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- SPACE
- AIR
- MARITIME
- LAND
- CYBER
- SEE MORE
NATO's space domain
NATO’s ability to operate effectively across all domains increasingly depends on access to space-based data, products and services. These enable a host of operational necessities, including communications, surveillance, and navigation. NATO does not seek to become an independent space actor or own assets in space. Instead, NATO relies on capabilities provided by Allies, commercial industry, and trusted partners. Industry plays a critical role in delivering the assets and services that help NATO maintain operational advantage in a contested and congested space environment.
This collaboration is particularly important in the following key areas:
- Space situational awareness
- Satellite communications and resilient connectivity
- Space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
- Positioning, navigation and timing resilience
- Missile warning, space-based sensing, and strategic warning support
- Space weather monitoring and operational impact assessment
- Protection and resilience of space-enabled services and ground infrastructure
- Integration of commercial space data, through frameworks such as the Global Data Marketplace Global Data Marketplace
- Interoperability, standards, and data-sharing frameworks
Key bodies
- Leads NATO’s military transformation work, through the identification and development of future space-related capability needs and interoperability requirements.
- Supports experimentation, concept development, training, doctrine, and lessons learned for space-enabled operations.
- Helps integrate space into multi-domain operations, future force development, and NATO-wide transformation efforts.
- Supports innovation in space-relevant areas such as sensing, satellite data exploitation, AI, resilient communications, autonomy, quantum technologies, and critical infrastructure monitoring.
- Provides pathways for non-traditional companies to contribute to NATO-relevant challenges.
- Delivers and supports NATO communications and information systems that rely on or connect to space-based services.
- Provides technical expertise for satellite communications, secure networks, data services, and C4ISR integration.
- Works with industry to deliver secure, resilient, and interoperable communications and information services.
- Provides scientific and technical expertise relevant to space technologies and space-enabled operations.
- Connects NATO with Allied scientific communities, research institutions, academia, and technical experts.
- Provides space-domain expertise to NATO commanders and operational staff.
- Helps coordinate space support to NATO operations, including satellite communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), missile warning, and space domain awareness.
- Contributes to exercises, operational planning, and the development of NATO space procedures.
- Serves as a key operational hub for NATO space support.
- Supports the integration of space data, products, and services into NATO operations.
- Helps maintain awareness of space-related developments that may affect NATO military activity.
- Supports commercial contracting mechanisms relevant to space data, connectivity, maintenance, or infrastructure.
- Supports the Alliance Federated Surveillance and Control (AFSC) Programme through programme management and technical interoperability.
NATO HQ Divisions and International Military Staff
- Contributes to the relevant capabilities in all domains (land, air, maritime, space and cyber)
- Promotes coherence for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), cyber security and cyber defense efforts across the NATO Enterprise.
- Supports NATO space policy and the integration of space considerations into defence planning.
- Helps ensure that space-related capability needs are reflected in NATO’s defence planning processes.
- Coordinates policy discussions with Allies on the role of space in deterrence and defence.
- Serves as a NATO HQ focal point for space-related innovation, emerging technologies, and industry engagement.
- Helps connect NATO space requirements with commercial and dual-use technology opportunities.
- Supports and cultivates the development of High Visibility Projects (HVP’s) tied to the space domain, such as NORTHLINK and STARLIFT.
NATO Centres of Excellence (COEs)
- Provides specialist expertise on military space and space-enabled operations.
- Supports doctrine, education, training, exercises, concept development, and lessons learned.
- Provides a link between NATO, national space communities, academia, and subject-matter experts.
NATO's air domain
The air domain is critical to the Alliance’s core tasks of deterrence and defence, cooperative security and crisis management. NATO’s activities in the air domain include civilian-military coordination in air traffic management, air policing, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). The Alliance supports capability development across emerging air domain technologies such as autonomous and unmanned systems, electronic warfare, and infrastructure critical for aviation.
