In July 2024, NATO Heads of State and Government endorsed the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC). This new centre, based in Poland, was inaugurated in February 2025. Its creation marked a significant milestone in NATO’s long-standing partnership with Ukraine and reflects Allied Command Transformation’s continued commitment to enhancing the Alliance’s ability to learn, adapt, and transform in the face of dynamic and persistent security challenges.
While the JATEC assumes responsibilities focused on Ukraine, it is also contributing to the broader NATO Lessons Learned enterprise. Its creation builds upon the longstanding work of the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC), which serves as NATO’s lead agent for institutional learning and analysis. The creation of the JATEC marks an addition to the existing NATO Lessons Learned enterprise, reinforcing the need for complementary capabilities that reflect NATO’s strategic requirements, and Ukraine’s operational realities.
Strengthening Learning Through Partnership
NATO has consistently analysed lessons from its operations, exercises, and engagements, not only from within the Alliance but also from partners. Since the outset of Russia’s war against Ukraine, NATO recognized the urgent need to collect and analyse information from the conflict in real time to inform its decision-making, capability development, training, and strategic posture. In short, it pulled the lessons from the war to better position NATO’s deterrence.
To support these efforts, the JALLC initiated a range of activities, including the creation of the JALLC-UKR Initiative which captures observations from the war, direct support to Ukraine’s emerging Lessons Learned capacity, and analysis of battlefield developments to inform NATO’s own exercises and processes. In 2024 alone, the JALLC delivered multiple analysis reports and training sessions in collaboration with Ukrainian counterparts.
These efforts laid the groundwork for the creation of the JATEC, which expands the Alliance’s ability to capture insights from the war and improve NATO-Ukraine interoperability. Together the JALLC and the JATEC are envisioned to synergize their efforts to establish a strong and effective NATO Lesson Learned enterprise.
The JATEC’s Role in NATO
The JATEC builds on NATO’s foundational work by focusing its efforts specifically on Russia’s war against Ukraine. It brings together military and civilian expertise in a “whole of society” model to address complex geopolitical challenges. Its structure and mission reflect NATO’s long-term investment in Ukraine’s defence transformation and the Alliance’s continued need to adapt to contemporary threats.
The JATEC’s areas of focus include:
- Training and Education: Supporting the professional development of Ukraine’s defence forces and integrating its military education system with NATO’s standards.
- Experimentation and Concept Development: Testing innovative concepts and technologies to enhance security across sectors.
- Capability Development: Aligning Ukraine’s defence planning and procurement with NATO standards.
- Interoperability: Strengthening the ability of NATO and Ukrainian forces to operate together effectively.
By specializing in these areas, the JATEC ensures that NATO and Ukraine remain agile and prepared to face evolving regional and global security challenges.
Augmenting NATO’s Lessons Learned Capability
As JATEC approaches full operating capability in Summer 2026, Allied Command Transformation is guiding a structured handover of specific Ukraine-focused tasks initially led by the JALLC. This includes relationships with Ukrainian defence institutions and civil society actors like Boryviter, Ukraine’s defence-sector learning centre.
The ensuing relationship between the JALLC and the JATEC is not a simple transfer of responsibilities, but a collaborative evolution grounded in partnership. The two organizations are actively working to ensure continuity, coherence, and effectiveness. Ongoing joint efforts include analysis projects and shared engagements in Ukraine’s Lessons Learned development initiatives. By coordinating closely, both Centres ensure the Alliance continues to benefit from real-time insights while supporting Ukraine’s national processes.
Distinct Yet Aligned Roles
The JALLC remains NATO’s lead agent for collecting and analysing lessons from across the Alliance. Its focus spans NATO-wide operations, exercises, and institutional development. It maintains responsibility for managing NATO Lessons Learned Portal, conducting analysis of complex NATO-wide issues and NATO Lessons Learned Portal content, and advising member nations and partners on implementation of the NATO Lessons Learned Policy.
By contrast, the JATEC concentrates specifically on Russia’s war against Ukraine, serving as a NATO-Ukraine hub for operational and civil-military learning. Its joint NATO-Ukraine construct, broader staffing, and geographic location enable it to maintain close coordination with Ukrainian stakeholders and focus on lessons generated at the tactical and operational levels.
This division of labour is intentional. It allows the Alliance to benefit from a broader view of the war through the JALLC, while also gaining granular, front-line insights through the JATEC. This alignment enhances NATO’s strategic depth and supports Ukraine’s integration into NATO frameworks.
Mutual Reinforcement
The Centres support each other in practical and strategic ways. Observations and data gathered through the JATEC feed into NATO’s broader analysis processes at the JALLC. In turn, these insights are used to shape NATO doctrine, training, and capability development. This mutually reinforcing structure ensures NATO and Ukraine jointly benefit from lessons identified, learned, and applied.
The collaboration between the two Centres offers NATO an enduring capability to adapt and improve. By maintaining distinct yet synchronized roles, both serve their respective stakeholders while contributing to a shared mission: ensuring NATO and Ukraine remain prepared, responsive, and resilient.
Looking Forward
NATO’s deterrence depends not on any single entity but on the integration of complementary strengths, including learning from current conflicts. Through the combined efforts of the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC) and the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC), Allied Command Transformation is advancing NATO’s ability to learn, adapt, and partner effectively. In doing so, the Alliance enhances its own posture while supporting Ukraine in building a more capable, interoperable defence sector. Together, these Centres are tangible demonstrations of NATO’s collective security and shared learning in the face of aggressive adversaries.