European Cloud Adoption for National Security

Summary

This research paper explores the role of cloud computing in enhancing European national security and defence capabilities. It highlights how cloud technologies enable governments to achieve operational resilience, modernise legacy systems, access advanced capabilities such as AI, and ensure the continuity of critical national functions during crises. Drawing on case studies from the UK, Ukraine, Estonia, and Finland, the paper assesses the strategic and operational impacts of cloud adoption while addressing challenges such as connectivity, legal barriers, market concentration and geopolitical risks.

The paper emphasises that cloud adoption is a strategic asset for European governments as they expand national security and defence spending to ensure readiness in an increasingly contested security environment. ​

Key Recommendations

• Strategic preparation: Governments should stablish clear strategies for cloud adoption tailored to national security and defence policies and needs, revise legal frameworks to enable adoption and model future compute requirements to ensure scalability and resilience.
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• Procurement: Governments should centralise procurement and assurance functions, adopt risk-based approaches to cloud procurement and equip personnel with cloud-specific skills to improve decision-making and implementation.
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• Deployment: Governments should mitigate the risks of dependence and adverse concentration through multicloud strategies, client-side encryption and interoperability mandates. Moreover, governments should proactively build trust with cloud service providers who must practise transparency.