Image: NATO
NATO has launched a new strategy to strengthen its relationship with defence industry, as per a recent press statement. Allied Leaders endorsed the Strategy for Industry-NATO Cooperation at the NATO Summit in Ankara.
The strategy responds to an increasingly contested security environment outlined in NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept. It aims to support Allies as they deliver on The Hague defence spending commitment. NATO views a strong, innovative defence industry as essential to collective security and technological edge.
The strategy sets out three strategic objectives. These cover enhanced communication with industry, advancing innovation and interoperability, and strengthening defence production capacity.
NATO will establish a new engagement platform, the NATO Front Door for Industry (NFDI). This will serve as the main channel connecting companies with the NATO Enterprise. The platform will aggregate procurement opportunities and amplify testing and experimentation openings across the Alliance.
The Alliance will also launch the NATO Engine, a network linking manufacturers with flexible production capacity to companies needing scale-up facilities. This follows a “contractor- or factory-for-hire” model, particularly benefiting non-traditional suppliers.
On production resilience, NATO will run Table-Top Exercises stress-testing surge production during crisis scenarios. Allies will also examine strategic reserves and stockpiles for critical defence capabilities, working through the Defence Industrial Production Board.
Industrial policy remains a national prerogative. NATO stresses this strategy complements rather than replaces national defence industrial plans.
The Conference of National Armaments Directors will develop an Implementation Plan by October 2026, in consultation with industry, setting out detailed timelines for delivery.
Read the full Strategy for Industry-NATO Cooperation here
