ROME, ITALY – The NATO Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence serves as a pivotal hub within the Alliance, dedicated to fostering research, concept development, and capability development in the field of modelling and simulation. The Centre’s primary focus is on advancing NATO’s transformation through education, training, and the development of Multi-Domain Operations concepts and capabilities. By connecting a vast network of experts, the Centre plays a crucial role in driving innovation and ensuring the Alliance’s continued effectiveness.
The Centre’s mission is to support the Alliance, as well as its individual member, and partner, nations by providing leadership, subject matter expertise, and technological capability in all aspects of modelling and simulation activities. This mission contributes directly to NATO’s transformation by enhancing operational effectiveness, improving capabilities in all domains and identifying gaps and effective solutions to mitigate risk.
NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and the Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence collaborate to address critical gaps by developing concepts and capabilities that are directly relevant to the evolving geo-political landscape. One notable example is the Centre’s Electromagnetic Layer for Multi-Domain Operations project, which aims to enhance concepts related to Multi-Domain Operations. This innovative project enables simulation users to visualize electromagnetic effects that are imperceptible to the human eye, providing a synthetic environment for the virtualization of electromagnetic multi-domain scenarios. This technology supports various applications, including capability development, education and training, system testing, operations, mission rehearsal, decision-making, and procurement.
Modelling and Simulation education and training continues to be in high demand. As a NATO accredited Education & Training Facility, this Centre of Excellence is focused on filling this demand through three resident NATO approved courses (NATO Modelling & Simulation Basic Course; NATO Computer Assisted Exercise Specialist Certification Course; NATO Exercise Support, Modelling & Simulation Integration Course) and an online NATO Modelling & Simulation Introductory Course. The Centre is expanding its course portfolio with courses in Joint Theatre Level Simulation Global Operations to include a foundation course to prepare students for a deeper understanding of NATO’s primary simulation system for exercises. The Centre will also offer a practitioner course to expand on this level of training to develop experts in computer assisted exercise simulation systems. Additionally, the Centre is exploring the development of a hands-on Digital Computer Assisted Wargaming course for instructors.
The Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence also acts as a hub for the Modelling & Simulation Community of Interest. The Centre organizes and hosts the annual NATO Computer Assisted Analysis Exercise Experimentation Forum, which brings together more than 300 modelling and simulation experts from over 30 nations to showcase more than 60 projects. This Diamond Event promotes improvements in concepts and capabilities and enhances collaboration between practitioners from academia, industry and the military. Closely connected to this is the Centre’s annual Modelling & Simulation for Autonomous Systems Conference which explores emerging and disruptive technologies that highlight scientific efforts in the field of autonomous systems.
This Centre of Excellence remains a relevant focal point for NATO modelling and simulation activities. This includes advancing research, concepts, capabilities and partnerships to increase the capacity of the Alliance to be successful in an ever-changing environment.
