14.1 – Cooperation, Experimentation and Innovation
An additional conclusion emerging from this study is the importance of maintaining continuous cooperation between military organizations, industry partners, civilian research institutions, and partner nations. The pace of technological innovation in the unmanned systems domain significantly exceeds traditional military acquisition and doctrinal adaptation cycles. As a result, future capability development cannot rely solely on internal military processes.
Close cooperation with industry and research institutions should therefore remain an essential component of future mountain warfare capability development. Such cooperation enables the rapid identification of emerging technologies, facilitates operational experimentation, and supports the continuous adaptation of doctrine, training, and operational procedures.
Particular relevance has been identified in areas including ISR platforms, FPV technologies, cargo drones, autonomous support systems, resilient communication solutions, artificial intelligence applications, and Counter-UAS capabilities. These technologies are evolving rapidly and will continue to influence how mountain forces operate, sustain themselves, and generate combat effects in complex terrain.
Experimentationmust remain a central activity within this process. Future experimentation programs should focus on operationally relevant capability areas directly connected to mountain warfare requirements.
Mountain warfare experimentation requires dedicated training areas where operators, units, and innovators can continuously test, challenge, and refine new technologies and TTPs under realistic conditions. These facilities should not be purely military environments, but collaborative innovation hubs bringing together military units, mountain rescue organizations, academia, and industry partners specialized in mountain technologies, robotics, autonomous systems, communications, and mobility. Such a model would create a mutually beneficial ecosystem in which operational users provide real-world feedback, rescue organizations contribute unique expertise gained in extreme environments, and industry gains direct access to realistic testing conditions. Innovation cannot be imposed from above alone. Without a strong bottom-up experimentation culture and continuous interaction among military, civilian, and industrial stakeholders, mountain forces risk adapting to change only after others have shaped it—becoming followers rather than leaders in the future battlespace.
The objective of experimentation should not be limited to evaluating individual platforms or technologies. Rather, it should focus on developing a deeper operational understanding of how unmanned and autonomous capabilities can be effectively integrated into future mountain warfare operations and force structures.
14.2 – The Role of the MW COE and the NATO Community of Interest
The findings of this study further reinforce the importance of maintaining a multinational framework for experimentation, operational assessment, interoperability development, and knowledge exchange.
In this context, the NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence is uniquely positioned to serve as a platform for multinational cooperation, experimentation, doctrinal adaptation, and capability development. By bringing together military practitioners, subject matter experts, industry representatives, researchers, mountain rescue organizations, academic institutions, and partner nations, the MW COE can contribute to the identification, validation, and dissemination of lessons relevant not only to mountain warfare, but also to the broader transformation of NATO forces.
The continued development of a Mountain Unmanned Systems Experimentation Framework would provide significant benefits to participating nations, partner nations, NATO entities, and the wider Mountain Warfare Community of Interest. Such an initiative would support interoperability, accelerate learning, facilitate capability development, and generate operationally grounded observations under realistic mountain warfare conditions.
These environments should function as true mountain innovation ecosystems, enabling continuous interaction between operational users and technology developers. Such collaboration would generate mutual benefits: military organizations would gain access to innovative solutions and rapid feedback cycles, industry would benefit from realistic operational testing, and civilian organizations would gain exposure to emerging technologies applicable to rescue and emergency response operations.
Equally important, the observations, lessons identified, and recommendations generated through studies, workshops, operational assessments, exercises, and experimentation activities should be systematically incorporated into the Mountain Warfare Concept, and should contribute directly to the continuous evolution of ATrainP-6 and future NATO mountain warfare doctrine (ATP 3.2.1.3), ensuring that lessons learned are transformed into lessons applied.
14 – Final conclusion
14.1 – Cooperation, Experimentation and Innovation
An additional conclusion emerging from this study is the importance of maintaining continuous cooperation between military organizations, industry partners, civilian research institutions, and partner nations. The pace of technological innovation in the unmanned systems domain significantly exceeds traditional military acquisition and doctrinal adaptation cycles. As a result, future capability development cannot rely solely on internal military processes.
Close cooperation with industry and research institutions should therefore remain an essential component of future mountain warfare capability development. Such cooperation enables the rapid identification of emerging technologies, facilitates operational experimentation, and supports the continuous adaptation of doctrine, training, and operational procedures.
Particular relevance has been identified in areas including ISR platforms, FPV technologies, cargo drones, autonomous support systems, resilient communication solutions, artificial intelligence applications, and Counter-UAS capabilities. These technologies are evolving rapidly and will continue to influence how mountain forces operate, sustain themselves, and generate combat effects in complex terrain.
Experimentation must remain a central activity within this process. Future experimentation programs should focus on operationally relevant capability areas directly connected to mountain warfare requirements.
Mountain warfare experimentation requires dedicated training areas where operators, units, and innovators can continuously test, challenge, and refine new technologies and TTPs under realistic conditions. These facilities should not be purely military environments, but collaborative innovation hubs bringing together military units, mountain rescue organizations, academia, and industry partners specialized in mountain technologies, robotics, autonomous systems, communications, and mobility. Such a model would create a mutually beneficial ecosystem in which operational users provide real-world feedback, rescue organizations contribute unique expertise gained in extreme environments, and industry gains direct access to realistic testing conditions. Innovation cannot be imposed from above alone. Without a strong bottom-up experimentation culture and continuous interaction among military, civilian, and industrial stakeholders, mountain forces risk adapting to change only after others have shaped it—becoming followers rather than leaders in the future battlespace.
The objective of experimentation should not be limited to evaluating individual platforms or technologies. Rather, it should focus on developing a deeper operational understanding of how unmanned and autonomous capabilities can be effectively integrated into future mountain warfare operations and force structures.
14.2 – The Role of the MW COE and the NATO Community of Interest
The findings of this study further reinforce the importance of maintaining a multinational framework for experimentation, operational assessment, interoperability development, and knowledge exchange.
In this context, the NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence is uniquely positioned to serve as a platform for multinational cooperation, experimentation, doctrinal adaptation, and capability development. By bringing together military practitioners, subject matter experts, industry representatives, researchers, mountain rescue organizations, academic institutions, and partner nations, the MW COE can contribute to the identification, validation, and dissemination of lessons relevant not only to mountain warfare, but also to the broader transformation of NATO forces.
The continued development of a Mountain Unmanned Systems Experimentation Framework would provide significant benefits to participating nations, partner nations, NATO entities, and the wider Mountain Warfare Community of Interest. Such an initiative would support interoperability, accelerate learning, facilitate capability development, and generate operationally grounded observations under realistic mountain warfare conditions.
These environments should function as true mountain innovation ecosystems, enabling continuous interaction between operational users and technology developers. Such collaboration would generate mutual benefits: military organizations would gain access to innovative solutions and rapid feedback cycles, industry would benefit from realistic operational testing, and civilian organizations would gain exposure to emerging technologies applicable to rescue and emergency response operations.
Equally important, the observations, lessons identified, and recommendations generated through studies, workshops, operational assessments, exercises, and experimentation activities should be systematically incorporated into the Mountain Warfare Concept, and should contribute directly to the continuous evolution of ATrainP-6 and future NATO mountain warfare doctrine (ATP 3.2.1.3), ensuring that lessons learned are transformed into lessons applied.