Mission & Principles
Mission
Building sustainable surge capacity and strategic autonomy via a cross-domain Effects Tech Layer, focused on JEF + Baltic + Drone Wall.
The mission recognises that modern warfare is about effects (what you achieve) rather than platforms (what you own). Success is measured in:
- Surge capacity — scaling capability within Time-to-surge: ≤ 6 weeks
- Availability — readiness of production capacity Availability: ≥ 95%
- Tech sovereignty — no vendor lock-in, open architectures
- JEF interoperability — seamless integration within JEF countries
Guiding Principles
1. Effects-first, not platform-first
Old thinking: "How many drones do we have?" New thinking: "What effect do we want to achieve, and how quickly can we scale up if needed?"
Effects are measured in:
- Area denial (km²)
- ISR coverage (km², resolution, refresh rate)
- Communication uptime (%, redundancy)
- Logistics throughput (tonnes/day)
2. Surge capacity as KPI
Time-to-surge from concept → operational within 6 weeks is more critical than the number of platforms in peacetime.
This requires:
- Pre-positioned tooling and supply chains
- Capacity credits — pre-paid production capacity
- Availability fees — readiness payments
- MTTR (Mean Time To Restore) as SLA metric
3. JEF + Baltic + Drone Wall focus
This policy focuses on the Joint Expeditionary Force countries plus Baltic context and the new Drone Wall.
Why JEF?
- Proven framework for rapid deployment
- 10 countries (UK, NL, DK, SE, NO, FI, EE, LV, LT, IS)
- NATO-compatible but more flexible
- Focus on Northern flank + Baltic
Why Drone Wall?
- Directly relevant to Baltic defence
- Dual-use tech (civilian + military)
- Demonstrator for surge capacity
4. Cross-domain Effects Tech Layer
Instead of vertical platforms, we build a horizontal tech stack that works cross-domain:
- Comms — RF/Laser/LEO mesh networks
- Sensing/Imaging — EO/IR/Radar/Hyperspectral + AI-edge
- Power & Energy — Battery packs, solar, hybrid power
- Mechatronics — Manufacturing tech, rapid prototyping
These building blocks work across air, ground, sea, and space.
5. Ecosystem SLAs, not traditional procurement
Outcome-based contracts with KPIs:
- Availability (readiness)
- Time-to-surge (scaling time)
- MTTR (Mean Time To Restore)
- Iteration speed (new features per quarter)
This means availability fees and capacity credits instead of only paying per delivered platform.
6. Tech sovereignty via open architectures
Strategic autonomy ≠ building everything ourselves
Tech sovereignty means:
- ✅ Open interfaces & standards
- ✅ Multi-vendor ecosystems
- ✅ Source code transparency where critical
- ✅ No vendor lock-in
- ❌ Not: developing everything ourselves
- ❌ Not: protectionism
7. Capital market (Zuidas) for dual-use tech
Dual-use tech (civilian + military) deserves access to capital markets (Zuidas, Amsterdam).
This requires:
- Transparency on usage (TLP:AMBER documentation)
- Governance (export controls, ITAR, dual-use screening)
- Visibility for investors
- Liquidity (IPO, secondary markets)
Relationship to other policies
| Policy Framework | Relationship |
|---|---|
| NATO DIP | Complementary — JEF is subset, but more flexible |
| EU EDF | Funding source for R&D |
| EDTIB | Supply chain alignment |
| PESCO | Projects can overlap JEF + PESCO |
| NL Defence Industry Strategy | Tactical implementation |