Beacon Projects are selected to show, in concrete terms, how ACT is helping drive transformation by connecting experimentation, capability development, and operational needs. As the first Allied Command Transformation’s Beacon Project, Task Force X Baltic (TFX-B) highlights a priority effort where innovation is being translated into practical outcomes for the Alliance.
A demonstrator that changed the pace of adoption
When TFX-B first took shape, it set out to answer a practical question: how quickly can the Alliance move from identifying a capability need to putting real solutions into operation?
Early demonstrations in the Baltic Sea showed that commercially available, uncrewed maritime systems could be deployed, integrated, and used to deliver meaningful situational awareness in real-world conditions. These efforts proved that off-the-shelf technologies could contribute to maritime vigilance and deterrence without the long timelines typically associated with traditional development.
More importantly, they demonstrated that a different model was possible: one built on experimentation, collaboration with industry, and rapid adoption of available capabilities.
Phase II: from proof to national adoption
That initial proof has since transitioned into a new phase. In Phase II of TFX-Baltic, the emphasis has shifted from demonstrating technology to enabling nations to adopt and scale it themselves.
Task Force X Baltic Phase I proved that NATO is able to fill ISR-needs in the Baltic with solutions industry can provide off the shelf. Phase II will bring this into practice, establishing a shared awareness network between the Baltic Sea Nations using commercially available assets this year.
– Bart Hollants
Allied Command Transformation Innovation Broker
Across the Baltic region, Allies are moving from experimentation to implementation. National programmes are advancing, with countries investing in uncrewed maritime systems, establishing dedicated centres, and integrating these capabilities into their own defence planning. In some cases, nations are also working together on shared approaches to acquisition and deployment, reflecting a growing level of maturity and confidence in the concept.
This shift marks a critical inflection point. The value of TFX-Baltic is no longer measured only by what was demonstrated at sea, but by how those demonstrations are now translating into real capability development at the national level.
Allied Command Transformation’s role has evolved alongside this transition. Rather than leading demonstrations, the command now acts as a facilitator and integrator, connecting national efforts, supporting shared data environments, and helping ensure that emerging capabilities can operate together coherently across the region. This also helps ensure that lessons from rapid adoption and experimentation are reflected in longer-term NATO defence planning and national capability development.
Turning innovation into operational advantage
In practical terms, the capabilities being adopted through TFX-B are creating something closer to a distributed sensor network across the maritime environment. In this model, multiple uncrewed systems operated by different nations contribute to a shared and continuously updated picture.
We’ve moved from proving what’s possible to delivering what’s needed—establishing a shared awareness network that turns innovation into operational advantage for every Baltic Sea nation—and now we can replicate that model across the Alliance at speed.
– Simon Purton
Branch Head for Innovation at Allied Command Transformation
Instead of relying on a limited number of high-end platforms to monitor large areas, this approach spreads awareness across many smaller, more agile systems. The result is broader coverage, more persistent presence, and faster detection of changes or anomalies.
By taking on these surveillance tasks, uncrewed systems also free larger, crewed platforms (such as conventional military surface vessels) for other missions. This creates flexibility for commanders while strengthening overall maritime awareness.
From Baltic initiative to Alliance-wide model
The impact of TFX-Baltic is now extending beyond the region itself. What began as a focused effort in the Baltic Sea has helped shape a broader Task Force X framework that is now being applied in other operational contexts.
New Task Force X activities are emerging in the Central Mediterranean, the North Sea, and the Arctic. While each is tailored to its specific environment, they share a common approach: leveraging commercially available technologies, integrating uncrewed systems into existing operations, and accelerating adoption through experimentation.
For example, upcoming activities in the Central Mediterranean will bring together multiple nations in a coordinated exercise environment, where uncrewed systems will be deployed alongside a shared data framework at scale. In the North Sea, similar efforts are focused on integrating diverse national systems into a common operational picture. In the Arctic, early planning is already underway to apply the same model to a unique and increasingly relevant and challenging geographic area.
These developments reflect a key outcome of TFX-Baltic: not just a set of capabilities, but a repeatable method for introducing innovation into operational use.
Enabling rapid adoption at scale
At the centre of this expanding effort is the challenge of scale. Demonstrating a capability is one step; enabling multiple nations to access, integrate, and sustain it is another.
To address this, Allied Command Transformation is working with partners across the NATO enterprise, including the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, to explore mechanisms that could make it easier for nations to access proven commercial solutions more quickly. While this work is ongoing, the objective is clear: reduce the time between identifying a need and fielding a capability.
At the same time, coordination efforts continue across participating nations and industry partners to align development, share lessons, and maintain interoperability as capabilities mature.
A model for the future
has moved beyond its initial role as a demonstration effort. It now serves as a practical example of how the Alliance can adapt to the speed of technological change.
By linking experimentation directly to national adoption, and by connecting those national efforts into a coherent regional and Alliance-wide framework, TFX-Baltic is helping redefine how innovation is delivered in practice.
As additional Task Force X initiatives continue to develop, the approach pioneered in the Baltic is likely to play an increasingly important role in how NATO brings new capabilities into operational use: faster, more collaboratively, and at a scale that meets the demands of the current security environment.