Key bodies
- Operates NATO’s E-3A AWACS fleet, providing air and maritime surveillance, battle management, command and control, and communications to a vast range of NATO missions and operations
- Works on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)/Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) airspace integration.
- Provides minimum fitting standards for aircraft avionics.
- Oversees NATO Air Policing mission across Europe.
- Operates air command and control (C2) structures, including cross-border airspace initiatives and agile combat employment.
- Provides resilience to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) through ground-based aids to navigation.
- Leads on innovation in the realm of Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) through projects such as the Layered C-UAS Initiative (LCI-X)
- Develops capability codes for deployable airbase activation modules
- Manages the Regional Airspace Security Project (RASP), with support from EUROCONTROL
- Develops and tests advanced technologies supporting the air domain in electronic warfare hardware and software
- Operates NATO’s Alliance Ground Surveillance fleet of RQ-4D unmanned aircraft
- Acts as a federated processing, exploitation and dissemination intelligence node for the Alliance
- Supports and hosts Complex Armaments Programmes relevant to the air domain, such as Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) and the Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) programmes.
- Leads multinational acquisition and support across aviation and uncrewed aerial systems.
- Leads on procurement of Class 1 and Class 2 Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS).
NATO HQ Divisions and International Military Staff
- Contributes to the relevant capabilities in all domains (land, air, aritime, space and cyber) and promotes coherence for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), cyber security and cyber defence efforts across the NATO Enterprise.
- Engages with Allies, industry and partners on the development of technical and materiel standards in aviation
- Liaises with external organizations, such as EUROCONTROL, to enhance civilian-military interoperability in the air domain
- Facilitates capability development and implementation across aviation, including in electronic warfare and infrastructure critical to aviation
- Manages and supports the implementation of High Visibility Projects in the air domain, such as Alliance Federated Surveillance and Control (AFSC)
- Supports the NATO Military Committee and provides military advice.
- Contributes to standardization, capability advice, and coordination across the military structure.
- Helps ensure air domain issues are reflected in NATO military assessments and planning.
NATO Centres of Excellence (COEs)
- Provides analysis on lessons learned from both real operations and exercises
- Trains personnel and develops simulation tools
- Contributes expertise and advice on command and control in joint and multinational air operations
- Provides joint air and space power advice and expertise across air operations support and combat air
- Develops doctrine, analysis and lessons learned in the use of air assets from all service branches
- Hosts training courses in Countering Unmanned Aircraft systems (C-UAS)
NATO's maritime domain
NATO supports and improves innovation and collaboration in the development of Allied maritime capabilities whenever and wherever it can. The 2025 Allied Maritime Strategy highlights the maritime domain to a core arena for deterrence, defence and warfighting. It prioritises the protection of critical maritime infrastructure and commits the Alliance to fully integrated multi-domain maritime operations, including through the extensive use of uncrewed systems. This collaboration is particularly important and ongoing in the following key areas:
- Maritime situational awareness and information sharing
- Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance — C4ISR
- Undersea warfare, seabed security, and protection of critical undersea infrastructure
- Maritime autonomous systems, unmanned platforms, AI-enabled sensing and decision support
- Sensor, weapon, and platform interoperability, testing, and standardisation
- Maritime logistics, sustainment, maintenance, and operational support
- Mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, and operations in confined/shallow waters
- Training, exercises, experimentation, and lessons learned
Key bodies
- Serves as NATO’s primary maritime operational command, maintaining maritime situational awareness for the Alliance.
- Plans, coordinates, and conducts NATO maritime operations and supports integration of maritime effects into joint and multi-domain operations.
- Coordinates with Allied navies, Allied Command Operations (ACO), NATO HQ, and other stakeholders on maritime operations.
- Leads NATO’s long-term military transformation, including maritime capability development, through projects such as Task Force X Eastern Mediterranean.
- Identifies future maritime requirements and capability gaps through experimentation, concept development, and innovation.
