Impact of the Cloud on European National Security and Defence
Examining how cloud technologies are used in national security and the considerations that shape their adoption.
Overview
Policymakers view digital technologies as central to the expansion of defence and national security spending. Cloud computing is a vital infrastructure underpinning digital technologies. Cloud services provide and enable capabilities to fulfil mission needs on the battlefield as well as to support national resilience. Nevertheless, there is limited information on the specifics of national security and defence capabilities enabled by the cloud.Â
This research project explored:
- How governments are deploying cloud services to support national cyber resilience and defence.
- The technical, operational, and political considerations shaping this adoption.
- How governments should approach strategic preparation, procurement and deployment.Â
This project was supported by Amazon Web Services.
Aims and objectives
The research project aimed to contribute to the evidence base on cloud capabilities in national security and defence by engaging with expert stakeholders from government, the private and academia in the UK, Finland, Estonia and Ukraine.Â
It set out to identify examples of capabilities and to assess the strategic considerations that shape their adoption, and then to provide recommendations for European governments.
Findings and outputs
Our research:
- Provides case studies for how cloud contributes to national security and defence capabilities.
- Outlines the obstacles to adoption and strategic considerations that shape decision-making by governments.
- Sets-out recommendations for government use of cloud across strategic preparation, procurement and deployment.Â
