NATO launches new defence procurement forum

NATO is hosting its inaugural Allied Innovation Procurement Forum on 25 June to help allied governments streamline the adoption of emerging defence technologies.  

An announcement from NATO on 21 April says that the forum will serve as a platform for strengthening cooperation and discussing “innovative acquisition models and capability development pathways”.  

These discussions are a key component of NATO’s Rapid Adoption Action Plan, which seeks to harmonise and facilitate agile procurement across the alliance.  

The forum will be held at the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) campus in The Hague, the Netherlands. It will include both presentations and panel sessions, which will be shared in-person and virtually.  

A tentative agenda includes a presentation on “Rapid Acquisition in Times of Crisis: Lessons from Ukraine” and a breakout session on “Innovation within Limits: Maximising Agility across the Alliance”, among others.  

The announcement says that attendees at the forum will include procurement experts from NATO as well as ministries of defence, communications and information agencies from NATO-allied partners, as well as other public organisations. 

Streamlining procurement  

The forum will run as an annual event, hosted jointly between the NCIA and the NATO Support and Procurement Agency. The location will alternate between the two each year.  

Registration for this year’s forum closes on 15 May.