Keeping It Together: NATO’s Diplomatic, Digital and Data Balancing Act

NATO is under increasing pressure as it encounters a mixture of rising external threats and internal dissensions. Its digital operations are a case in point. The alliance needs to modernize its digital and cloud capabilities to ensure interoperability. The United States is a core provider of the necessary technology but is proving increasingly unreliable as a partner. Other members are seeking to mitigate the risks it poses by asserting their own technological sovereignty.

This case study examines the risks and consequences associated with tech dependency in an age of geopolitical fragmentation. It allows students to interrogate the concepts of digital (including data) sovereignty and collaborative governance. This case highlights the kind of dilemma confronting policymakers as they balance fast-moving tech imperatives with the reality of a changing global order.