4 minute read
Ten years of the NCI Agency
Ludwig Decamps, General Manager, NCI Agency
I am honoured to present to you our special anniversary issue of the NATO Innovation and Technology (NITECH) magazine. We are celebrating the first decade of the NCI Agency with this magazine, an issue that means a lot to our staff, and to me as General Manager. You likely know that the NCI Agency was founded in 2012 as a part of a NATO reform, along with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). We are proud to celebrate this historic milestone with NSPA. In this issue, we will take a look back at what we have accomplished, while also looking ahead at the next decade and beyond.
Such a focus is timely, as today we are going through some defining moments for the Alliance, from developing the next Strategic Concept, to approving NATO’s landmark strategy on artificial intelligence (AI). I want the Agency to be ready to operate effectively in such an environment. We must be in sync with the reality of today, while simultaneously preparing for the future, and the opportunities and challenges it will bring.
NITECH ››› FOREWORD
WHAT THE FUTURE MAY LOOK LIKE
When it comes to understanding what that future will look like, what is evident is that there is enhanced understanding in our political leadership of what technology can bring. Our leaders in NATO understand how important technology is for the future of the Alliance, and as an Agency, we are committed to supporting their ambitious agenda. This issue coincides with the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, and the adoption of NATO’s next Strategic Concept. This document is critical for our Alliance. Together with the Washington Treaty which established NATO, the Strategic Concept sets our direction of travel.
At the Agency, we have also developed our own Strategic Plan to guide us for the years ahead. In this plan, we make four commitments to: ensure excellence in delivery; hire, train and retain the best; support NATO’s ambitious agenda and build strong and lasting partnerships.
Ensuring excellence in delivery is our top priority at the Agency in the years to come, and we know that sophisticated service operations are an important piece of the puzzle. In January, we opened a new facility in Mons, Belgium for the Enterprise Service Operations Centre (ESOC). For the first time, Agency experts delivering services and network technicians will be able to collaborate together in the same space to quickly assist NATO, promptly resolving incidents and better
The Enterprise Service Operations Centre ensures NATO’s digital services are operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week (PHOTO: NCI AGENCY)
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The NATO Cyber Security Centre monitors NATO’s networks 24 hours to prevent debilitating attacks (PHOTO: NCI AGENCY)
monitoring the Alliance’s technology. The Enterprise Service Operations Centre is an essential hub for NATO. Together, experts from across the Agency will work at the new ESOC to ensure NATO’s digital services are operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Constantly refreshing our technology, and making cyber security a continued focus, are critical to supporting NATO’s ambitious agenda. There is a renewed focus on resilience in the Alliance, and the NCI Agency is supporting that work. And as with many organizations, public or private, NATO’s networks face a significant number of threats from a variety of actors – it is the job of our NATO Cyber Security Centre to ensure these networks remain protected. We also support NATO through our NCI Academy which trains NATO and national staff on technology and cyber defence.
BEHIND AN AMBITIOUS AGENDA
When it comes to supporting NATO’s ambitious agenda, emerging and disruptive technologies are both a priority and an area of concern. Hand in hand with our partners across the Alliance, we have conducted technical trials and studies of technologies such as AI, quantum computing and others. We want to make sure that we understand these technologies, but also that we can bring these technologies into NATO and make them available at the appropriate level. In doing this work, we are cognizant of the fact that NATO is not leading the way on these advanced technologies – these advancements are being driven by the private sector. That’s why we develop close partnerships with industry at the Agency, to ensure that we can make such technologies available for use within NATO when they are ready.
You may be reading this magazine at NATO Edge, our redesigned flagship event and a place to meet the Agency, learn where NATO is going next and explore possible collaborations with industry, academia and the not-for-profit sector. Thank you for your continued engagement. We hope you enjoy this new format. Without further ado, I will leave you to read this exciting magazine! Don’t miss the contributions of NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne, and NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană. I hope you enjoy this issue. 11
