Category: NATO

DIANA’s network will now comprise 23 accelerator sites (up from 11) and 182 test centres (up from 90) in 28 Allied countries, augmenting DIANA’s capacity to support innovators from across the Alliance as they develop their technologies.

Addressing media at NATO Headquarters on Thursday, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the addition of the new sites. “They will focus on solving some of our biggest defence and security challenges and sharpening our technological edge in areas ranging from Artificial Intelligence and cyber, to 5G, hypersonics, and autonomous systems”, he said.

DIANA-affiliated accelerators deliver world-class training, funding and commercial advice to the programme beneficiaries, while the network of test centres provides access to cutting-edge testing facilities.

“Part of DIANA’s strength, is our unique transatlantic network of talent centres and innovation leaders working toward a common purpose,” said Professor Deeph Chana, Managing Director of DIANA. “The breadth and diversity of partners in DIANA’s network will accelerate the development and deployment of ground-breaking solutions for defence, security and peace.”

Last November, 44 companies were chosen from over 1,300 applicants to join DIANA’s accelerator programme. The cohort of innovators were selected to tackle specific challenges on energy resilience, undersea sensing and surveillance, and secure information sharing. The 44 companies are currently following a detailed curriculum delivered by the five pilot accelerator sites, while developing their proposed technological solutions to the identified challenges. DIANA is also brokering connections to the wider Allied innovation ecosystem – including investors and end-users.

DIANA was established in 2022 to ensure  that NATO harnesses the best of dual-use innovation for transatlantic defence and security. DIANA provides companies with the resources, networks and guidance to develop deep technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges, from operating in denied environments to tackling threats to our collective resilience.

Accelerators and test centre sites are affiliated elements in the DIANA network – and have been nominated by their home nation. New sites in the network will come onstream in the coming months. 

For more information – including an interactive map of the expanded network – visit DIANA’s website: www.diana.nato.int

The Secretary General announced the results of NATO’s annual public perception polls, which also included surveys from Finland and Sweden for the first time. Mr Stoltenberg said, “the data is clear. Public support for NATO is extremely strong – on both sides of the Atlantic. If a vote were held today, an overwhelming majority of citizens across Allied countries would vote in favour of NATO.” He added, “For example, in the United States, only 13 percent would vote against,” underlining that “over 80% of our citizens believe that North America and Europe must continue to work together for our shared security.” He underlined these results indicate that “across the Alliance, support for NATO remains rock-solid.” Mr Stoltenberg further emphasised, “NATO citizens also continue to express strong solidarity with the brave Ukrainians. Across the Alliance, fully two-thirds of people want their country to continue supporting Ukraine.” He said that this support “matters, because NATO Allies provide 99% of all military aid.”

In 2023, Allies continued to provide unprecedented levels of support to Ukraine. Mr Stoltenberg said, “for the first time, a number of Allies also sent long-range systems –UK Storm Shadow and French SCALP missiles and Allies agreed to send F-16 aircraft.” Mr Stoltenberg added that several Allies have now signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. Mr Stoltenberg stressed, “Ukraine needs even more support and they need it now. The Ukrainians are not running out of courage. They are running out of ammunition.” He further emphasised, “this is a critical moment and it would be a grave, historic mistake to allow Putin to prevail. We cannot allow authoritarian leaders to get their way by using force.” 

On March 7, Sweden officially joined the Alliance and its accession was marked four days later, with a flag raising ceremony at the NATO Headquarters. The Secretary General emphasised, “last year, Finland joined the NATO family. Just last week, Sweden became the 32nd Ally,” underlining, “NATO is now bigger and stronger.”

The Secretary General welcomed that 2023 was the ninth consecutive year of increased defence spending across Europe and Canada, amounting to “defence spending rising by an unprecedented 11%.” In 2024, Mr Stoltenberg highlighted that NATO Allies in Europe will invest a total of $470 billion in defence, amounting to 2% of their combined GDP for the first time. “This year, two-thirds of Allies will meet the 2% target, up from just three Allies in 2014.” he said. Mr Stoltenberg said that he expected Allies to take further steps to support Ukraine, to reinforce and resource NATO’s defences and deepen partnerships around the world at NATO’s 75th Anniversary Washington Summit in July.

