NATO’s security depends on more than just identifying which capabilities the Alliance needs. It also depends on how quickly Allies can deliver those capabilities in a way that can be adopted, integrated, and used effectively.
That is where Force Lethality Enhancement eXtended (FLEX) comes in.
Led by NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT), FLEX builds on the earlier Force Lethality Enhancement (FLE) effort by expanding the search for alternative options to rapidly deliver capabilities needed to help the Alliance deter and defend .
In simple terms, FLEX looks at military capability needs and asks a practical question: are there additional, faster, or more cost-effective ways available for Allies to deliver the required effect?
This matters because modern capability development is not only about technology. Cost, industrial capacity, interoperability, and operational utility all affect whether a capability can be fielded at pace and make a real impact. FLEX helps Allies navigate today’s reality by identifying alternatives and providing the evidence needed to make smarter decisions, faster.
What FLEX produces
At its core, FLEX asks: “How else can we achieve this military effect?” By stress-testing alternative Force Design options through wargaming and advanced simulation, FLEX builds an analytical evidence base. This provides leaders with the data-driven insights spanning lethality, speed, utility, and cost needed to make practical decisions for the future force.
FLEX is not a demonstration or prototyping programme at this stage, and it is not about making procurement decisions on behalf of Allies. Instead, it is a structured NATO effort to identify and analyse credible options in an Alliance context so Allies can make better-informed sovereign decisions.
Jelmar den Boer, member of the Allied Command Transformation’s FLE Core Team and coordinator for FLEX projects, emphasized FLEX’s role in helping Allies think more broadly about how their NATO apportioned capability targets can be delivered:
“FLEX expands the way we think about delivering capability targets. It is not about replacing existing capabilities, but about intelligently combining them with emerging solutions to create more credible and timely options for implementation.”
Why FLEX matters for Rapid Adoption
FLEX is closely linked to ACT’s broader effort to support Rapid Adoption across NATO.
Rapid Adoption is about accelerating the transition of useful solutions and emerging technologies into operational use. But that acceleration does not begin at the practical testing or fielding stage. It begins earlier, with identifying the right Force Design options in the first place.
FLEX supports that early stage. Considering and analysing alternative capability options that could prove effective in NATO deterrence and defence before Allies commit to implementation helps improve the speed and quality of decision-making across the Alliance. In that sense, FLEX is an enabler of Rapid Adoption: it strengthens the front end of the capability pathway, so later delivery efforts can be integrated faster and with greater confidence.
FLEX complements ACT’s delivery-focused initiatives, like Beacon Projects and other rapid-adoption initiatives, without duplicating them. It strengthens what enters the pipeline by identifying options with the greatest operational potential.
How the work is done
ACT leads FLEX, but it does not work alone.
The programme draws on expertise from across the Alliance, including industry, laboratories, think tanks, and other specialist organizations. ACT collaborates with ACO, Centres of Excellence, and the staffs of the NATO HQ. The studies are framed against NATO defence planning requirements and emerging challenges.
Evaluation criteria, including lethality and cost-effectiveness, are defined by the FLEX project team, drawing on subject matter experts and relevant operational stakeholders. The team assesses candidate options and identifies those to be developed in greater depth by contracted experts. This collaborative model is a strength. ACT provides the Alliance-level operational context; external partners contribute specialist expertise and analysis. Together, they help generate options that are not only innovative, but also relevant to NATO’s real defence needs.
A broader portfolio for a changing security environment
FLEX expands the scope and pace of the original Force Lethality Enhancement effort through multiple projects addressing a broader set of capability challenges.
A number of high-level themes illustrate the focus of FLEX work, including areas with near-term completion dates this Spring, such as:
- robotics in land warfare
- multi-domain precision strike
- Command and Control networks for anti-submarine warfare
Other themes may include space capability integration, Command and Control, logistics and stockpiles, Integrated Air and Missile Defence, and Arctic-related operational challenges.
While details of the outputs cannot be shared publicly, the overall purpose remains clear: to identify viable capability options that can help Allies deliver increased lethality faster and effectively.
From analysis to Allied choice
A key way FLEX supports future implementation is through the Innovative Solutions Catalogue (ISC), a digital catalogue intended for Allies’ use.
FLE and FLEX results are expected to feed into the ISC, creating a more accessible “menu” of vetted options, at various levels of maturity, that Allies can consider for national investment and implementation. This helps translate analysis into something practical and usable for decision-makers.
Strengthening NATO’s adaptation advantage
FLEX helps shift NATO’s adaptation into high gear, moving beyond the search for new options to provide Allies with the needed evidence to support their choices and decision making for capability solutions.
By expanding capability choice, supporting Rapid Adoption, and strengthening collaboration across NATO, industry, and expert partners, FLEX helps the Alliance move faster from capability need to credible solution pathways.
That is a practical contribution to NATO’s deterrence and defence, and to maintaining the Alliance’s ability to adapt at speed.