NATO Learns Lessons from COVID-19 Crisis.

• Author: Lundquist, Edward

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on NATO, member-states and operations.

Despite international restrictions, NATO entities, exercises and deployments continued. As the world emerges from the worst effects of COVID, the alliance has connected with its stakeholders to both gather and share the "lessons learned" from the crisis.

All NATO entities--including the 27 NATO accredited centers of excellence--were encouraged to present their COVID lessons through the NATO lessons learned process, including submitting them into the NATO lessons learned portal, managed by the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Center (JALLC) in Lisbon, Portugal.

These inputs provided the basis of regular reporting to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and NATO HQ, and provided valuable input--supplemented by interviews, questionnaires and national input--to two lessons learned reports on behalf of supreme allied commander transformation. Some of the findings, together with national experiences, were discussed at the annual NATO Lessons Learned conference in March, which was conducted virtually.

Speaking remotely to the conference attendees, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said the pandemic had a huge impact on every corner of the world and every part of society. "It has also affected NATO--our allies and partners, and our missions and operations. But despite the enormous challenge of COVID-19, we have proven to be resilient and able to cope with whatever it has sent our way."

Throughout the pandemic, the alliance's No. 1 priority has been to ensure that the health crisis and economic crisis do not become a security crisis, Geoana said.

"Our forces remain vigilant and ready to defend all allies against any threat. We have done what is necessary to keep our forces safe, to maintain our operational readiness and sustain our missions and operations," he said.

NATO already has experience dealing with crises and supporting civilian authorities during natural disasters such as floods, fires and earthquakes. Geoana pointed to NATO's strategic airlift capability as an example. "We have delivered supplies, coordinated humanitarian relief, supported refugees, and run regular exercises to improve and test our skills. This capability allowed NATO personnel to rapidly respond to the developing pandemic and move vast quantities of medical supplies to where they were desperately needed."

NATO's past experience with humanitarian assistance and...