November 24, 2025 – Over 250 participants from 29 different nations gathered at the Rotterdam World Trade Centre from Monday, November 17, to Thursday, November 20, for the annual C2 Conference: ‘Command & Control in the Digital Age: Accelerating NATO C2 Transformation to Deter in the Continuum of Competition’. The event was organized by the NATO C2COE, the NATO-accredited Centre of Excellence on Command and Control, based at the Kromhout Barracks in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
With a focus on the importance of critical infrastructure, the themes of People, Processes & Technology provided the viewpoint for panel sessions, interactive workshops, and roundtable discussions. The objective was to discuss the concept of deterrence and steer towards a robust C2 network, with an eye for new leadership, Human-Machine Teaming, and Artificial Intelligence.
“The key message of this conference is that deterrence is no longer focused merely on a defensive peak (based on a NATO Article 5 situation), but is a permanent status. Resilience is an important component of deterrence, requiring us to be continuously focused on protecting our society by interconnecting the armed forces, government, industry, and academia to strengthen our shared awareness.”
— Col. Mietta Groeneveld, Director NATO C2COE
Urgency
The conference emphasized the need for further digital transformation and increasing resilience within the NATO Alliance. Central was the discussion on the further integration of Multi-Domain Operations, where Command and Control is no longer purely military but requires a ‘whole of society’ approach with active involvement from governments, academia, and industry.
The war in Ukraine served as a crucial learning point, particularly through the presentation of the Ukrainian-developed Delta system and the AI platform Avengers, where speed, decentralized action, and the rapid integration of commercial technologies are key. Specific attention was paid to the vulnerability of critical infrastructure (such as the Port of Rotterdam) and the necessity of breaking through structural challenges to guarantee effective deterrence. The consensus was that adequate leadership and trust are essential to realize cultural change and the necessary speed of innovation.
Collaboration
The conference brought together a select group of military commanders, policymakers, and industry leaders. Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam, provided the opening keynote speech, followed by contributions from other high-ranking speakers, including Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hubert Cottereau (former Vice Chief of Staff at SHAPE and NATO Senior Mentor) and Major General John Phillips (Director J6, US EUCOM). They were complemented by speakers such as Lieutenant General Piotr Błazeusz (Strategic Advisor to the Polish Chief of the General Staff) and John-Mikal Størdal on behalf of the NATO Science & Technology Organization.
Missed the Conference?
The annual C2 Conference aims to promote active involvement and meaningful dialogue between participants by bringing together high-ranking military and civilian NATO representatives, and (inter)national experts from government, academia, and industry. The next C2 Conference will take place in the autumn of 2026. For more information, keep an eye on the C2COE website: c2coe.org.
