NATO FUSE exercise plays out real-world scenario in the face of eastern border risks
Telemedicine and a casualty evacuation by UGV formed part of the exercise. (Photo: NATO)
The large-scale exercise in Latvia was the culmination of three experimentation initiatives to see how platforms, weapons and systems could fit into the alliance’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. As well as forces, it brought together companies and equipment.
NATO’s Federated Unified Sensing and Effects (FUSE) initiative, combining experimentation, new equipment and capability systems, demonstrated how the alliance could defend its eastern front against a range of threats, notably including an uncrewed aerial system (UAS) swarm.
The exercise brought together three efforts which are being led by NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT): Digital Backbone Experimentation (DiBaX), Layered Counter-UAS Initiative (LCI-X) and Next Generation Targeting (NGT). FUSE also featured an industry marketplace of uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV), UAS and counter-UAS (CUAS) platforms from a range of companies.
Established in September 2025, LCI-X Beacon Project was followed by Crucible 1-26 (test and learn) in Romania in April
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