Thousands of engineers, operators, soldiers, sailors, aviators and technologists are now on the ground in Poland for Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exploration, Experimentation, Examination Exercise (CWIX 2026), working side-by-side to achieve one ambition enabling NATO forces to fight, think and decide as one.
What began months ago as detailed planning is now a live, high-tempo experimentation environment. Across the Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz Poland, systems are being connected, tested and challenged in real time – turning interoperability from aspiration into operational reality.
The engine room of NATO interoperability
CWIX is NATO Allied Command Transformation’s flagship experimentation exercise, and it is now in full swing. Conducted over three intensive weeks, it brings together Alliance members, partner nations and industry in a controlled but operationally-relevant environment.
Here, near operationally-ready and experimental command-and-control (C2) systems and IT services are being tested against real-world scenarios. Engineers and operators are not just validating technology; they are solving integration challenges that directly affect how NATO will operate in future missions.
Building on the scale of previous years, CWIX 2026 is seeing thousands of participants from across more than 40 nations working across hundreds of systems and tens of thousands of test cases.
Jack Gillum, Assistant Head, International Experimentation and Wargaming at the Integrated Warfare Centre, said
CWIX is where interoperability is proven under pressure. What’s happening here isn’t theoretical – it’s about ensuring systems, nations and people can operate together seamlessly when it matters most.
More than 40 nations are participating together. MOD Crown copyright
From planning to execution
The UK hosted the Main Planning Conference (MPC) earlier this year. Delivered by CSOC’s Integrated Warfare Centre, the MPC laid the foundations for what is now being delivered on the ground.
That work is now visible everywhere across CWIX
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Test teams executing complex interoperability scenarios
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Engineers troubleshooting integration issues in real time
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Military operators validating how systems perform in operational workflows
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Nations collaborating directly to resolve challenges and improve compatibility
The Integrated Warfare Centre’s role as a strategic integrator continues throughout the live exercise – ensuring UK priorities remain aligned with NATO’s transformation agenda and that outcomes translate into operational advantage. This year’s CWIX sees a 100 per cent increase in UK capability participation.
Air Vice-Marshal Simon Strasdin CBE, Director Integrated Warfare Centre, said
CWIX 2026 demonstrates NATO’s ability to move beyond intent and into delivery. In a live environment, Allies are proving that interoperability is not just achievable, but operationally decisive. CWIX highlights the UK’s role as a leader in integration and experimentation and exercises like CWIX ensure that nations can fuse intelligence, data and decision-making at the speed required for modern conflict.
AVM Strasdin CBE, CSOC’s NATO Interoperability Champion, presenting the CWIX26 MPC in January. MOD Crown copyright.
Interoperability in action – Across domains
Across all 19 capability focus areas – from Maritime and Air to Cyber, Space, Medical and Digital C2 – interoperability is being tested where it matters most in execution. Every test conducted, every issue identified, and every solution implemented feeds directly into NATO readiness.
Insights generated during these three weeks will
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Inform near-term operational commitments
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Support the UK’s contributions to Allied forces and future exercises
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Advance initiatives such as the Digital Targeting Web
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Strengthen NATO’s ability to operate at speed across all domains
In an era defined by data, speed and complexity, interoperability is no longer optional. It is fundamental to operational success.
For CWIX 26 the UK double its capability participation, demonstrating the UK’s continued commitment to Allied readiness, integration and interoperability. MOD Crown copyright.
A collective effort
CWIX 2026 demonstrates NATO’s collective commitment to ensuring that when forces deploy together, they can operate together from day one.
Across the exercise, collaboration is constant – between nations, between domains, and between military and industry partners. Problems are identified quickly, solutions are developed collaboratively, and lessons are captured immediately.
