Live wargaming in MW

Think beyond today’s new battlefield.

Experience interactive operational scenarios that challenge conventional thinking and prepare commanders for future conflicts

20 + speakers and SMEs

Learn from those shaping tomorrow’s warfare.

Hear directly from military leaders, NATO experts, innovators and practitioners driving transformation across the Alliance.

More than 40 industry

Where innovation meets operational reality.

Explore breakthrough technologies designed to enhance mobility, survivability and combat effectiveness in complex terrain.

17+ NATO Nations

One battlefield. One conversation.

A multinational gathering where Allies and Partners exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation and build future interoperability.

Who Should Attend?

Military Leaders & Commanders

Gain strategic perspectives on future conflicts, NATO capability development and the evolving role of Mountain Forces in Multi-Domain Operations.

Operational Planners & Staff Officers

Explore new concepts, operational lessons, wargaming methodologies and planning approaches for operations in complex and mountainous terrain.

Training & Doctrine Specialists

Discover how recent operational lessons, emerging technologies and innovative educational approaches are shaping the next generation of military training and doctrine.

Defence Industry & Innovation

Engage directly with military users, capability developers and decision-makers to better understand future operational requirements and emerging technology trends.

Procurement & Capability Development

Identify future capability gaps, explore innovative solutions and connect with organisations driving NATO transformation and defence innovation.

UAS & Technology Experts

Learn how autonomous systems, artificial intelligence, robotics and digital solutions are transforming mountain warfare and future force design.

Who Should Attend?

Military Leaders & Commanders

Operational Planners & Staff Officers

Training & Doctrine Specialists

Defence Industry & Innovation

Procurement & Capability Development

UAS & Technology Experts

What you will get

Congress Programme

Arrival Day – 26 October

Ice Breaker

The Congress will begin with an informal Ice Breaker Reception, providing participants with the opportunity to meet fellow delegates, speakers, industry representatives and organisers before the official opening.

DAY 1 – 27 October

Strategic Perspectives and the Future of Mountain Warfare

The opening day owill establish the strategic vision for the future of Mountain Warfare within NATO. Through keynote addresses and high-level panel discussions, military leaders, defence planners and subject matter experts will examine the evolving role of mountain operations in an increasingly contested security environment.

Discussions will focus on the strategic importance of mountainous terrain, NATO Defence Planning, Multi-Domain Operations and the lessons emerging from contemporary conflicts. Particular attention will be given to capability development, interoperability and the partnerships required to prepare Allied forces for future challenges.

The day will conclude with an immersive wargaming session that will continue in the second day, where participants will explore operational scenarios inspired by the evolving security landscape on NATO’s Eastern Flank.

Throughout the day, delegates will also have the opportunity to visit the Innovation & Industry Village, engage with exhibitors and network with military professionals, researchers and industry representatives from across the Alliance.

DAY 2 – 28 October

Technology, Innovation and the Future Battlefield

The second day of the Congress will explore how emerging technologies are transforming the way military forces prepare for and conduct operations in mountainous terrain. From autonomous systems and drone warfare to modern training concepts and capability development, the programme will examine the innovations that are redefining the future battlefield.

Drawing on operational experience, recent conflicts and multinational expertise, speakers will discuss how technology, doctrine and training must evolve together to ensure that Allied mountain forces remain effective in increasingly complex and contested environments. Particular emphasis will be placed on the integration of unmanned systems, the development of future mountain capabilities and the importance of interoperability across NATO and Partner Nations.

DAY 3 – 29 October

Preparing Mountain Forces for Tomorrow’s Challenges

The final day will look beyond today’s operational environment, focusing on the future evolution of mountain forces and the challenges posed by emerging theatres of operation. Discussions will examine how NATO and Allied nations can adapt doctrine, training and force development to remain effective across diverse environments, with particular attention to cold weather and Arctic operations.

Building on the previous days, the programme will bring together operational experience, strategic foresight and lessons learned to identify the capabilities, skills and partnerships required for the next generation of mountain warfare. The sessions will encourage participants to look beyond current solutions and consider how military organisations must evolve to meet future operational demands.

The Congress will conclude with the presentation of the new Mountain Warfare Awareness Course, the culmination of two years of research, multinational workshops, operational studies and capability development. It will mark an important step in preparing NATO personnel to understand the operational challenges, opportunities and capabilities required for future mountain operations. This Course is designed to enhance operational understanding of mountain environments across light, medium and heavy forces.

26
Monday · 26 October 2026

Arrival & In-Processing

15:00
19:00
ADMINISTRATION

In-Processing & Lecturer Preparation

Participant in-processing and preparation activities for Congress lecturers and speakers.

27
Tuesday · 27 October 2026

Strategic Context & Multi-Domain Operations

07:30
ADMINISTRATION

Late In-Processing

08:30
08:45
ADMINISTRATION

Admin Briefing

Briefing
OF-5 Italo G. SPINI (ITA)
Deputy Director / Chief of Staff · NATO MW COE
08:45
09:00
OPENING

Welcome Speech

OF-5 Leon HOLC (SVN)
Director · NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence
09:00
09:15
OPENING

Welcome Speech

Poland · Host Nation
09:15
10:00
KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Fighting in Restricted and Mountainous Terrain in the Drone Age

Colonel (Ret.) John ANTAL (USA)

How unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, precision strike and autonomous technologies are changing combat in restricted and mountainous terrain, with implications for force structure, leadership, training, manoeuvre and operational design.

10:00
11:00
PANEL I · PART I

NATO's Deterrence and Defence Adaptation

PANELIST PRESENTATIONS

Individual contributions presenting the panelists' perspectives and key considerations as a basis for the subsequent panel discussion.

Col Leon HOLC (SVN)
Director · NATO MW COE
Why Mountain Warfare Matters for NATO's Future
LTC (Ret.) Glen GRANT (GBR) Conducts of Contemporary Wars
LTC Damijan SLIVEČKA (NATO) NDPP Capability Requirement Review 28 Methodology (ACT SEE)
11:00
11:30
BREAK

Coffee Break

11:30
12:50
PANEL I · PART II

NATO's Deterrence and Defence Adaptation

PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderated discussion examining how contemporary warfare, NATO defence planning and the strategic characteristics of mountain terrain are shaping the future employment and development of mountain forces.

13:00
14:30
LUNCH & INDUSTRY

Lunch & Industry Engagement

14:30
16:00
PANEL II · PART I

Multi-Domain Operations in Mountain Environments

PANELIST PRESENTATIONS

Individual contributions introducing operational perspectives, concepts and key issues for the subsequent panel discussion.

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Glen GRANT (GBR) Mountain Warfare in the Age of Autonomous Systems
Captain (N) Peter PAPLER (SVN) NATO's Deterrence and Defence Adaptation, Multi-Domain Operations and Mountain Warfare
Colonel (GS) Matthias WASINGER, PhD (AUT) Winning the Heights: A European Concept of Multi-Domain Operations in the Mountain Environment
Dr Tomasz POMYKACZ (POL) Austro-Hungarian and Russian War Plans and Their Execution (1914–1915) National Museum in Przemyśl, Poland
16:00
17:00
BREAK

Coffee Break & Industry

17:00
18:00
PANEL II · PART II

Multi-Domain Operations in Mountain Environments

PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderated discussion on how mountain terrain affects operational design across domains, including manoeuvre, logistics, communications, autonomous systems, infrastructure and coalition interoperability.

Panelist: Dr Tomasz POMYKACZ (POL) · National Museum in Przemyśl

18:00
DAY CLOSURE

Closing Remarks / Outlook

Colonel (GS) Matthias WASINGER, PhD (AUT)
Congress Moderator
18:30
22:00
SOCIAL EVENT

Host Nation Dinner

Hosted by Poland
28
Wednesday · 28 October 2026

Training, Innovation & Capability Development

08:30
08:40
DAY OPENING

Wrap-Up Previous Day

Colonel (GS) Matthias WASINGER, PhD (AUT)
Congress Moderator
08:40
09:00
SENIOR LEADER ADDRESS

Training Mountain Forces for Tomorrow: Readiness, Adaptation and Force Structure

Major General Alberto VEZZOLI (ITA)
Commander of the Italian Alpine Troops

A senior command perspective on the training requirements of contemporary mountain forces, the competencies needed for current and future operations, and the implications for readiness, adaptation and force structure.

09:00
09:30
KEYNOTE

Training for the Drone Age and What Must Change

Colonel (Ret.) John ANTAL (USA)

How military education and training must evolve for contested, data-rich and technology-enabled battlefields, integrating unmanned systems while developing leaders able to operate under persistent surveillance, electronic attack and degraded communications.

09:30
10:30
PANEL III · PART I

Training for Mountain Warfare

PANELIST PRESENTATIONS

Individual contributions from the panelists presenting their perspectives, experience and key considerations for the subsequent moderated discussion.

OF-4 Tihomir KLARIĆ (HRV) Training for Mountain Warfare
Major General (Ret.) Tudorică PETRACHE (ROU) Challenges of Mountain Training for Modern Warfare
Colonel Heimo TEMMEL (AUT) Mountain Cell and Mountain Warfare
Colonel (GS) Peter HOFER (AUT) Future Decision Making in “Triple S” Environment
Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Artur ZIELICHOWSKI, PhD (POL) Wargaming for Training the Leaders for the Future High-Intensity Warfare with Unmanned Systems
10:30
11:00
BREAK

Coffee Break & Industry

11:00
12:00
PANEL III · PART II

Training for Mountain Warfare

PANEL DISCUSSION
KEY QUESTION How must Mountain Warfare training and decision-making evolve to prepare NATO forces for the challenges of current and future operations in complex mountain environments?
12:00
14:00
LUNCH & INDUSTRY

Lunch & Industry Engagement

14:00
15:30
PANEL IV · PART I

From Peaks to Partnerships: Innovation, Interoperability and Capability Development

PANELIST PRESENTATIONS

Individual contributions connecting operational demand, emerging technologies, experimentation and lessons from current operations with future capability development.