At the 2023 Vilnius Summit, Allies agreed a new Defence Production Action Plan to ramp up production, strengthen engagement with industry, and increase interoperability. The Secretary General highlighted, “since then, NATO has agreed contracts worth tens of billions of dollars for ammunition and key capabilities.” He also noted, in addition to working even more closely with partners in industry, NATO has further deepened its relations with partners in the Indo-Pacific, and the European Union. 

The Secretary General also noted that NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic – DIANA – is doubling its network of accelerators and test centres. These world-class sites on both sides of the Atlantic will focus on solving defence and security challenges, and sharpening NATO’s technological edge in areas ranging from artificial intelligence and cyber, to 5G, hypersonics, and autonomous systems.  

The Secretary General’s Annual Report details NATO’s work and achievements throughout the year.

In the figures and tables that follow, NATO also uses economic and demographic information available from the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission (DG ECFIN) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

In view of differences between these sources and national GDP forecasts, and also the definition of NATO defence expenditure and national definitions, the figures shown in this report may considerably diverge from those that are referenced by media, published by national authorities or given in national budgets. Equipment expenditure includes expenditure on major equipment as well as on research and development devoted to major equipment. Personnel expenditure includes pensions paid to retirees.

The cut-off date for information used in this report was 7 February 2024. Figures for 2023 are estimates.

About the study

Coverage: 31 NATO Allies plus Sweden: general population over 18 years of age. When this survey was conducted, Sweden was not a NATO member. Data from Sweden are not included in the calculation of the NATO total.

Sample size: In all countries polled online, a sample of at least 1,000 respondents per country was achieved. In countries surveyed by telephone, at least 500 individuals per country were interviewed. In total, 30,925 interviews were conducted.

Methodology: Online interviews, with quotas applied on gender, age and region. In Albania and Montenegro, interviews were conducted via telephone and random sampling.

All data have been weighted according to the latest population statistics.

Total data are calculated based on population distribution in the 31 Allied countries. Data from Sweden are not included in the calculation of the NATO total. When this survey was conducted, Sweden was a NATO Invitee. It became a NATO Ally on X March 2024.

Fieldwork period: 1 November – 6 December 2023.

Margin of error: The survey uses non-probability sampling. The indicative margin of error is ± 3%.

Trend data: 2022 data are based on interviews conducted among 30,993 interviews in the 30 NATO member countries between 7 and 29 November 2022. 2021 data are based on interviews conducted by Kantar among 28,909 adults in the 30 NATO member countries between 12 November and 2 December.

Headed by the Director of the Cooperative Security Division, Major General Dacian-Tiberiu Șerban, a NATO delegation met with Major General Yao Qin, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation and his staff. 

Topics covered at the meeting included: the global and regional security landscapes, with emphasis on Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine; maritime security; and issues of common concern.

Both sides agreed on the value of continued engagement. Major General Șerban underlined how the staff talks are mutually beneficial for all parties involved, that they represent a valuable forum to address shared concerns and interests and to foster transparency.

Sweden officially joined the Alliance on 7 March, and its accession was marked with a flag-raising ceremony at NATO Headquarters on 11 March. Speaking at the flag-raising, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined that “Sweden’s membership makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer, and all of us more secure”. He added: “Sweden’s accession shows again that NATO’s door remains open. No one can close it.”

Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană chaired Tuesday’s meeting of the Council, which was focused on NATO-EU cooperation, and featured the participation of European External Action Service Secretary General Stefano Sannino, as well as Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defence Charles Fries. Allies had the opportunity to exchange views on the European Union’s Strategic Compass, as well as support for Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and the situation in the Middle East and North Africa. Allies underscored that the European Union remains a unique and essential partner for NATO, and welcomed work to further strengthen the partnership in a spirit of transparency and complementarity.

The marine looks down at his skis as if they’re going to bite him.

But his comrades won’t stop taunting him – do it, do it, do it – so he lifts his chin and eyes the drop before him with resolve. He plants his poles in the snow and pushes.

The marine glides down the slope – more like a dent, really, in the crown of this snowy hill in northern Norway – and almost reaches the bottom when his skis leap out from under him, sending him crashing onto his back.

His friends erupt in cheers, raising their mittened hands. The marine groans.

