The Coalition Warrior Interoperability eXploration, eXperimentation, eXamination eXercise (CWIX) 2023 concluded in Bydgoszcz, Poland today. Led by the Allied Command Transformation, the NATO’s premier interoperability event took place at the NATO Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC) between 5 and 22 June. JFTC has been the Home of CWIX for the past 12 years.

Allied Command Transformation is committed to delivering fully interoperable Communications and Information Systems to improve the cross-domain exchange of information needed for Multi-Domain Operations and NATO’s ongoing Digital Transformation. One aspect of this effort is CWIX, a programme which improves the interoperability of the Alliance and its Partners by enhancing the readiness, resilience, and agility of these systems - all these to ensure that NATO Allies and Partners can operate effectively together to keep the Alliance safe.

“Our experts are exercising and testing the standards and specifications of fielded capabilities to ensure that they are ready to support NATO missions. They are also preparing the Alliance to meet the challenges of tomorrow by anticipating the requirements, standards, and specifications up to and beyond 2030”, stated Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Chris Badia, in his address to the senior representatives who visited the exercise site during the final week of the event, stressing the importance of CWIX.

This year’s CWIX focused on the task set by the Military Committee and the Consultation Command and Control Board, to help the Alliance better understand the interoperability challenges of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). Both General Badia and Major General Norbert Wagner, JFTC Commander, highlighted the importance of MDO approach and jointness in their briefs for the distinguished guests. General Wagner also stressed the complexity of achieving the full interoperability across its three dimensions - technical, procedural and human. Highlighting CWIX key role in this area, the JFTC Commander added: “There is a lot of work that needs be done in this field and what we do here at CWIX will help us a lot to improve operational environment for the Alliance warfighter.”

CWIX is NATO’s Premier Interoperability Exercise and is designed to solve interoperability challenges by testing NATO and National Communication and Information Systems, with particular emphasis on those that will deploy within a NATO Response Force. It is also designed to stimulate innovation and improve the interoperability of people, processes, and technology, to enhance commanders’ decision-making through the exchange of information and the provision of situational awareness. CWIX 2023 was the largest iteration of the exercise to date, with approximately 2000 participants from 43 nations (both testing and observing). Over the course of this 3-week exercise, they tested more than 400 deployable command and control systems and conducted over 25,000 interoperability tests.