- Engages with industry, academia, and innovation networks on future maritime technologies.
- Connects NATO with dual-use start-ups, innovators, and emerging technology companies.
- Supports innovation relevant to maritime resilience, sensing, autonomy, AI, communications, and critical infrastructure protection, accelerating adoption of emerging technologies across the Alliance.
- Provides a pathway for non-traditional industry actors to contribute to NATO-relevant maritime challenges, complementing wider NATO innovation and capability development efforts.
- Delivers and supports NATO communications and information systems relevant to maritime operations.
- Provides digital, network, cyber, and C4ISR capabilities that enable maritime command and control.
- Supports maritime information exchange, operational connectivity, and secure communications.
- Works with industry to develop, procure, integrate, and sustain NATO technical capabilities.
- Providee testing and calibration support for naval sensors, weapons and combat systems.
- Help ensure the operational accuracy and readiness of Allied maritime platforms.
- Support interoperability and standardization across NATO naval forces.
- Conduct trials and assessments relevant to maritime operational effectiveness.
- Provide technical assurance for ships, submarines, and maritime systems.
- Provides scientific research, experimentation, and technical expertise for maritime challenges.
- Supports innovation in areas such as anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, autonomy, sensing, and maritime surveillance.
- Helps NATO understand and exploit emerging maritime technologies, and supports evidence-based capability development and future concept work.
- Provides logistics, procurement, sustainment, and life-cycle support for NATO maritime capabilities.
- Supports multinational acquisition and support arrangements relevant to maritime forces.
- Enables maintenance, supply, fuel, transport, infrastructure, and operational support.
- Works with industry to deliver practical support solutions for Allied operations and exercises.
NATO HQ Divisions and International Military Staff
Selected NATO HQ and staff actors are relevant depending on the issue:
CDT contributes to the relevant capabilities in all domains (Land, air, maritime, space and cyber) and promotes coherence for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), cyber security and cyber defence efforts across the NATO enterprise.
- Supports the NATO Military Committee and provides military advice.
- Contributes to standardisation, capability advice, and coordination across the military structure.
- Helps ensure maritime issues are reflected in NATO military assessments and planning.
- Supports the NATO Military Committee and provides military advice.
- Contributes to standardisation, capability advice, and coordination across the military structure.
- Helps ensure maritime issues are reflected in NATO military assessments and planning.
NATO Centres of Excellence (COEs)
- Supports development of maritime and joint operations concepts.
- Provides expertise on operations from the sea and maritime contribution to joint campaigns.
- Supports doctrine, experimentation, interoperability and lessons learned.
- Provides expertise in the collection and monitoring of atmospheric, oceanographic, and space weather data to support maritime operations.
- Supports the analysis and dissemination of relevant meteorological data to promote knowledge and situational awareness.
- Provides expertise on maritime security, maritime situational awareness, and related operational challenges.
- Supports education, training, exercises, and concept development.
- Contributes to cooperation on maritime security issues across NATO and partner countries.
- Provides specialist expertise on naval mine warfare and mine countermeasures.
- Supports doctrine, training, lessons learned and interoperability.
- Contributes to capability development in a high-priority maritime warfare area.
- Provides expertise on maritime operations in littoral, confined and shallow-water environments.
- Supports doctrine, training, experimentation and operational analysis.
- Focuses on complex coastal and restricted-sea operating environments.
NATO's land domain
NATO relies on the supply of land capabilities to meet Deterrence and defence requirements. A strong industry is the cornerstone of NATO’s land power, as it plays a key role in translating the Alliance’s military requirements into modern, interoperable, and sustainable land forces.
Critical areas for the land domain are:
- Capability development and delivery
- Interoperability
- Standardisation of materiel
- Sustained modernization of forces
Key bodies
- Supports NATO’s Joint Force Commands (JFCs) and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) to provide theatre-wide land domain expertise to SACEUR.
