NATO finds itself at a critical juncture. The Alliance celebrated its 75th anniversary and took important steps during a historic summit in Washington, D.C. in July. At the same time, the Alliance faces strategic competition, pervasive instability, recurrent shocks, as well as global and interconnected threats. These challenges are most evident in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has shattered Euro-Atlantic peace and stability.  

It was against this backdrop that the Sub-Committee on Technology Trends and Security (STCTTS) conducted a four-day visit to Belgium and the Netherlands. Throughout the visit, parliamentarians discussed efforts to maintain NATO’s technological and industrial edge in a landscape of emerging threats, as well as the role of technology in countering threats such as disinformation.  

The STCTTS delegation was led by Agnes Vadai (Hungary), Chairperson of the Science and Technology Committee, and consisted of eleven lawmakers from nine NATO member countries. The delegation met with NATO officials, Belgian and Dutch representatives, researchers, experts, and industry figures. The discussions clearly underscored the necessity of international collaboration to strengthen the defence technological and industrial base in an ever more competitive environment. Moreover, they emphasised the importance of a whole-of-society approach, entailing clear communication of why continued investments are essential to maintain NATO’s technological edge. 

Maintaining and strengthening the Alliance’s technological edge 

At the Washington Summit, NATO leaders reflected on NATO’s transformation and adaptation efforts to meet current and future threats, including through its strategies for emerging disruptive technologies, the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and the NATO Innovation Fund. Throughout the visit, the STCTTS delegation had several opportunities to directly engage with NATO officials to discuss these matters. 

At NATO HQ, parliamentarians discussed approaches to countering disinformation with Marie-Doha Besancenot, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy. Ms Besancenot outlined recent efforts to enhance situational awareness and coordination between Allies to effectively address disinformation campaigns. “Our new coordination mechanisms, as well as AI-powered tools allow us to rapidly identify, trace and counter disinformation campaigns in a coherent manner across multiple NATO member countries,” she stressed. 

A key player when it comes to harnessing the potential of emerging disruptive technologies for the Alliance’s benefit is the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO). NATO’s Chief Scientist, Dr Bryan Wells, briefed the delegation about the STO’s work as well as the ongoing revisions to NATO’s Science and Technology Strategy. Dr Wells, furthermore, noted that “we need to recognise the excellent knowledge base that we have available and should continue to diversify it through collaborative projects and initiatives that increase the participation of women in our research efforts,” for instance, through the research competition Women and Girls in Science.

Building on these conversations, Philip Lockwood, Head of the Innovation Unit, highlighted NATO’s recent activities on the Alliance’s emerging disruptive technologies strategy with the fact that innovation is no longer primarily driven by defence but by the commercial sector. That is why DIANA and the NATO Innovation Fund focus on selecting promising solutions by innovations, helping in their acceleration and providing funding which leverages private sector investments.  

Moreover, Allies need to ensure that such innovations are fit for purpose by engaging in co-development with operators and by adapting to shorter action-reaction and procurement cycles. To identify the needs of armed forces and operators, NATO can draw on its established defence planning process, which provides the basis to identify capability requirements, as the Head of Capability Delivery Section, Holger Ziegler, laid out.  

The STCTTS delegation also had the opportunity to learn more about practical implementation efforts during its visit to the NATO Communications Agency in The Hague. Parliamentarians were briefed about the essential digital services the NATO Communications Agency provides to NATO, its functioning and ongoing research projects, such as how AI-tools can be applied to make the Alliance’s daily functioning ever more effective.  

Belgium and the Netherlands: a shared commitment to science and technology 

The four-day visit provided NATO parliamentarians with ample opportunities to learn about the security and defence priorities and the defence technological and industrial base of Belgium and the Netherlands. The visit began with welcoming remarks by the Belgian and Dutch Permanent Representatives to NATO. Ambassadors Ariadne Petridis and Thijs van der Plas stressed that engagement with parliamentarians is a sign of our vibrant democracies and are particularly important at a time when the Alliance needs to continue its support to Ukraine and ramp up its deterrence and defence. Ambassador Petridis further underlined that we need to adapt faster through cooperation between governments, academia, research centres, industry and the public. 

Belgium and the Netherlands are at the forefront of such efforts. Theo Francken, Head of the Belgian Delegation and Vice-President of the NATO PA, pointed to the Belgian-Dutch Naval Cooperation which is becoming more important in light of Russia’s threats to critical maritime infrastructure. The importance of collaboration was also emphasised by the Dutch NATO PA member, Christianne Van der Wal, who welcomed the group in The Hague: “These programmes enable us to reap synergies and achieve innovation milestones that would not be possible otherwise.” 

The delegation received further information about Belgian and Dutch efforts by the countries’ Principal Members on the NATO Science and Technology Board. Flotilla Admiral Coppieters de Gibson offered an overview of Belgian strategies, focus areas and Belgium’s contributions to NATO through its participation in DIANA as well as its financial contribution to the NATO Innovation Fund. Auke Venema informed the delegation about the security and defence priorities of the new Dutch government and emphasised that funds are available to strengthen innovative regional ecosystems, support dual-use start-ups and facilitate their scale-ups. Mr Venema updated the delegation about the forthcoming Science and Technology and Innovation Agenda and stressed the importance of fostering the existing knowledge base, including through international collaboration. 

The visit shed light on this excellent knowledge base and innovation ecosystem in Belgium and the Netherlands. The visit to SABCA in Brussels offered insights into the work of a leading player in the aerospace field and the delegation learned about two DIANA test centres in Belgium through a briefing by Peter Grognard from the Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics and a visit to IMEC, a world-leading research and development hub focusing on nanoelectronics in Leuven, Belgium. The delegation also visited ASML, the leading supplier of lithography machines for the chips industry in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. At ASML, lawmakers had the opportunity to engage in a constructive exchange about the geopolitical situation concerning semiconductors, export restrictions, and the US’s and EU’s Chips Acts. 

Space: the fifth operational domain 

One of the visit’s thematic focus areas was space, NATO’s fifth operational domain. Whilst highlighting the Netherlands perspectives when it comes to space, Carla Andela from the Dutch Ministry of Defence, noted that the Netherlands boasts a strong space sector and that NATO initiatives such as the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space programme are highly promising.  

Subsequent presentations by Kees Buijsrogge, from the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research, and Egbert Smit, from the Netherlands Aerospace Centre, illustrated the innovative power of the Dutch space sector. Their presentations offered further information about ongoing research efforts and space activities which demonstrated the inherent dual-use nature and the importance of collaboration between government, academia, research centres and industry.  

The delegation visit closed with a field trip to the European Space Agency’s Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The delegation was briefed on the European Space Agency’s activities, the prevailing challenges in space and the intersection of civilian, commercial and defence efforts in this domain. Discussions also revolved around geopolitical implications for space, including the risks associated with the renewed race to the moon and the need for regulatory frameworks to avoid conflict and ensure planetary protection. The delegation also received a tour of the European Space Agency’s Research and Technology Centre’s world-leading Test Centre and Hertz Chamber. 

Photos, courtesy of SABCA, IMEC, ASML,NATO NCIA, House of Representatives of the Netherlands and the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC).