NATO Berlin Conference Faces Future Threats

NATO's Allied Foresight Conference in Berlin brought together nearly 250 experts to discuss the alliance's future threats, including cyberattacks on energy infrastructure, space dimensions, and climate change. Experts also discussed uncertainty stemming from Donald Trump's unpredictable course and NATO's resilience through crises in its history.

NATO's Allied Foresight Conference took place in Berlin, bringing together nearly 250 experts who discussed what threats the alliance must overcome in the near future. Three major thematic areas emerged at the centre of the debate: cyberattacks on power grids, the space dimension, and operational challenges arising from climate change.

Future Threats and Making Sense of Crises

Florence Gaub, an expert at NATO Defense College's Rome unit, explained in a discussion held during the conference that the alliance has repeatedly overcome crises of trust throughout its history. In her assessment, the current situation, in which Donald Trump is unpredictable towards NATO partners, is not unprecedented in historical terms.

Gaub stressed that despite Trump's unstable stance, the alliance has demonstrated resilience even in dealing with earlier internal tensions. However, cyberattacks on energy infrastructure and the growing space dimension are making the operational environment increasingly complex.

NATO Resilience Through Time

The conference brought together representatives from national defence, diplomacy, and science to develop a shared understanding of what NATO's operational space will look like in 2030-2040. Climate change featured as a significant factor in the discussions, as extreme weather events increasingly affect both military logistics and resource allocation among allied nations.

Experts found that the alliance must adapt to hybrid threats, which combine cyberattacks, disinformation, and traditional military pressure. Understanding such a multifaceted threat picture is a prerequisite for effective collective defence.