“Every time, I fall on my a**,” he says, using a word we can’t repeat on the NATO website.

Like many of the troops in 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment (1/2 for short), he’s never been on skis before. This 10-day cold weather training course, held in the hills near Setermoen in February 2024, is a trial by ice, designed to help the marines survive the extreme elements of the Arctic Circle. In a matter of weeks, 1/2 will be well north of here, landing on the frozen coasts of Norway’s remote Finnmark region, for exercise Nordic Response.

The fallen marine rises to his skis and duck-walks back up the hill. He might be grimacing now, but by the time the exercise starts, he’ll be skiing through the frozen landscape with ease, a rifle slung across his chest and a 30-kilogram rucksack hugging his back.

“I think that’s one of the things that we see with our marines and sailors in this training,” said Marine Lieutenant Colonel Ted Driscoll, 1/2’s Commander, “is how rapidly they can gain skills to meet a level of proficiency necessary to execute operations. But like anything, it just takes practice”.

Unless, of course, you were born here. Many Norwegian soldiers enter military service with plenty of cold-weather savvy, and they move through the punishing terrain with style, whether by ski, snowshoe or snow mobile. They see the uncompromising rigour of their great, snowy backyard as a valuable proving ground for NATO’s forces.

“Being in Finnmark, in the harsh temperatures, cold temperatures, lots of snow, it’s very hard to operate,” said Lieutenant Colonel Petter Bakkejord, Commander of the Norwegian Army’s Armoured Battalion, Brigade Nord. “That will enable us to operate anywhere in the world. It could be desert, it could be tropical areas, but the Arctic prepares you for most environments.”

Which is to say: if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

Not that you need to tell the marines. In the past decade, the US military’s amphibious force has dedicated itself to mastering arctic warfare, sending scores of troops to learn the harsh lessons of winter in Setermoen. They’ve had good teachers in their Norwegian counterparts, and also the United Kingdom’s Royal Marines, which have a relationship with the Norwegian Arctic that predates NATO itself (in 1941, Royal Marine Commandos raided the Axis-occupied Lotofen islands, not far from Setermoen).

At their hilltop camp, you could see years’ worth of lessons learned being put into practice. For example: a marine shovelling snow into a yellow plastic bag. What might look like a menial chore is, in fact, the most important task in the camp. Snow gets melted and then boiled into clean water, which cooks food and hydrates marines. If someone isn’t digging a fighting position, brushing snow off their weapon or tuning skis, they’re shovelling snow into bags, or turning snow into water.

The trick is to keep busy. There’s always something to do, and doing that something generates body heat, keeping the -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) cold from numbing their toes and fingers. One sergeant proudly displays a shoulder-height wall of snow that his marines built around their yurt. It keeps the wind off the tent, he explains, but it also kept his marines moving, their bodies warm and their minds occupied.

Everything takes longer in the snow. Hikes that should take a couple of hours turn into a half-day effort, with marines stopping to tighten their snowshoes and get their bearings in the blank Arctic landscape. Even with snowshoes, hauling equipment through the terrain is exhausting. And there’s more equipment to haul: heavy tarps, diesel fuel for the tent stoves, skis and snowshoes, gloves the size of oven mitts and puffy jackets that the marines derisively call “snivel gear”.

And then there’s the cold.

The cold creeps through tent openings, finds its way down collars and seeps through knit caps. Stay still long enough, and you’ll lose feeling in your fingers and toes. Don’t break a sweat, though – wet clothes can cause frostbite, or hypothermia. Before a training attack, one corporal ordered his marines to strip their snivel gear; he didn’t want them soaking their undershirts as they charged through the deep snow, sweating with effort.

The order seemed counter-intuitive, and as the marines stripped down and removed the warm, puffy jackets, you could see them tense slightly as the cold air blasted the warmth off their bodies. But they ignored the shiver, yanked on their white camouflage overcoats and picked up their rifles. Soon, they were charging up a hill, their snowshoes flinging clouds of frozen powder.

The Arctic is a harsh teacher, and there’s still a long way to go until they reach Finnmark, but the marines are quick studies. For those new to snow and unsteady on skis, practice might never make perfect – but it can certainly make good enough. And with NATO Allies who are experts in Arctic survival, the marines will always have friends to help them weather the cold.