Home  /   News  /  2025  /  TECHNICAL COORDINATION CONFERENCE FOR STEADFAST COBALT 25 EXERCISE

ISTANBUL, Türkiye – military and civilian representatives from 48 NATO Command and Force Structure units alongside with National Force Elements participated in the Technical Coordination Conference (TCC), conducted from 20 – 24 January in Istanbul, to continue planning for the upcoming STEADFAST COBALT 25 Exercise (STCO25).  

The TCC aimed to enhance interoperability among involved military units and to coordinate technical strategies for seamless communication in the largest STEADFAST COBALT 25 exercise this year. The clear mission is to build a secure, robust and agile network that supports NATO’s readiness for defence across its entire Area of Responsibility. 

More than 310 military and civilian experts, engineers and CIS specialists from NATO and partner nations attended the conference, which was hosted by the Multinational Joint Warfare Centre (MJWC).

Core discussions of the TCC were focused on network resilience and secure data transfer while defining a federated network, capable of responding to different scenario. Interoperability of systems across multinational forces and sharing best practices for efficient coordination were the main topics. Finally, the focus was developing the implementation details of CIS architecture with the participation of all service providers involved in STCO25.

STCO25 participants, 22 January 2025, Istanbul, Türkiye.

The TCC underscored the importance of secure and efficient communication systems. The conference also addressed opportunities for participants to engage in community outreach and share best practices.

The Exercise Director for STCO25 stated:

Exercise STEADFAST COBALT 2025 is a collective multinational exercise reinforcing Alliance unity and readiness. NATO is committed to investing in deterrence and defence not only in tanks and bullets but also in cyber and other new capabilities. Our cyber space defenders will continue their readiness and defensive cyber capabilities.                                                                                                                                        The Technical Coordination Conference was more than a conference – it was a strategic and operational platform that strengthened and reinforce Alliance unity and readiness in CIS domain. While we are maturing in how units and nations interface, interact and operate together, we are also increasing speed by ensuring that all contributing units are ready and prepared to deploy.