A conversation on cloud technologies in defence and national security with Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Cyber and Digital Transformation.
Overview
With NATO members committing to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, the Alliance is entering a new phase of technological modernisation. As governments seek to translate investment into real capability, digital infrastructure has become central to operational readiness, intelligence sharing and decision-making.
Cloud computing sits at the heart of this transformation. It offers the potential to improve speed, scale, and collaboration – but also raises complex questions about data sovereignty, security, and trust between allies. How can nations maintain sovereign control over sensitive systems while ensuring interoperability and cohesion across the Alliance?
In this keynote and fireside chat, Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe reflected on NATO’s digital transformation agenda and how the Alliance views national sovereignty and collaboration to strengthen collective resilience in an era of rapid technological change.
This event is part of RUSI’s Sovereignty in the Cloud project, which aims to establish a common language about cloud sovereignty and examine how existing approaches impact national security.Â
The event was moderated by Rachel Ellehuus – Director-General, RUSI.
About the Speaker
Jean-Charles Ellermann-Kingombe is Assistant Secretary General for Cyber and Digital Transformation. In this capacity, he leads a joint civil-military team in advancing the Alliance’s agenda on cyber defence, digital transformation, and hybrid resilience, as well as developing and coordinating the Alliance’s efforts on countering cyber threats. Prior to this, he served as Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber.
As a senior Danish diplomat, Ellermann-Kingombe has extensive experience in international relations, policy formulation and the decision-making processes of high-level governmental institutions, including NATO and the European Union. From 2019-2024, he was Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, advising the Danish Prime Minister on issues of foreign and international affairs, security policy, national security and defence.
From 2016 to 2017, Ellermann-Kingombe served as Ambassador of Denmark to Afghanistan, with a portfolio that included support to Danish military Forces deployed under NATO’s Resolute Support Mission.
