Big interview For your information
As he approaches the end of his fi rst year in the job, Ludwig Decamps, general manager for the Nato Communications and Information (NCI) Agency, speaks with Nicholas Kenny about his hopes for the agency, the ambitious agenda set through its Strategic Plan 2022–26, and how the NCI Agency is working to help build Nato’s resilience and sharpen its technological edge.
that fall under Nato’s purview, the past 12 months have been a trying time for many of those within the Alliance. For Ludwig Decamps, stepping into the role of general manager for the NCI Agency in July 2021, it all began with a baptism of fire.
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“When I started as general manager of the agency, one of the immediate things we were involved in was Nato’s evacuation from Afghanistan,” Decamps explains. Previously, he held positions in the NCI Agency as director of demand management from March 2017 to February 2018, and as COO from then until his appointment to general manager. Prior to that, he served in the Belgian Armed Forces and military intelligence, before taking on a number of roles within Nato. In the summer of 2021, the NCI Agency had staff deployed in Afghanistan, along with industry personnel whom the agency had been working with to ensure communications in the nation.
The NCI Agency delivers consultation, command and control (C3) capabilities and provides information and communications technology (ICT) services to Nato, to member nations and military commands within the Alliance. It is also tasked with developing capabilities for the future, which hold a particular focus on improving the ability of member nations and affiliated nations to work together. During the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the NCI Agency was involved with efforts to keep Kabul airport throughout the evacuation. After all, aircraft didn’t just have to be able to land – communications also needed to remain operational throughout in order for evacuation operations to go ahead. That was a key challenge, Decamps notes, but also a great achievement for the agency, and set the pace for his time as general manager to date. This starting point also helps to demonstrate how close the agency – as the communication service provider to Nato – is linked to the Alliance’s agenda. Back in July 2021, Afghanistan was at the forefront of the organisation’s mind – since then Decamps has witnessed a shift in the Nato agenda to “being more focused on defence and deterrence” due in part to the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. The role of the NCI Agency remains the same, however, regardless of the changing conditions – to support Nato as best it can.
10 Defence & Security Systems International /
www.defence-and-security.com
lot can happen in a year. From the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the increasing tensions in the South Pacific and the myriad other obstacles and conflicts
NCI Agency
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