Valerii Vyshnivskyi, Programme Director at the NATO–Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center (JATEC)

One year has passed since the establishment of the NATO–Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC), located in the city of Bydgoszcz in northern Poland.

On this occasion, Ukrinform spoke with the Centerconti’s Director for Programme Implementation and Ukraine’s Senior National Representative at the institution, Colonel Valerii Vyshnivskyi, about JATEC’s practical achievements over the past year and its plans for the near future.

UKRAINE HAS JOINED COLLECTIVE SECURITY WITHOUT YET BEING A NATO MEMBER

Q: Colonel, what has the Center managed to accomplish in the year since its establishment?

A: We have delivered on all planned objectives. Our primary mission was to institutionalize and expand operational linkages between Ukraine and NATO. Over the past year, Ukraine has been integrated into elements of collective defense planning — specifically through participation in Article 5–related collective defense exercises under the North Atlantic Treaty. This represents a significant step toward deeper interoperability and alignment with Alliance procedures. In practical terms, Ukraine is now participating in aspects of collective security without yet being a NATO member.

We are planning similar exercises for this year. For that to happen, the North Atlantic Council must adopt a formal decision authorizing the participation of Ukrainian personnel in joint exercises that are ordinarily reserved for NATO member states. The first exercise in this series is scheduled to take place in early March.

Q: Are these command-post exercises without the deployment of troops?

A: Yes. These are primarily command-and-staff and cyber defense exercises. They encompass land, air, and maritime domains, as well as cyberspace, focusing on planning, coordination, and interoperability rather than live troop maneuvers.

Q: What tangible outcomes have emerged from the projects JATEC worked on last year? We understand, for example, that JATEC was actively engaged in counter-UAS and swarm-drone solutions.

A: We focused in particular on countering precision-guided glide bombs and Iranian-designed Shahed loitering munitions. Two ready-to-deploy solutions have already been transferred to Ukraine. These include the Titan interceptor drone and the AI-enhanced Alta Ares guidance system. The latter has been integrated into two Ukrainian interceptor platforms — the Elf and Bahnet UAVs — and there are already confirmed engagements against multiple classes of Russian drones.

We also conducted a NATO Innovation Challenge dedicated to countering fiber-optic-controlled hostile UAVs. Three finalists emerged: the Canadian company KMV with a radar solution, and two remote weapon stations (turrets) developed by Ukraine’s DONS and the U.S.-based Sentradel. The DONS turret is scheduled for demonstration trials in Germany. Sentradel, meanwhile, is completing final testing in the United States, with systems expected to be deployed to Ukraine for field trials in late March or early April.

In December, we held a similar innovation challenge focused on battlefield medical evacuation under conditions of heavy aerial drone saturation. The objective was to identify optimal solutions for casualty evacuation in highly contested airspace. That effort requires further coordination. The core problem remains unresolved: how to reliably protect personnel, ground robotic platforms, and tactical vehicles from persistent UAV threats. Until that air threat is mitigated, scalable and safe medical evacuation from the forward edge of the battlefield remains a complex operational challenge.

An artificial kidney system was also presented, and it has generated significant interest in Ukraine. In simple terms, it is a backpack-based device capable of replacing key functions of a full hospital unit in austere conditions.

In addition, a “fuser” was developed — a compact micro-infusion system designed to operate in combat environments during casualty evacuation. It can be securely attached to a wounded soldier and delivers medication in controlled, minute-by-minute doses. This capability is critically important for frontline medics operating under fire.

A remote vital-sign monitoring system was also introduced, enabling real-time transmission of a wounded soldier’s physiological parameters. This allows medical personnel to assess and prioritize treatment even before the casualty reaches a stabilization point.

The next NATO Innovation Challenge will focus on protecting tactical vehicles on the battlefield against the full spectrum of threats.

Q: So none of these medical solutions are currently deployed operationally?

A: Not yet. We are in discussions with manufacturers to obtain test samples for user evaluation. It is important to emphasize that the artificial kidney system falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health. It must undergo codification and standardization in accordance with Ukrainian Ministry of Health requirements before deployment.

Regarding the fuser system, manufacturers are negotiating with the Ukrainian charitable foundation Come Back Alive to conduct testing and trials. However, this process will also take place in close coordination with the Ministry of Health to ensure compliance with national medical standards.

Q: Has the search for a comprehensive solution for safe casualty evacuation been postponed?

A: At present, the primary innovation focus for both NATO and Ukraine is protection against loitering munitions across multiple classes. I would go even further: whoever first develops an effective, scalable solution to counter these threats will gain a decisive advantage in this war.

UKRAINE AND NATO WILL ESTABLISH A TECHNICAL CHANNEL FOR THE EXCHANGE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION THIS YEAR

Q: Beyond the planned exercises and the NATO Innovation Challenge, what other priorities does JATEC have for this year?

A: The top priority is the creation of an additional structural instrument that will firmly anchor Ukraine within NATO’s institutional framework. Specifically, we are building a secure classified information exchange system. As of today, no such exchange system exists between Ukraine and NATO.

One of our key workstreams is the launch of a pilot project that will establish a protected technical channel for secure data exchange. This will mark one of the most significant milestones in the evolution of Ukraine–NATO relations. It will provide Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces with the capability for real-time, secure information sharing with NATO structures — a capability that currently does not exist.

Through exercises and communications system integration, we are effectively following the pathway that Sweden and Finland undertook prior to joining the Alliance. When the “window of opportunity” for NATO membership opens, Ukraine must be 101 percent ready — across all dimensions of interoperability — so that Ukrainian and NATO procedures are fully aligned.

Q: Is it realistic that the issue of confidential information exchange between Ukraine and NATO could be resolved this year?

A: Yes. I believe it will be completed by the end of this year. The initial pilot systems should be operational within this year.

We are also focused on achieving Full Operational Capability (FOC) for the Center. Our objective is to reach that milestone by the end of June, ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara. The goal is to demonstrate that JATEC operates as a genuine accelerator and force multiplier for Ukraine–NATO cooperation — particularly in terms of interoperability, doctrinal development, harmonized operational approaches, communications, and innovation.

Q: Colonel, are Ukrainian companies currently closely engaged in NATO innovation and research initiatives?

A: Yes. For the first time in history, Ukrainian companies have entered into contractual relationships with NATO’s Allied Command Transformation (ACT) to conduct joint research projects for the benefit of both Ukraine and the Alliance. This was enabled, in part, due to the implementation of the JATEC Work Programme, which encompasses systematic analysis of Ukrainian Defense Forces’ battlefield experience, the demployment of strike unmanned systems, and expertise in civilian protection.

In 2026, funding is planned for research into the development of unmanned systems and the integration of artificial intelligence into tactical decision-making processes at the unit level. Beginning this year, a number of JATEC projects will, for the first time, receive financing under the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine (CAP Trust Fund), marking a qualitatively new phase in institutional cooperation between Ukraine and NATO.

Yurii Banakhevych led this conversation.

Bydgoszcz–Warsaw