- Coordinates activities across the Euro-Atlantic to effectively deter Russia and hostile actors and ensure a trained, ready, and lethal land force for NATO.
- Oversees NATO operational planning and force employment in the land domain.
- Leads experimentation and innovation in land capability needs.
- Integrates developing land capabilities into exercises and training.
- Develops future concepts and doctrine of land systems.
- Connects NATO with dual-use start-ups, innovators and emerging technology companies.
- Supports innovation relevant to land domain resilience, sensing, autonomy, AI, communications and critical infrastructure protection, accelerating adoption of emerging technologies across the Alliance.
- Provides a pathway for non-traditional industry actors to contribute to NATO-relevant land domain challenges, complementing wider NATO innovation and capability development efforts.
- Delivers and supports NATO communications and information systems relevant to land domain operations.
- Provides digital, network, cyber, and C4ISR capabilities that enable land domain command and control.
- Supports land domain information exchange, operational connectivity, and secure communications.
- Works with industry to develop, procure, integrate, and sustain NATO technical capabilities.
- Provides logistics, procurement, sustainment, and life-cycle support for NATO land domain capabilities.
- Supports multinational acquisition and support arrangements relevant to land domain forces.
- Enables maintenance, supply, fuel, transport, infrastructure, and operational support.
- Works with industry to deliver practical support solutions for Allied operations and exercises.
NATO HQ Divisions and International Military Staff
- Contributes to the relevant capabilities in all domains (land, air, maritime, space and cyber) and promotes coherence for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), cyber security and cyber defence efforts across the NATO Enterprise.
- Provides policy advice, coordination and programmatic support to Allies and partners through the Conference of National Armament Directors, NATO Army Armaments Group, NATO Military Authorities and other relevant bodies of the NATO enterprise with respect to land capability development and delivery.
- Conducts and supports multinational capability development initiatives in the land domain by considering the application of emerging technologies, including in autonomy.
- Engages with Allies, industry and partners on land domain capability development.
- Supports the NATO Military Committee and provides military advice.
- Contributes to standardization, capability advice, and coordination across the military structure.
- Helps ensure land domain issues are reflected in NATO military assessments and planning.
NATO Centres of Excellence — COEs
https://www.forsvaret.no/en/organisation/centre-of-excellence-cold-weather-operations/
- Supports standardization and doctrinal development for operations under Arctic, sub-Arctic and cold weather conditions.
- Provides specialised training and education in order to enhance combat effectiveness in frigid environments.
- Collects lessons learned, ranging from monitoring of soldiers’ physiological parameters to examination of camping stoves within cold weather operations, training and exercises.
- Supports NATO standards and interoperability in the realm of C-IED operations by offering a range of specialised courses.
- Plays a key role in support NATO’s C-IED Action Plan, assisting NATO and partner nations in developing effective C-IED strategies and capabilities.
- Supports training, lessons learned, concept development and doctrine development for the disposal of explosive ordinance.
- Promotes interoperability and practical cooperation to prepare well-trained NATO EOD experts.
- Prepares units and individuals for operations in mountainous and difficult terrain.
- Develops mountain warfare-specific doctrine and tactics.
- Provides education, training and capability development through experimentation and lessons learned.
NATO's cyber domain
NATO’s cyber defence relies on strong partnerships with industry. Industry provides critical innovation, expertise and technologies that strengthen resilience, accelerate the adoption of emerging capabilities, and help NATO stay ahead of evolving cyber threats. This collaboration is particularly important and ongoing in the following key areas:
- Security accreditation and compliance
- Emerging technologies for cyber defence (e.g. AI, automation, quantum technologies)
- Cyber capability development, standardisation and innovation (e.g. Zero Trust, Crypto Modernisation & Standardisation)
- Frameworks (e.g. Surge Capacity Security Accreditation Outsourcing)
- Threat intelligence sharing and cyber resilience
- Training, education and workforce development.
