NATO is creating a separate cloud system through which Ukraine will be able to quickly transfer combat data to allies. The service is planned to be launched on NATO’s cloud infrastructure in January 2026, but for this the Alliance still needs to agree on rules for its secure use.
According to the publication «Military» with reference to Defense One, Russia’s war against Ukraine has created large amounts of data that Ukraine wants to share with partners. This includes information from drones, aircraft, radars and other sensors, but there is still no single secure platform that would allow for the rapid processing and transmission of such data to all NATO members.
NATO Deputy Secretary General for Operations Tom Goffus noted that a new cloud is being created for a joint training and analytical center in Poland with Ukraine. It is supposed to process classified data from the Ukrainian battlefield and become a common environment for their analysis, and the equipment has already been installed, but there is a lack of a formalized accreditation policy.
According to Goffus, the main challenge lies in security procedures, not technology. Current NATO tools were designed for a network-centric architecture, while the new service is focused on a cloud-centric approach, so the Alliance is studying the experience of large American cloud providers, which are already building «secret clouds» for defense agencies.
The platform is planned to be created from scratch so as not to inherit the limitations of old networks. The project involves the use of commercial solutions with open architecture to connect equipment from different manufacturers, but the ultimate owner and «gatekeeper» of the infrastructure should remain the state, not private contractors.
The growing volume of data from the modern battlefield (from drones and artillery to satellite intelligence) is forcing NATO to move to a shared cloud-based information model. For Ukraine, this will mean faster exchange of experience with allies, better system interoperability, and deeper integration into the Alliance’s combat ecosystem.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, together with the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), are preparing the first joint UNITE — Brave NATO competition, which should accelerate the emergence of new defense technologies on the front and enhance the compatibility of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the armies of the Alliance.
