OUR STUDIES
Framework for the Future: Lessons Learned from the UK’s Approach to Integrated Battle Networks
This paper examines the evolution of the United Kingdom’s (UK) approach to integrated military network systems, analysing its strategies, technological advancements, and partnerships, particularly within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and with European Union (EU) allies. The study underscores the UK’s commitment to Network-Centric Warfare (NCW) and multi-domain operations, outlining the development of foundational communication systems like Bowman and Network Enabled Capability (NEC), as well as newer projects, including Morpheus, TRINITY, and the Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems (LETacCIS) program. The UK’s integration strategy prioritises secure, real-time data exchange across land, air, maritime, cyber, and space domains, aiming to enhance interoperability and strengthen resilience against hybrid threats.
A key focus of this paper is on the UK’s collaboration with NATO and the EU in advancing secure communication frameworks, cyber resilience, and satellite capabilities through projects like Federated Mission Networking (FMN) and the SKYNET satellite system. As cyber and space domains become more critical, the UK’s evolving strategies demonstrate an adaptable, modular approach to maintaining technological superiority and coalition interoperability. To conclude, the paper highlights future directions for integrated networks, emphasising the importance of flexible, cyber-resilient, and quantum-encrypted systems to address emerging security challenges in a complex, multi-domain operational environment.
The Light Advantage: Exploring Li-Fi as the Next Frontier in Military Data Transmission
Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) is an emerging technology that revolutionises wireless communication by leveraging the visible light spectrum for data transmission. Addressing the limitations of tradi- tional radio frequency (RF)-based systems, Li-Fi offers unparalleled advantages in bandwidth, security, and energy efficiency. This paper examines Li-Fi’s transformative potential, partic- ularly in military contexts where secure and resilient communication is paramount. From enhancing command and control operations to facilitating naval coordination and disaster re- sponse, Li-Fi’s unique attributes, such as immunity to electromagnetic interference and high- speed transmission, make it a compelling alternative to RF technologies.
However, issues like line-of-sight reliance and environmental sensitivity must be addressed be- fore widespread use occurs. The integration of Li-Fi with existing RF systems via hybrid tech- niques, as well as the new IEEE 802.11bb standardisation, point to a route towards practical feasibility. The paper also explores prospects, including Li-Fi’s role in multi-domain operations and its potential synergy with quantum encryption technologies.
The study’s extensive research highlights Li-Fi’s importance in tackling current communica- tion difficulties, as well as its ability to reinvent connection in military and civilian applica- tions. The adoption of Li-Fi might signal a watershed moment in the transition to more secure, efficient, and adaptive wireless communication networks for an increasingly linked world by encouraging collaboration among governments, academics, and businesses.
INFO FLASH
Renegotiating Alliances: Trump’s America’s first foreign policy and the European Union’s quest for strategic autonomy
In light of Donald Trump’s second administration and its transactional America-first foreign policy, this paper considers the implications for European strategic autonomy amid the heightened importance of US security commitments and defence capabilities. Trump’s foreign policy is driven by the belief that Europeans have taken advantage of the US within the NATO alliance and international trade, and seeks to renegotiate trade agreements, returning manufacturing to the US and shifting its strategic orientation towards Asia. In the short term, this can constrain Europe’s strategic autonomy, as European capitals are pressured to accommodate the America-first agenda to ensure the US retains vital military capabilities in Europe and continues to provide military support to Ukraine. However, in the long term, the Trump administration’s pressure on allies to spend more on defence and a degree of ambiguity over security commitments reinforces the need for European strategic autonomy and accelerates the development of capacities that enable Europe to pursue its interests more independently.
The Acceleration of Command and Control Through Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for European Land Forces
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an ever more important part of command and control (C2) and the decision-making connected to it. AI systems are crucial in supporting commanders in their decision-making, allowing them to act on data and the information it carries faster and more efficiently than ever before. These systems are complex, their results are often difficult to understand or verify, and they struggle with ethical considerations. To offset these disadvantages, humans need not concur with every decision AI makes, but they should retain control and be able to intervene and stop certain decisions as they see fit. Given the faster speed that AI gives C2 activities, continuing to exercise this control will prove challenging for commanders and their staff.
NORDEFCO – A Blueprint for Regional Defence Cooperation?
This paper examines the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) as a case study in pragmatic, regional defence collaboration. Despite being founded by states with divergent political alignments and defence doctrines, NORDEFCO has evolved into a flexible and low-threshold framework that promotes operational efficiency, logistical coordination, and strategic interoperability among its members. By tracing NORDEFCO’s institutional structure and historical development, the study assesses the model’s successes and limitations. While NORDEFCO’s achievements, such as multinational exercises, intelligence sharing, and education programmes, demonstrate the value of voluntary, sovereignty-conscious cooperation, its replicability is constrained by the unique geopolitical and cultural cohesion of the Nordic region. The paper further aims to provide an outlook into NORDEFCO’s possible avenues of expansion and prospective transformation following the NATO membership accession of all its members. The study concludes that NORDEFCO-NATO coalescence is crucial to overcome the agreement’s limitations to achieve real Nordic defence integration, arguing that NORDEFCO is likely to retain its relevance under NATO command thanks to its region-specific capability enhancement projects.