Key bodies
- Plans and conducts military cyberspace operations.
- Integrates cyber effects into NATO operations.
- Coordinates operational cyber defence activities.
- Supports military commanders with cyber expertise.
- Maintains operational cyber awareness.
- Develops future cyber concepts and doctrine.
- Identifies and manages emerging cyber capability needs.
- Leads cyber experimentation and innovation.
- Integrates cyber into NATO training and exercises.
- Supports cyber workforce development.
- Delivers NATO cyber defence capabilities and services.
- Operates and secures NATO networks and infrastructure.
- Detects and responds to cyber incidents.
- Develops and integrates cyber technologies.
- Works with industry to deliver cyber capabilities.
- Maintains NATO cyber situational awareness.
- Facilitates cyber information sharing across the Alliance.
- Support coordination with Allies, industry and academia and collaboration among NATO cyber stakeholders
- Supports coordinated responses to cyber threats.
- Provides cyber analysis to decision-makers.
NATO HQ Divisions and International Military Staff
- Leads NATO cyber defence policy and strategy.
- Coordinates Cyber Incident Response and vulnerability testing.
- Provides security accreditation support and security risk management.
- Manages and supports cyber specific training and exercises.
- Drives cyber and digital transformation across the NATO enterprise.
- Engages with Allies, industry and partners on cyber innovation.
- Establishes frameworks with industry.
- Protects NATO personnel, information, physical assets and HQ security.
- Coordinates NATO wide security among member countries and NATO bodies.
- Leads security accreditation and assurance processes.
- Oversees compliance with NATO security policies and directives.
- Manages security risks for NATO systems and information.
- Provides security guidance to NATO bodies and partners.
NATO Centres of Excellence (COEs)
- Provides cyber defence research and expertise.
- Develops doctrine, analysis and lessons learned.
- Supports education, training and exercise activities.
- Contributes to cyber policy and legal discussions.
NATO - industry engagement
Your gateway to information and business opportunities offered by NATO
NATO works closely with industry to develop and deliver capabilities needed to fulfil the Alliance’s missions and objectives, and defend its one billion citizens. The importance of a closer relationship between NATO and industry was acknowledged at recent NATO summits. NATO has developed a Framework for NATO-Industry Engagement (PDF) which includes the principles guiding an entire spectrum of relationships between the Alliance and industry.
‘Industry’ from a NATO perspective refers to defence as well as non-traditional defence companies, prime contractors and small and medium-size enterprises, and also startups and deep tech companies.
Types of engagement
At the non-contractual or pre-competitive stage, NATO interacts with industry through the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG), Framework for Collaborative Interaction (FFCI), Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), NATO Innovation Fund. NATO also interacts through regular events such as the NATO-Industry Forum the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, conferences, symposia and seminars.
At the contractual stage the relationship with industry is governed by procurement rules and regulations (see below).
The Cyber and Digital Transformation Division (CDT) oversees all aspects of cyber and digital transformation across the entire NATO Enterprise’s civil and military bodies, being a central player for Capability Development. This encompasses all efforts in promoting Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data, Cloud, Networks and Communications.
CDT guides digital and command and control standardization for the alliance through the Digital Policy Committee and its substructure.
The division also coordinates on all aspects linked to countering hybrid actions and takes forward policy and industry engagement on energy security and critical undersea infrastructure.
In this capacity, CDT contributes to all domains (Land, Air, Maritime, Space and Cyber) and promotes coherence for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), cyber security and cyber defense efforts across the NATO Enterprise.
The Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments Division of the NATO HQ is at the forefront of the development and delivery of capabilities covering the full range of defence and deterrence needs. Particular focus is placed on the development of innovative capabilities based on the requirements stemming from NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP), increasing industrial capacity to support this, and securing defence-critical supply chains.
One of D2IA’s responsibilities is the overall relationship between the NATO enterprise and industry, for which it has developed an Industrial Relations website, reflecting the efforts to improve Trans-Atlantic Defence technological and Industrial Cooperation (TADIC).
The NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) is a high-level consultative and advisory body of senior industrialists from NATO member countries. It acts as a forum for free exchange of views on industrial, technical, economic, managerial and other relevant aspects of the research, development and production of defence and security equipment within the Alliance. Allied and partner nations’ industry is represented in NIAG through national Heads of Delegation.
Business opportunities
Procurement through NATO Common Funding
NATO Common Funding supports the Alliance’s objectives and priorities by enabling the delivery of critical military capabilities. Common funded procurement is governed by the Procurement Policy for NATO Common Funding and Procedure for NATO Competitive Procurement. It remains firmly grounded in the principles of performance and delivery, open and fair competition, transparency, good governance, and efficiency and proportionality.
ACT is one of NATO’s Strategic Commands. It leads continuous NATO military transformation in order to enhance effectiveness in current and future operations through the innovative development and delivery of training, education, capabilities, doctrine and concepts.
ACO is one of NATO’s Strategic Commands responsible for planning and executing all NATO operations. Its structure comprises a strategic level headquarters (SHAPE – Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), three Joint Force Commands and three tactical-level air, land and maritime Commands.
DIANA is an organisation established by NATO to find and accelerate dual-use innovation capacity across the Alliance. DIANA provides companies with the resources, networks and guidance to develop deep technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges, from operating in denied environments to tackling threats to collective resilience.
NCIA is NATO’s technology and cyber hub. NCIA enables NATO’s mission by procuring digital solutions and resilient communication and information services for seamless connectivity among Allies and partner countries.
NCIA is a key partner in NATO's digital transformation, collaborating with industry to deliver technical solutions and expertise, facilitating political consultations and enabling multi-domain operations.
The NATO HQ in Brussels is the political and administrative centre of the Alliance and the permanent home of the North Atlantic Council, which is NATO's senior political decision-making body. Most of NATO HQ business opportunities relate to the day-to-day running of the headquarters (ICT, construction works, facility management, maintenance, consultancy services, etc.).
The NATO Innovation Fund is a €1 billion venture capital fund that invests in deep tech to address challenges in defence, security, and resilience. The fund invests independently in breakthrough technologies across the 24 countries backing it, with Allies supporting its portfolio’s success and helping provide entrepreneurs with access to commercial and public markets
NSPA is NATO’s lead organisation for multinational acquisition, support and sustainment for NATO countries and partners. NSPA mission is to link national requirements with industrial capabilities, consolidate demand, generate economies of scale and make interoperability real. Registered suppliers can bid on NSPA contracts for a wide range of products and services across all domains.
The STO is the main NATO venue for science and technology. Its mission is to promote and conduct collaborative research to support capability development and partnership objectives and to provide strategic advice to NATO decision-makers. The STO consists of the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) in La Spezia, Italy, the Collaboration Support Office (CSO) in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, and the Office of the Chief Scientist at NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium.
Standardization
NATO standardization is a key enabler of interoperability across the Alliance, helping nations, NATO bodies and industry develop capabilities that can operate together effectively across all domains. This section provides an overview of NATO’s standardization approach, the main standardization areas, and the relevant Tasking Authorities responsible for guiding standardization activities.
For industry, of particular interest are the materiel and digital technology standardization areas, including the roles of the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) and the Digital Policy Committee (DPC). Industry can typically participate in NATO standardization activities after nomination by a NATO Ally, ensuring that validated industry expertise is brought into NATO’s standardization process.
This section also points to NATO’s standardization documents database (NSDD) and the NATO Interoperability Standards and Profiles (NISP). The NISP supports “interoperability by design” by guiding the use of digital technology standards in capability development. The NISP is especially relevant for capability planners, requirements managers, programme managers and suppliers seeking to align products, services and roadmaps with NATO’s digital and cyber interoperability needs.