NCIA Participates in NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence Conference in Riga

The event brought together senior NATO leaders, national policymakers, defence industry partners, and academic experts to reinforce IAMD as a core element of NATO’s collective defence and deterrence posture. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) played an active role, engaging with both military and civilian stakeholders on topics such as interoperability, resilience, and secure communications.

Photo credit: Gatis Dieziņš (Aizsardzības ministrija)

The conference provided a valuable forum to address the most pressing challenges facing NATO’s air and missile defences. Over three days, participants engaged in keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics like industrial resilience, transatlantic cooperation, and missile defence in Europe, with Latvian Minister of Defence, Andris Sprūds among the notable speakers.

A key theme throughout the conference was the need to streamline decision-making and accelerate the delivery of capabilities. John Booth, NCIA Chief of Air Command and Control (AirC2), took part in a panel on “Train as you fight, fight as you train,” chaired by NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Tom Goffus. Booth emphasized that beyond training, NATO must also “equip so you can fight,” stressing that rapid capability delivery is a collective responsibility across nations, the operational community, NATO’s international staff, NCIA, and industry.

In a pre-recorded keynote speech, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stressed the growing air and missile threats and the need for greater investment, faster production, and innovation. He outlined NATO's new integrated air and missile defence policy, focused on readiness, interoperability, and coordinated capabilities across the Alliance. The Secretary General also highlighted the importance of transatlantic cooperation and leveraging defence industry partnerships, areas where NCIA plays a vital enabling role.