On November 25, 2020, Swiss Ambassador to Belgium Philippe Brandt signed an agreement with NATO’s Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency). With this agreement, Switzerland strengthens international collaboration in the field of military communication and information systems.
Communication and information systems are essential to the functionality and readiness of the military. Technical compatibility is also important for these systems in order to be able to cooperate with the armed forces of other states. For example, participation in international exercises requires standardized means of communication.
Collaboration established with NATO and partner countries is strengthened
Within the framework of the “Partnership for Peace”, Switzerland has been collaborating for some time with NATO and its partner states in this area. The emphasis is on common technical standards for communication systems so that the ability to work with the most important military collaboration partners can be ensured from the planning and acquisition phase.
Switzerland is now placing its collaboration with the NCI Agency on a new legal basis. It should allow Switzerland to benefit even more specifically from the specialized expertise of this agency and to promote its own skills in the field of advanced technologies and cybernetics.
The agreement allows for joint studies and analyzes of standards, technologies and capacities in the field of modern communication technologies. In doing so, each party bears the full costs of its activities.