Specializing in Terrain-Driven Operational Advantage
The NATO-accredited Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence, located in Poljče, Slovenia, plays a critical role in preparing the Alliance to operate in some of the most physically and tactically demanding environments in the world. Through doctrine development, education, experimentation, and capability integration, the Centre advances NATO’s ability to plan and operate effectively in mountainous terrain.
Adapting Planning to the Demands of Mountain Operations
As NATO shifts towards being a Multi-Domain Operations-enabled Alliance, the Centre has developed a terrain-specific Operational Planning Course to prepare commanders and planners for the unique challenges of synchronizing effects in mountain environments. The course emphasizes integration across land, air, space, and cyber domains, with a focus on overcoming the friction caused by altitude, mobility limitations, and weather constraints.
The course emphasized real-world application: participants integrated manoeuvres, fires, and logistics in a simulated mountain battlespace, testing their plans against the friction of altitude, limited mobility, and weather-driven constraints. Wargaming was used to validate operational concepts, while 3D terrain visualization tools gave future planners a dynamic and intuitive way to navigate complex environments.
The Centre’s role as a thought leader in mountain warfare was also demonstrated at the 6th NATO Mountain Warfare Congress, held in Slovenia in October 2024. Focused on the theme “Mountain Warfare in 2040”, the event brought together experts from across NATO, partner nations, and industry to examine future operational requirements. Discussions emphasized the strategic significance of movement corridors, infrastructure resilience, and evolving multi-domain threats in mountainous regions.
Accelerating Innovation with the Mountain SkyEdge Project
One of the Centre’s flagship initiatives, Mountain SkyEdge, is advancing NATO’s tactical use of uncrewed aerial systems in rugged terrain. What sets this project apart is the speed of adoption and hands-on experimentation. Developed in partnership with academic and industry leaders, the project evaluates the performance of lightweight drones in high-altitude environments and supports integration into mountain warfare units for real-time surveillance and reconnaissance.
Field trials test drone endurance, navigation, and electronic resilience in real-world conditions. These insights are already informing NATO training curricula, tactical procedures, and capability development in support of enhanced situational awareness in mountainous regions.
Expanding NATO’s Wargaming Toolkit
In collaboration with the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, the Centre is developing a wargaming design tool tailored to mountain warfare. This tool enables planners and educators to simulate operational challenges in terrain-constrained environments. Prototypes have already supported the design of mountain-specific wargames, with future iterations set to increase multinational applicability and scenario complexity.
The tool aims to improve interoperability, planning agility, and decision-making under altitude-driven constraints, serving as both an educational and operational asset across the Alliance.
Supporting NATO’s Regional Planning through Terrain-Focused Field Studies
The Centre continues to contribute directly to NATO’s deterrence and defence posture by organizing terrain-focused Staff Rides aligned with Regional Plans. Upcoming field activities in Romania and Montenegro will examine the Focșani Gate and Dinaric Alps, where elevation, terrain access, and natural obstacles are key considerations in Allied and national planning.
Grounded in historical analysis and aligned with current threat environments, these Staff Rides help bridge the gap between strategic concepts and field-level application, offering practical insight to planners working on Home Defence Plans and broader NATO campaign coherence.
A Hub for Mountain Warfare Expertise and Transformation
Through its combination of training, experimentation, operational support, and field-based research, the NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence provides critical value to the Alliance. Its work ensures that NATO remains capable, adaptive, and ready to operate effectively in the world’s most challenging terrain.
To learn more, visit www.mwcoe.org or follow the Centre on Facebook.