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The new report warns that NATO is not prepared for the modern digital war. The alliance could face serious security risks, especially without stronger leadership from the United States.
The European Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA) has published a survey showing that many NATO members have failed to modernize their military data systems.
While NATO leaders talk about the importance of secure, shared cloud infrastructure, most countries store critical military information on local servers vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The report calls the data “the currency of war” and urges NATO to improve the way military information is stored and shared.
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President Donald Trump to the left, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg watches Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during lunchtime at the NATO Leader’s Summit held in Watford, England on December 4, 2019.
At this point, most NATO countries have built independent national cloud systems. France uses Thales, Germany uses Albato, Italy works with Leonardo to develop a sovereign defense cloud service.
The US has its own approach to building the Department of Defense sovereign cloud using Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle, as described in the same CEPA report.
This fragmented setup is causing a huge problem. The CEPA report states that many of these national systems cannot interoperate, making it difficult for NATO allies to share intelligence or respond quickly in times of crisis.
22 NATO members have pledged to build shared cloud capabilities, but progress has slowed. The CEPA explains the gap between what leaders promise and what is actually happening, and the process remains slow and overly bureaucratic.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegses will speak to the media as he arrives at the NATO Defense Minister’s Meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on February 13th (AP Photo/Harry Nacos)
Some of the hesitations stem from political tensions.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has strengthened his long-standing position in which NATO members must meet their defensive spending commitments.
In early 2025, Trump proposed raising targets above the current 2% benchmark, and publicly said the US would only protect NATO allies that meet what they consider to be a “fair share” of their burden.
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At the same time, Trump was credited with strengthening the alliance by urging the European government to boost its defence budget.
In March, he pointed to what he called “thousands of billions of dollars” in new Allied defense spending as evidence that his pressure was effective. His administration continues to be engaged in high-level NATO meetings, and has publicly affirmed his support for the alliance’s core mission.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has worked to reassure his European partners. At an April meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, he said the US was “active in NATO as before,” pushing back allegations that the administration was being released.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will address the audience at the final press conference as part of the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 4 (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
According to a statement released by the State Department and reported by Reuters, Rubio emphasized that Trump is not opposed to NATO itself, but rather against an underprepared or underfunded alliance.
Rubio also plays a central role in the US efforts to mediate peace in Ukraine. In early 2025, he met in person with Russian Saudi officials and presented Trump’s terms on the possibility of a ceasefire, according to reports at the same time as official State Department reads by Reuters and other outlets.
Rubio emphasizes that Ukraine and European allies will continue to be closely involved in the process. After a pause with US aid earlier this year, he announced that military assistance will resume after Kiev agreed to the proposed framework and peace framework.
Meanwhile, NATO continues to provide support to Ukraine through a trust fund worth around $1 billion. The figures are based on NATO’s own comprehensive support package report, as quoted in the CEPA’s April report.
The Alliance is also coordinating training and equipment donations, but a CEPA report reveals that the effort is slowing down due to a lack of secure data sharing.
The report points to Estonia as a model of digital resilience. Estonia will back up Luxembourg government data through its “data embassy” system to ensure that local systems remain protected even if they are attacked. According to CEPA, NATO should encourage similar strategies across the alliance.
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According to CEPA, the US is best at leading the way, and Trump and Rubio are already taking the necessary steps to push NATO in the right direction.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
You can view the CEPA report here.
Jasmine is a writer for Fox News Digital and is a New Orleans-based military spouse. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@fox.com
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