Patten briefed about the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS), a multinational initiative that aims to ensure the provision of space-based ISR data through national and commercial satellites, and their integration into NATO systems. Patten, Programme Manager for the APSS, highlighted how technological advancements create new opportunities in enabling and exploiting satellite-based intelligence. Yasar Orten kicked off the event in the NATO Space Pitches by presenting the future of satellite communication (SATCOM), a NATO capability for which the NCI Agency plays a leading role.
Later, Angelo Ricciardi, SATCOM Senior Engineer, from the NCI Agency's NATO Integrated Mobile Services Centre (NIMSC) and Yasar Orten co-moderated a breakout session on multinational initiatives. The NCI Agency team, which included also Flavio Giudice, Deputy Head of STAR, engaged with representatives from the industry on future collaboration opportunities in this domain.
"Leveraging innovation in the space domain is key for NATO's success," Giudice stated. "As space becomes increasingly critical and contested, maintaining the technological edge in this domain will be critical for NATO to ensure its strategic advantage. Collaborating with industry leaders allows us to provide resilient solutions at an accelerated pace so that NATO can benefit from emerging space technologies."
As a new operational domain, space is essential to NATO defence and deterrence. The NCI Agency has been delivering essential space-based products, data and services to the Alliance since the 1970s and today, over 160 Agency personnel provide space capabilities for the Alliance. The Agency's STAR team is at the forefront of the effort to ensure that NATO exploits technological advancements in the space domain.