Kevin J. Scheid

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NCI Agency General Manager Kevin J. Scheid

NCI Agency: Leading NATO’s Digital Transformation

I am proud to present the fifth edition of NITECH magazine. Each edition of this magazine is a special opportunity for us to bring together all elements of NATO to talk about innovation and technology. We are pleased to have again in this issue the participation of leaders from across NATO, and from NATO Allies working on cutting-edge technology.

NITECH magazine, for us, is about creating connections: across the NATO family and with our external partners. 13

NITECH ››› FOREWORD

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, NCI Agency Chief of Staff Major General Göksel Sevindik and NCI Agency General Manager Kevin J. Scheid attend the official opening of the NCI Academy on 26 May this year (PHOTO: NCI AGENCY)

14 From NATO Agencies, the Nations, Commands, to industry, not-for-profits and universities, NATO’s strength depends on these connections. Our ultimate aim with this magazine is to build trust in the organization, and understanding across the Alliance. Trust comes from transparency and delivering on our promises.

So, with this magazine, we aim to lift the veil on a part of NATO that may not often be seen or understood. We talk about the networks Allies use to talk to each other during operations and exercises. We explain how we work with national industries to harness their innovations for the good of the Alliance. Whether we are in Afghanistan or Kosovo, in a bunker in Mons, Belgium, or sunny Oeiras, Portugal, we of the NCI Agency are all part of the NATO family. And we take our role seriously.

We know that technology plays a key role in facilitating consultation between Allies – it’s the lifeblood of NATO. The COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the importance of technology in accomplishing NATO’s mission. As one small example, there was an unprecedented jump in the use of video teleconferencing across NATO during COVID-19 – usage jumped more than six-fold at some classification levels, and more than 20-fold at the unclassified level.

You must be able to trust that your technology will work when you need it – that it will be there for you when you have to make that important call, or examine that data to make a decision. NITECH magazine is a great opportunity for us to showcase what we have accomplished, what remains to be done, and discuss the technology that NATO needs to maintain its edge.

This edition of NITECH magazine focuses on using data as a strategic resource – an important topic in this increasingly digital age. Allied leaders use data for situational awareness and decision-making, and the NCI Agency is at the heart of NATO’s data. It is stored by our data centres, sent on our networks, used on our applications and protected by our NATO Cyber Security Centre. In just one day, the NATO Cyber Security Centre monitors 20 terabytes of internet traffic, analysing around 56 million web transactions to protect more than 18,000 users. We will continue to work closely with all of you, across NATO, to ensure the Alliance has the right data at the right time to make the right decisions. Making the right choices ensures that nearly one billion citizens across the Alliance can put their trust in NATO to keep them safe.

This is my last NITECH magazine as General Manager of the NCI Agency. I am honoured to have served NATO at a very exciting time, as the Agency has helped to lead NATO’s digital transformation. Together, NATO and industry have achieved many great things, and this collaboration is essential to the success of the Agency in the future. Maintaining the NCI Agency’s engagement with industry will be a central message to my successor during my transition. Thank you to the dedicated professionals of the NCI Agency, who work tirelessly to deliver the capabilities and services needed to keep the Alliance strong. I have been honoured to be part of NATO’s digital endeavour.