The Communication Teams from Allied Command Operations and Allied Command Transformation hosted the 2024 NATO Communicators Conference this week in Berlin, Germany. The conference focused on the timely topic of “Strategic Communications across the Warfighting Spectrum” and was attended by over 450 participants from 33 nations, including Ukraine. Renowned authors, Russia experts, deterrence specialists, Ukrainian information warfare professionals, data scientists, behavioural experts, and high-ranking government and military officials delivered presentations at the event.
The NATO Communicators Conference is an annual forum organized by NATO’s two strategic commands, which alternate leadership and support roles each year. The conference serves as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and expertise between NATO, Allies, academia and industry in the communications disciplines of Strategic Communications, Military Public Affairs, Psychological Operations and Information Operations. The first two days of the conference featured official NATO working groups for those four specific disciplines.
Opening the second half of the conference were recorded remarks by Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Chris Cavoli, and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne. “Like all of you, at Allied Command Transformation, we are continuing to learn how to embrace a quickly evolving cognitive dimension, and the opportunities, risks and threats it presents,” shared General Lavigne. “As noted in the Summit Declaration, we have to continue to develop our ability to analyse and counter hostile disinformation and misinformation.”
The next two days offered lectures, speeches and workshops from high-level NATO and Allied officials, industry leaders and academia, including the Chairman of the Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer. He started by addressing the room and saying that “the reason I came here today is because I want to recognise you, military communicators, for the role you play in winning the battle of the narrative.” He continued by sharing an inspiring message that “together, we embody an important truth: that we are much stronger together than we are alone. Strategic communications is a huge part of our deterrence. Everything we do, say and show needs to be perfectly aligned.”
Ukrainian officials joined the conference again this year as innovative practitioners of leveraging the communications environment to combat Russia’s war in their country. During a panel focusing on threats and responses, experts highlighted the critical role of information in shaping the conflict and explored how Russia utilizes information to its advantage, examining the Kremlin’s global information campaign and its interplay with the Russian Federation Armed Forces’ information and psychological operations. The panel also delved into Ukraine’s defensive strategies against information attacks on the battlefield and the valuable lessons NATO can learn from Ukraine’s successful information and psychological operations. Additionally, the discussion addressed the impact of these information campaigns on Russian and Ukrainian troops and the broader populations of both countries.
One of the presentations coordinated by Allied Command Transformation was the “Cognitive Warfare: Developing Strategic Advantage” panel that focused on the challenges posed by adversaries’ cognitive attacks on NATO and its national audiences. Panellists included Richard Sherburne, a NATO strategic concept analyst, Hervé Le Guyader, an author and French representative in NATO’s Scientific & Technology Organization, and Commander Tobi Horton, an Australian Information Warfare Officer.
This Cognitive Warfare panel discussed how adversaries influence the attitudes, decisions, and behaviours of individuals, groups, and societies. They stressed that emerging disruptive technologies enable these cognitive attacks and adversaries aim to exploit our strengths as vulnerabilities to weaken the Alliance. NATO decision-making, missions, and forces are vulnerable, both directly and indirectly, to cognitive attacks.
Led by Allied Command Transformation staff, two workshops focused on enhancing internal communications at NATO. The first workshop, “Fostering Engagement through Effective Internal Communications,” explored strategies to actively engage staff, boost productivity, and create a more cohesive and supportive work environment. The second workshop, “Unlocking Graphic Design – the Significance of Design in the Digital Age,” emphasized the importance of visually appealing and engaging design elements in digital communications for effective message delivery, opinion shaping, and connection with audiences.
The 2024 NATO Communicators Conference concluded with a renewed focus on the importance of strategic communications in the evolving cognitive dimension. Attendees gained valuable insights into emerging threats, Ukraine’s efforts to contest Russia in the information space, best practices for countering disinformation, and the critical role of effective internal communications within NATO. Allied Command Transformation will lead the 2025 NATO Communicators Conference.
