Each summer, Allied Command Transformation publishes a series of articles highlighting NATO’s 30 accredited Centres of Excellence. These multinational institutions serve as dedicated hubs of subject-matter expertise, supporting NATO transformation across doctrine development, education and training, experimentation, and strategic analysis.
The 2025 series places particular focus on how Centres of Excellence are advancing two pillars of Alliance relevance and readiness: innovation and interoperability. Across domains, disciplines, and regions, NATO-accredited Centres of Excellence are driving the evolution of Alliance capabilities to meet a dynamic and contested global security environment.
Innovation in Action
These Centres of Excellence (COEs) serve as practical testbeds for emerging technologies, concepts, and solutions by moving them from idea to operational relevance.
- The Air Operations COE has developed ALEXO, a real-time air-to-air refuelling planning tool that replaces manual workflows with automated decision support. Proven in exercises such as CWIX and BELHARRA, the system enhances agility, efficiency, and human resource management in mission planning.
- The Cold Weather Operations COE launched HEIMDALL, a full-spectrum Arctic innovation arena designed to evaluate unmanned systems and autonomous sensors in sub-zero terrain, directly informing future NATO force postures in the High North.
- The Explosive Ordnance Disposal COE is developing ETACS, a Virtual Reality -based training and simulation tool that supports scalable, safe training in complex bomb disposal scenarios. The tool’s modular architecture enables future expansion into other disciplines such as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and military engineering.
- The Joint Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Defence COE has embedded innovation methods gained through NATO’s Project Mercury, which trained personnel in using advanced research methods, horizon scanning, stakeholder outreach, and creative problem-solving needed to develop novel solutions.
- The Human Intelligence COE is piloting AI-enabled platforms like QUESTIX (Questioning Techniques) and HDIL (Harmonized Data – Integrated Learning) for rapport analysis and questioning techniques, merging psychological modelling with training assessment.
- The Space COE held its first multinational conference in 2025, focused on strategic integration of space capabilities within NATO Multi-Domain Operations, highlighting the role of space as a warfighting domain with strategic impact for interoperability, deterrence, and industry engagement.
These efforts illustrate the role of Centres of Excellence as accelerators of NATO innovation, translating strategic needs into operational tools and training solutions.
Interoperability: A Core NATO Capability
Interoperability remains the bedrock of Alliance effectiveness. NATO’s Centres of Excellence are central to maintaining this advantage by setting shared standards, building cohesive frameworks, and delivering common training.
- The Maritime Geospatial, Meteorological & Oceanographic COE is advancing the Federated Mission Networking initiative through a real-time environmental data catalog, enabling seamless cross-domain data exchange during joint operations.
- The Military Engineering COE is standardizing alliance-wide engineering equipment, including the development of a Universal Floating Bridge Adapter to ensure modular compatibility between national bridging assets.
- The Maritime Security COE continues to promote cross-national maritime awareness and information-sharing through the MARSEC-25 exercise and publications on undersea infrastructure protection.
- The Security Force Assistance COE is leading research into cross-cultural communication and advising strategies, integrating AI-driven language tools, VR simulations, and Natural Language Processing-based training to increase effectiveness in culturally complex environments.
- The Cooperative Cyber Defence COE is addressing legal interoperability with the Cyber Law Toolkit and a new National Positions Handbook, enabling coordinated legal responses during multinational cyber operations.
- The Military Police COE is finalizing a standardized Detention Operations Handbook to unify NATO doctrine and practice around prisoner-of-war handling and security tasks across echelons.
By establishing common standards and shared understanding, these Centres reinforce NATO’s ability to act cohesively in any operational context.
Addressing Emerging Challenges
COEs are also shaping NATO’s response to rapidly evolving security dynamics:
- The Climate Change and Security COE is providing actionable foresight and Arctic energy resilience assessments to align NATO operations with environmental realities.
- The Stability Policing COE is advancing doctrine on the integration of drones into civil policing and expeditionary operations, with operational studies on UAS as force multipliers.
- The Naval Mine Warfare COE is supporting strategic concept development and unmanned systems experimentation at REPMUS and CWIX, informing NATO’s future mine warfare posture.
- The Mountain Warfare COE is blending terrain-specific planning, drone experimentation, and custom wargaming tools to enhance readiness for operations in elevation-constrained and contested geographies.
These examples show how Centres of Excellence not only anticipate future threats but also deliver practical pathways for adaptation.
Looking Ahead: Centres of Excellence as Drivers of Transformation
Each upcoming article in this series will spotlight a different Centre of Excellence while detailing its mission, recent contributions, and strategic impact. Together, these Centres are catalysts for transformation, working at the intersection of operational need and strategic foresight.
From legacy centres like the Joint Air Power Competence Centre to newer establishments like the Climate Change and Security and Space Centres of Excellence, NATO-accredited Centres of Excellence represent the collective will to adapt, the expertise to evolve, and the partnerships needed to succeed.
NATO’s future readiness depends not only on technology or doctrine, but on integration across forces, domains, and cultures. Through this lens, the work of the Centres of Excellence contributes directly to NATO’s ability to adapt and operate effectively in a changing environment.