Operational Demand → Innovation & Validation → Operational Lessons → Doctrine & Standards → Fielded Capability
OF-4 Marcus STURM (DEU) Building Future Mountain Capabilities through Innovation and Interoperability
OF-4 (GS) Martin SPENSBERGER (DEU) From Operational Challenges to Future Capabilities
Dr Anton LESNICAR
Palladion
NATO DIANA Innovation Pathway: From Dual-Use Technology to Operational Capability Introducing the NATO DIANA innovation pathway and the process of connecting emerging dual-use technologies with military end users, testing, validation and operational capability development.
John LaBELLE
Chief Growth Officer · Mesodyne, Inc.
LightCell Technology for Austere Mountain Operations Lightweight multi-fuel power generation for mountain forces, reducing battery burden and resupply requirements while supporting UAS, sensors and communications in austere operational environments.
UKR Defense University Representative UAS Employment Innovation and Rapid Adaptation — Lessons from Ukraine
15:30
16:30
BREAK & INDUSTRY

Coffee Break & Industry

16:30
17:15
PANEL IV · PART II

From Peaks to Partnerships: Innovation, Interoperability and Capability Development

PANEL DISCUSSION
KEY QUESTION How can NATO translate operational challenges and dual-use innovation into validated, interoperable capabilities for mountain forces more quickly?
17:15
17:30
DAY CLOSURE

Closing Remarks / Outlook

Colonel (GS) Matthias WASINGER, PhD (AUT)
Congress Moderator
17:30
18:30
INDUSTRY

Industry Engagement & Closure

Evening
DINNER · INVITED GUESTS

Guest Address

Colonel (Ret.) John ANTAL (USA)
GUEST ADDRESS
Distributed Mission Command and Distributed Logistics
29
Thursday · 29 October 2026

Arctic Operations & Unmanned Systems

08:30
08:40
DAY OPENING

Wrap-Up Previous Day

Colonel (GS) Matthias WASINGER, PhD (AUT)
Congress Moderator
08:40
10:15
PANEL V · PART I

Cold Truths: Mountain Forces in the Arctic

PANELIST PRESENTATIONS
OF-4 Dušan BREBURDA (CZE) CORE26 Lessons – Setting the Conditions for the Discussion
OF-5 Fredrik ANDERSSON (SWE) Preparing Mountain Forces for Arctic Operations
OF-3 Mikael AIKIO (FIN) Arctic Readiness and Survivability
OF-5 Vegard FLOM (NOR) Operating and Sustaining Forces in Arctic and Cold Weather Environments
OF-4 Roberto Fernández BLANCO (ESP) Adapting Mountain Forces to Arctic Operations — Lessons from CORE26
Dr Anna WEST Extreme Cold Protection & Human Performance
10:15
11:00
PANEL V · PART II

Cold Truths: Mountain Forces in the Arctic

PANEL DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION FOCUS To what extent can existing mountain forces transition directly to Arctic operations, and where does the Arctic require fundamentally different preparation, equipment, procedures or operational thinking?
11:00
11:30
BREAK

Coffee Break

11:30
12:15
PANEL VI · PART I

Unmanned Systems in Mountain Warfare

PANELIST PRESENTATIONS
OF-5 Italo G. SPINI (ITA) Unmanned Systems, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures, and the NATO MW COE 2027 Course
Vlado REHLICKI · ORQA UAS Operator Training for Contested Environment ORQA / UNIFORCE contribution
Federico AINA & Luca MUNARETTO C-UAS Solutions for Mountain Warfare AQUILA Mountain Terrain Solution
Piotr TŁUSZCZ & Rodolfo “Tito” SOSA
Rodolfo “Tito” Sosa · International Business Development, Growth & Innovation · Defense Division · MOOG Inc.
Mobile, Modular Counter-UAS Capability: Da Orffo Tactical Mobility + MOOG FMP Mission Integration Da Orffo Automotive / MOOG Inc.
12:15
13:00
PANEL VI · PART II

Unmanned Systems in Mountain Warfare

PANEL DISCUSSION
Panel Chair OF-5 Italo G. SPINI (ITA)
Deputy Director / Chief of Staff · NATO MW COE
13:00
13:30
OFFICIAL CLOSURE

7th Mountain Warfare Congress — Official Closure

13:30
14:30
LUNCH

Lunch

Why visit the expo area

Explore the Technologies Shaping Tomorrow's Mountain Battlefield

The venue in Poland

Nestled at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, the Nosalowy Dwór Resort & Spa provides an exceptional setting for the 7th NATO Mountain Warfare Congress. Combining modern conference facilities with the unique atmosphere of Poland's premier mountain destination, the venue offers an ideal environment for professional exchange, networking and innovation.

The recommended point of entry is John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice (KRK). Direct Airport Transfer to Zakopane is the Most Convenient Option.

Long-distance coaches operate directly from Kraków Airport (Balice) to Zakopane.

www.nosalowy-dwor.eu 

For more details how to reach the venue or other admin info, click the button below

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