrence and defense. AWS stands ready to help innovate for mission success and accelerate NATO’s digital transformation.

Additional reading:


Contributing author: Chris Bailey, GM, global national security and defense, AWS Worldwide Public Sector