At Symposium 2024-II in Ramstein, NATO air chiefs focused on command and control, AI, and drones to strengthen deterrence and effectiveness
In summary
Gathered in Ramstein for the NATO Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2024-II, Allied air force leaders refocused their priorities on air command and control. The goal is clear: to speed up decision-making, make the C2 chain more reliable, and better integrate drones and artificial intelligence into the allied architecture, from the strategic level to tactical execution. Discussions focused on AirC2 modernization, IAMD interoperability, joint training, and coordination with civil airspace management in Europe. Beyond intentions, the leaders linked these areas to concrete milestones: evolution of NATO AirC2 systems, C-UAS standardization, feedback from the Ramstein Legacy and Ramstein Flag exercises, and the consistently high operational load in Air Policing. The challenge can be summed up in two words: collective deterrence. This now depends on a more agile, data-centric, and resilient C2 system capable of absorbing the pace of operations in Europe.
The Symposium framework and strategic message
The NATO Air Chiefs’ Symposium 24-II was held in Ramstein on November 14-15, 2024. Allied and partner air chiefs devoted the main session to air command and control, with an emphasis on governance, standardization, and interoperability. The semi-annual format was renewed in 2025 to monitor the implementation of the projects decided upon.
The allied system that protects European skies
In times of peace and crisis, the Alliance relies on NATINAMDS, its Integrated Air and Missile Defense system. This system combines radars, control centers, fighter aircraft, surface-to-air defenses, and AWACS, coordinated by Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) in Ramstein. In peacetime, the Air Policing mission provides a 24/7 posture.
The role of the CAOCs in Uedem and Torrejón
Two Combined Air Operations Centers, in Uedem (Germany) and Torrejón (Spain), plan and conduct surveillance and interceptions in their areas. They rely on the national reporting chain and the AirC2 architecture to produce the Recognized Air Picture and trigger Quick Reaction Alerts.
The transformation of C2: from ACCS to the AirC2 of tomorrow
NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) is leading the integration and modernization of AirC2 capabilities for nations and NATO. The work focuses both on systems in service (ACCS and deployable components) and on the path towards a more modular and data-centric AirC2, including industry consultations dedicated to “eAirC2.”
Operational metrics that highlight the urgency
In 2024, NATO forces were scrambled more than 400 times in Europe, a level close to that of 2023. The load on the C2 chain therefore remains high, particularly in the Baltic and Black Sea regions.
The emergence of AI in AirC2
Artificial intelligence is already entering two key areas: AirC2 planning and execution, and ETEE (education, training, exercises, and evaluation). Applied to Air Tasking Orders and Master Air Attack Plans, AI can accelerate sensor aggregation, prioritize missions, suggest trajectories, and detect inconsistencies in plans. In ETEE, it personalizes training, generates credible adversaries, and measures the performance of crews and controllers. However, NATO think tanks recommend a “human-on-the-loop” approach, with safeguards on the validation and traceability of automated decisions.
Expected gains
Three benefits are targeted: reduction of the decision-making cycle (from hours to minutes), better allocation of scarce resources (in-flight refueling, multi-sensor ISR), and increased resilience to link losses or spectrum saturation. AI can also help identify abnormal behavior in air traffic, which is useful for counter-drone and border surveillance.
Drones: a force multiplier or a threat?
Drones are now ubiquitous. On the friendly side, they increase the density of ISR, relay communications, and low-cost attacks. On the threat side, the proliferation of modified commercial systems, operated in swarms, requires technical and doctrinal responses. NATO has stepped up its standardization work and interoperability testing through C-UAS TIE exercises conducted by the NCIA. The objectives focus on multi-sensor detection, reliable identification, standardized data exchange, and graduated neutralization.
A denser environment around bases
Overflights of sensitive sites in Germany, including near Ramstein, have highlighted the urgent need to combine sensors, jamming, kinetic neutralization, and close coordination with civil authorities. Strengthening C-UAS schemes and training in GNSS spoofing effects are among the priorities.
Civil-military relations: sharing a congested sky
In Europe, the efficiency of the allied posture also depends on close coordination with civil airspace management. EUROCONTROL and its Network Manager provide a framework for civil-military co-decision-making, based on the Flexible Use of Airspace. Tools such as CIMACT merge civil and military data to provide a common picture and reduce coordination delays during a scramble or transit through a training area.
How this changes operations
In concrete terms, better integration of OAT/GAT plans, dynamic announcement of TSA/TRA zones, and the use of common tools reduce minutes lost en route and optimize fuel profiles. This gain can be measured in terms of actual availability in the zone and a reduction in trajectory-mission conflicts.
Paths to adoption: doctrine, exercises, experimentation
The Alliance is moving forward through a doctrine-exercise loop. Ramstein Legacy remains the benchmark IAMD exercise. It tests the C2 chain, surface-to-air fire control, and AEW integration. Ramstein Flag has consolidated a series of large-scale tactical exercises, promoting combined multi-domain warfare and the consistency of AirC2 TTPs. These test beds validate technical building blocks, data exchanges, and joint procedures.
Direct link to NATO priorities
These exercises feed back into AIRCOM and NCIA: AirC2 network cybersecurity requirements, link latencies, integration of ground, naval, and space sensors, and convergence towards a more open modular architecture.
What AirC2 modernization is really aiming for
Allied air leaders are looking for a simpler, more robust, and more transparent C2 chain, from the CAOC to the cockpit. This requires streamlined operator interfaces, multi-level classification gateways, API catalogs, and better compliance with exchange standards. Acceleration must not sacrifice security: encryption, network segmentation, and radio redundancy remain non-negotiable.
Performance indicators that matter
Headquarters will monitor four families of indicators: ATO generation times, “plan-to-air” time for a real alert, multi-sensor fusion rates without human intervention, and availability of ACCS/CRC/CAOC chains in a contested environment. In the short term, the goal is to shave off minutes. In the medium term, the goal is to ensure the continuity of a distributed, partially automated C2 system that is tolerant to failures and attacks.
Limitations and risks
Automate without overconfidence. AI can skew a threat assessment if the training data is incomplete. Micro-UAS swarms quickly saturate conventional radar sensors and require other passive sensors. Urban environments and border areas require close coordination with civil aviation. Finally, dependence on GNSS calls for robust alternatives (enhanced inertial, modernized LORAN, multi-constellation navigation).
What remains to be decided
In Ramstein, leaders aligned priorities: accelerate AI integration into C2, standardize C-UAS, modernize AirC2, and better anchor civil-military cooperation. What remains is to finance the software increment, intensify NATO/nation testing, and translate ambition into tangible results: shorter warning times, more reliable consolidated images, and real interoperability from the High North to the Mediterranean. It is by this yardstick that collective deterrence will be measured.
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