NATO update

 

Drones – Lessons from Ukraine In Ukraine, drones have transformed the country’s fight for freedom. From the earliest days of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, drones have offered Ukrainian forces a cheap and effective way to try to level the playing field. They’ve had to innovate to avoid being overrun. NATO is working to identify and apply lessons learned from Russia’s war against Ukraine through the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) based in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The centre is contributing to NATO’s deterrence and defence, and increase the ability of Allied and Ukrainian forces to operate effectively together. NATO Allies are also learning from the experience of Ukrainian veterans. In Poland, veterans of the Ukrainian Army recently shared their knowledge of drone warfare with soldiers from the United Kingdom and the United States. Click here to download the video. You can also watch the video on YouTube.

2 October 2025

The Ukraine Defence Contact Group to meet at NATO Headquarters On Wednesday 15 October 2025, the United Kingdom and Germany will convene the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at NATO HQ. Media representatives with annual accreditation to NATO for 2025 do not need to request accreditation for this event. Media representatives without annual accreditation, who have registered for the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence and who have received confirmation of their successful accreditation, can also cover the event. Media representatives without annual accreditation and who are interested in covering the UDCG but not the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence, still need to apply for accreditation on the event registration platform. The deadline to register is Wednesday 8 October 2025 at 23:59 (CEST) Media opportunities will be set out in due course. For more details please contact: United Kingdom – SPO-UDCG@mod.gov.uk  Germany - pr-10-na@brue.auswaertiges-amt.de and pr-1-na@brue.auswaertiges-amt.de

Doorstep by NATO Secretary General at the meeting of the European Political Community Today, Thursday 2 october, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is joining the European Political Community (EPC) event in Copenhagen. He will deliver a speech to the EPC plenary and participate in a roundtable discussion with European leaders and the President of Ukraine Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on security and resilience. Click here to download the doorstep statement by NATO Secretary General at the meeting of the European Political Community in Denmark.

Hungary hosts its largest military exercise Exercise Adaptive Hussars 2025 was the Hungarian Defence Forces’ (HDF) largest and most complex military exercise aimed at enhancing defence capabilities along with NATO defence plans and procedures. It is the most significant training exercise of the HDF since its accession to NATO in 1999 and is designed to promote cooperation between all NATO members that make up NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Hungary. The exercise was built on a simulated but realistic training scenario posing a security threat from the eastern direction, challenging national and regional defence readiness. Hungarian forces were working alongside their Italian, Croatian and Turkish counterparts, as well as showcased some of the Hungarian Defence Forces’ latest technical capabilities. Click here to download the b-roll.

3 October 2025 Update

NATO Secretary General visits Denmark to discuss threats to democracies, security cooperation and aid to Ukraine NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte travelled to Denmark on 1 October 2025. His visit began with a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom. In the evening, Mr. Rutte was received by Their Majesties King Frederik X and Queen Mary. Read more

NATO Secretary General attends meeting of EU College of Commissioners On 30 September 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte attended a meeting of the European Union’s College of Commissioners hosted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium. Read more NATO Deputy Secretary General visits Poland On 29 September 2025, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska visited Warsaw, Poland to conduct bilateral meetings and attend the Warsaw Security Forum. Read more NATO Chiefs of Defence gather in Riga for Military Committee Conference NATO’s highest Military Authority, the NATO Military Committee, met in Riga, Latvia on 26 and 27 September 2025. The 32 NATO Chiefs of Defence, together with the Strategic Commanders, discussed military developments within the Alliance, particularly in the face of increasingly worrying threats to Euro-Atlantic security and in light of the decisions taken at the historic NATO Summit in The Hague in June 2025. Read more NATO Deputy Secretary General visits Bosnia and Herzegovina On 26-27 September, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska visited Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she engaged in high-level meetings and participated in the Sarajevo Security Conference. Read more NATO and nations defend the skies during summits in Denmark NATO and member nations deployed additional multi-domain capabilities on land, in the air and at sea to defend the skies during the European Union (EU) and European Political Community (EPC) summits in Copenhagen, Denmark on 1-2 October following recent drone incursions in that country. (Story courtesy of SHAPE) Read more Chair of NATO Military Committee participates in SEAFUTURE 2025 Conference The Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, travelled to Italy to take part as a keynote speaker in the SEAFUTURE 2025 Conference. He also visited the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation and the “National Pole of the Underwater Dimension” (PNS). Read more The first dedicated dialogue on defence industrial cooperation and capabilities launched between NATO and the Republic of Korea On 26 September 2025, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Industry, Innovation and Armaments, Ms Tarja Jaakkola, opened the first staff-to-staff dialogue on defence industrial cooperation and capabilities between NATO and the Republic of Korea. Ms Jaakkola and representatives of the Defence Acquisition Program Administration of the Republic of Korea discussed recent developments in the areas of defence industrial production and defence capabilities.

30 September 2025 NATO Secretary General to discuss security and defence issues with the College of European Commissioners On Tuesday 30 September, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Mark Rutte will participate in a discussion on defence and security issues with the College of European Commissioners. Ahead of the discussion, the Secretary General and the President of the European Commission, Ms. Ursula von der Leyen, will jointly address the press. 08:30 Press statements by the Secretary General and the President of the European Commission         The press statements will be streamed live on the NATO website. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs will be available on the NATO website after the event. For more information: For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office For more details about the event please contact the European Commission press team.

NATO HQ, Blvd Leopold III 1110 Brussels, Belgium