Strategic Command at NATO’s Multi-Domain Operations Conference
Strategic Command played an important role at the event, sharing insights and perspectives in support of NATO’s vision to be an MDO enabled alliance by 2030.
Lt Gen Copinger-Symes outlined our national approach to integration, and discussed the next steps both nationally and internationally to achieve greater integration across the Alliance.
The NATO Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) Conference 2023, themed “The role of nations in building MDO enabled Alliance”, saw NATO present their progress on the MDO concept with member nations identifying opportunities to implement the concept.
With Strategic Command responsible for driving integration for UK Defence, representatives from the Command played an important role at the event, sharing insights and perspectives in support of NATO’s vision to be an MDO enabled alliance by 2030.
Joining a panel discussion on the National Perspective of MDO Implementation, Lt Gen Tom Copinger-Symes, Deputy Commander Strategic Command, set out the central elements of our national approach to integration, explaining what is still needed for both UK and NATO and provided insights into what’s coming next.
Our Future Operating Concept is clear on this. We must compete and be ready to fight – there is not a choice between competing and fighting. We must fight differently, recognising the new domains of cyber and electromagnetic, and space. We cannot choose our adversaries, and we must optimise our Armed Forces to fight with Allies and partners. We must increase the co-ordination of the levers of power within our government and with our Allies and partners.
Sarah Chapman Trim, Head of People and Culture in the Strategic Command Transformation Programme, provided insight into behaviour and culture change in complex systems and why this is necessary as NATO adopts a Multi-Domain Operations approach.
Culture can be most simply and usefully described as our preferred way doing things around here and whilst cultures differ and can differ quite significantly, there is much we can learn from how other complex organisations integrate across boundaries.
Sharing national perspectives, approaches and concerns is vital to building trust and integration across the Alliance. As nations come together to forge a future defined by integrated capabilities, conferences like these pave the way for closer collaboration.