Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is reshaping NATO’s defence technology priorities, with counter-drone systems and space-based surveillance emerging as some of the alliance’s most urgent capability gaps, the head of the NATO Innovation Fund told Reuters.
– The 1 billion euro ($1.12 billion) fund, backed by 24 NATO nations, is expanding into Poland and looking for direct investments as it seeks to accelerate the development of dual-use technologies on NATO’s eastern flank.
– “We have seen drone incursions into countries here to an extent that is not being seen elsewhere,” NIF President Ari Jonsson said.
– “That really creates a different mindset when it comes to threats that you can actually see.“
– The most pressing needs on NATO’s eastern flank are technologies that can detect, track and neutralise drones as well as space-based intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities, he said.
– Lessons from the war in Ukraine had significantly influenced the fund’s investment strategy, Jonsson said.
– Poland’s high defence spending, openness to new technologies and strong engineering base have made it an attractive destination for investment, he said.
– Jonsson said the fund was deliberately looking beyond traditional defence contractors for the next generation of defence technologies.
– To support that effort, the fund is opening a presence in Warsaw to speed up the identification and adoption of promising innovations.
– “The NATO Innovation Fund is the first major fund, not originating from Poland, to establish a substantial presence in our country,” Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski said in a statement.