Our Story

Allied Command Transformation defines the future military context, identifying challenges and opportunities in order to maintain a warfighting edge. It ensures maximum interoperability; gives structure and priority to NATO forces through defence planning and capability development; applies innovation to leverage ideas, procedures and technologies to the benefit of our warfare development approaches; and, in all of this, leverages the intellectual horsepower of a large network of industry, academia, military and civilian expertise in nations, in NATO agencies and NATO Centres of Excellence.

Allied Command Transformation analyses the trends that shape our security environment, assesses the inherent risks, threats and opportunities and investigates alternatives. By doing that, we improve the awareness, understanding and unity of effort among the members of the Alliance in order to strengthen NATO’s capabilities to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Allied Command Transformation explores and implements new and/or different ideas, methods or solutions that achieve value for the Alliance. By reaching out for new concepts and solutions, generating ideas, bringing them to life, harnessing new technologies and experimenting, we generate solutions to the challenges faced by the Alliance. Allied Command Transformation leverages its creative, experienced and diverse military and civilian staff, empowering them to explore better, faster and more creative solutions to address the most difficult problems. Allied Command Transformation develops concepts that describe new ways of dealing with the emerging challenges we face, we harness lessons learned, we use modelling and simulation to help understand issues and we identify opportunities and constraints in the adoption of new technologies through experimentation. By doing that we help the Alliance adapt at the speed necessary to meet emergent threats and embrace opportunities while assuring continued readiness and responsiveness.

Allied Command Transformation harnesses the largest defence and security network in the world to tackle the challenges facing the Alliance. We draw ideas and intellect from Allied and Partner nations (military, civilian, industry and academia), Centres of Excellence, Partnership Training and Education Centres, the United Nations, the European Union, the Science and Technology Organization, the Conference of National Armaments Directors and a wide network of subject matter experts. By doing this we ensure the maximum exchange of ideas in order to enhance Alliance military capability.

Allied Command Transformation defines and manages new programmes to modernise NATO’s capabilities, from Command and Control to logistics and enablers, providing the connective tissue that enables 31 nations to operate as a single force. Allied Command Transformation leads the execution of the Capability Management Function across the Alliance and is the Capability Requirement Authority – ensuring the challenges of the future are met by the right capabilities. By doing that, we improve the capability of the Alliance, enable our forces to fight most effectively and ensure unity of action.

Allied Command Transformation contributes to the definition of standards in many areas such as individual training, the connectivity of our equipment and security protocols. Allied Command Transformation is the driving force facilitating the Federated Mission Networking initiative, the incremental definition of a set of standards to be adopted to ensure interoperability from “Day Zero” for future operations. By doing that we promote the Alliance’s unity of action and interoperability.

Allied Command Transformation educates and trains thousands of Army, Navy, Air Force and civilian men and women each year. We deliver Article 5-level joint exercises, small scale exercises and pre- deployment training. By doing this, we homogenise the Alliance’s military culture, develop necessary competences and skills and ensure interoperability in the cognitive dimension of Alliance capability.

Allied Command Transformation brings efficiency and coherence to the development of NATO forces, as well as, medium and long term planning. Allied Command Transformation leads large parts of the NATO Defence Planning Process and is writing the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept. By doing this we, respectively; turn political guidance into capability commitments by all NATO Member Nations and frame the path for coherent warfare development for the Alliance.

Allied Command Transformation applies its capabilities to solving capability shortfalls. We develop operational thinking, capture lessons learned throughout the entire cycle of the operation, facilitate experimentation, deliver pre-deployment training and provide augmentation and enhanced capability development during crises. At the same time, Allied Command Transformation analyses and harnesses emerging security trends and technologies to help shape the landscape of future NATO operations. By doing this we ensure that the maximum output is generated from the NATO Strategic Commands at all levels of crisis.