In an Alliance of 30 nations, how does NATO ensure that multinational units and partners can operate as one? Interoperability – the ability to act together coherently, effectively and efficiently to achieve Allied objectives – is the foundation of all NATO missions and the core ambition of CWIX.
The Coalition Warrior Interoperability eXploration, eXperimentation, eXamination eXercise, or CWIX, is led annually by Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. At CWIX, allies and partners ensure that they can interact, connect and communicate whenever and wherever required.
CWIX 2022 begins on 6 June at NATO’s Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Over three weeks, more than 1,500 attendees from 35 allied and partner nations, and organisations will test more than 340 current, near-term, experimental, and future command and control capabilities across 7 networks. At CWIX, engineers, operators, and managers will deep-dive into NATO’s most pressing interoperability challenges, from friendly force tracking, to air operations, all the way to space.
Today, more than ever, the Alliance must remain agile and aligned at a moment’s notice; CWIX 2022 will therefore hone in on operational readiness. Participants will test Federated Mission Networking in the operational context as nations prepare for multinational NATO commitments like the NATO Response Force, Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, and Initial Follow on Forces Group. Allies and partners train and strengthen their own military capabilities at CWIX, while ensuring interoperability with coalition partners.
Other highlights include an exploration of Big Data and how they can enhance civil-military cooperation and situational awareness, using ‘combat cloud infrastructure’ to form a baseline for successful multi-domain operations. A new focus area this year – Space – will test capabilities that enable information from national space assets to be extracted, shared, and exploited across the Alliance.
In addition to improving systems on the ground, CWIX is a cost-effective way for nations to look ahead and anticipate challenges in an environment ripe for collaboration. By testing emerging technologies, uncovering shortfalls, and integrating state-of-the-art solutions into fielded and near-fielded capabilities, Allies and partner nations ensure that their future deployable capabilities are interoperable by design.
Experimentation bridges the gap between uncertainty and confidence, which can be the difference between mission failure and success. In today’s dynamic security environment, CWIX ensures that those who defend our collective security and protect our values can do so with greater speed, confidence, and resilience.
You can read more on CWIX here and follow the progress of #CWIX on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
CWIX is led by NATO Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and hosted by NATO’s Joint Force Training Centre to support the continuous improvement of interoperability. For more information, visit the CWIX portal on TIDEPEDIA (TIDEPEDIA-account required). Questions and remarks can be directed to [email protected].