NATO is redefining modern defense operations using data. The ability to master and manage data is now recognized as a decisive factor in military victory or defeat. Greg Stanton, NATO's Deputy Secretary General for Cyber and Digital Transformation, has emphasized the importance of this in his recent discussions.
Digital Transformation and Better Decision-Making
In an interview ahead of the NATO Edge 26 event, which is NATO's annual defense innovation showcase, Stanton clearly stated that there is a need for a serious digital transformation effort to effectively manage data and present it to military leaders under high-pressure conditions. He says, "The main problem is usually not technology, but permissions and classification restrictions."
He notes that after proper data management, there is a greater opportunity to utilize artificial intelligence as a facilitator for military efficiency. Stanton states, "For NATO, the biggest difference that artificial intelligence can make is in decision-making advantage. Modern operations generate vast amounts of data that no human organization can process alone at the required speed."
Challenges of Data Management
Data exists in all operational dimensions, from land and sea to air and cyberspace, and is stored in various formats including images, documents, and geographic information. This data must be quickly accessible in emergencies to make key decisions. NATO also faces additional challenges, as a common operational picture must be created among the 32 member countries.
Stanton refers to how data can be turned into operational advantage and mission readiness, saying, "Data mesh architecture" is a proposed solution for data management that manages data where it is produced instead of aggregating it in a traditional data lake. This approach allows users to access and analyze data using multiple access points.
According to Stanton, this method helps solve the permissions problem, as data remains under the control of the country or system that produced it. This controls access to data based on source policies and prevents additional complexities from arising.
However, the lack of a unified view can extend the risk of losing operational advantage to adversaries. Zero trust relies on the connection of authentication logs and network traffic, so that different domains can be analyzed collectively. Ultimately, Stanton emphasizes that data acts as fuel for the shift to software-defined defense.
