The first edition of NATO Edge, the NATO Communications and Information Agency's (NCI Agency) flagship conference, has successfully come to an end after three days of rich conversations, captivating panels and breakout sessions at the Lotto Mons Expo, in Mons, Belgium.
Between 25-27 October, NATO Edge gathered over 2100 registered attendees, including participants from industry, National and NATO officials and academia. This new flagship event brought together decision-makers and industry leaders to discuss the technology, innovation and partnerships needed to futureproof the Alliance.
Day two kicked off with keynote speeches from the Chair of the Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer and NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges David Van Weel, followed by a series of fascinating panel discussions and breakout sessions on topics such as collaborative architecting, AI for military operations and how the NCI Agency supports NATO's ambitious agenda.
"To maintain and increase interoperability, […] we should ensure that we move forward as one. This task cannot be achieved by NATO only. It requires the support and reactiveness of defence industries, start-ups, academics, scientists, and civil society. In other words: a perfect storm of leaders. And that makes this conference all the more important," said Admiral Rob Bauer during his speech.
Day three was opened with five parallel breakout sessions on topics such as space technologies for ISR applications, excellence in cyberspace learning and business opportunities with the NCI Agency. It was followed by a keynote address and fireside chat with former President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid and a panel discussion on technological resilience. President Kaljulaid captured the overarching theme of the NATO Edge conference in her speech, stating that "technology decides the future of our Alliance."
The NCI Agency's General Manager Ludwig Decamps closed the conference by thanking all NATO Edge attendees, panelists, speakers and staff for making this an incredible event. Thank you all for joining us this year for the first NATO Edge conference and see you next time!
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