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NATO has launched its most extensive digital warfare exercise to date, designed to test how artificial intelligence (AI), 5G connectivity, and unmanned systems can operate in concert across complex and contested environments.

The Digital Backbone Experiment (DiBaX 2025), the exercise began on October 27 at Latvia’s Ādazi Military Base and will run through November 7, uniting allied forces, defense industry partners, and academic researchers from across the NATO alliance.

The initiative aims to enhance the alliance’s battlefield resilience by integrating real-world trials with virtual simulations, a combination that NATO describes as crucial to its next-generation digital defense.

According to the Latvian Ministry of Defense, DiBaX 2025 is the only NATO experiment of its scale that merges live and simulated environments. This year’s program focuses on AI-driven detection and decision-making tools, as well as the use of autonomous air and ground vehicles capable of conducting reconnaissance and logistics operations in communication-denied areas.

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said the exercise underscores Latvia’s role in shaping digital defense within the alliance.

“This demonstrates the advancement of our defense industry in the field of 5G technologies, the National Armed Forces’ contribution to innovation development, and Latvia’s defense infrastructure capacity to host such high-level experiments,” Spruds stated.

NATO’s Expanding Digital Backbone

The DiBaX initiative forms part of NATO’s broader effort to create a unified digital backbone, a secure infrastructure linking air, land, sea, cyber, and space forces through real-time data sharing.

The project, led by Allied Command Transformation (ACT), focuses on developing technologies to enhance interoperability among member states and to ensure that military operations can continue seamlessly even under electronic or cyber disruption.

“DiBaX is not only a technological experiment, it is a proof that Latvia is capable of being at the forefront of NATO’s digital transformation process,” said Dr. Juris Binde, President of Latvian Mobile Telephone (LMT), which serves as the technology integrator for the exercise. “Each year we witness rapid growth, more participating nations, more complex tasks, and higher technological standards. Companies from Latvia’s defense industry are becoming increasingly involved, developing solutions tailored for the battlefield of the future.”

NATO officials said the experiment allows participating nations to test technologies that could later be adopted across alliance forces. Past versions of DiBaX explored AI-assisted decision tools, secure cloud-based command systems, and data-fusion networks designed to streamline operational coordination.

Recent trials have also focused on integrating satellite communications and 5G-based command systems into NATO’s broader digital framework.

“The Allied Command Transformation is ensuring that digital opportunities are implemented into NATO’s processes and activities,” said U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Jeffrey W. Hughes, Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development at ACT. “These efforts aim to rapidly progress the fielding and transition to service of NATO Digital Backbone capabilities for the NATO Enterprise and selected NATO Force Structure.”

Technology Integration and Field Testing

This year’s DiBaX centers on integrating AI and unmanned systems into multi-domain operations. The experiment includes field tests with unmanned aerial and ground vehicles capable of coordinating through 5G-enabled networks, even when conventional communications are jammed or disrupted.

Participants are also testing how AI algorithms can enhance target identification, automate decision-making processes, and improve data sharing among allied forces in real time. The results are expected to influence NATO’s approach to digital warfare and shape its upcoming multi-domain operational doctrine.

The Digital Backbone Experiment #NATODiBaX in 🇱🇻Latvia successfully utilized innovative technologies to enhance Allied interoperability, improve drone resilience, strengthen maritime communications, & enable data-centric operations: https://t.co/MPZedDXof8#WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/YkZlkECmah

— NATO ACT (@NATO_ACT) November 6, 2024

The Latvian Armed Forces, in partnership with LMT, are hosting live demonstrations at the Adazai base while connected simulations are running across several NATO member states. These simulations test command and control functions across land, air, and cyber domains simultaneously, allowing analysts to evaluate how AI-driven decision systems could perform during actual combat scenarios.

According to the Ministry of Defense, DiBaX’s structure of combining live and virtual operations enables NATO to assess the interoperability of systems across different nations and identify areas where standardization or data-sharing protocols need improvement.

Latvia’s role in NATO’s Digital Evolution

Latvia has hosted DiBaX for four consecutive years, steadily becoming a hub for NATO’s digital experimentation efforts. The nation’s investment in 5G defense technologies and cyber resilience has positioned it as a leading innovation center within the alliance.

“Hosting DiBaX again reflects Latvia’s increasing contribution to NATO’s modernization,” Spruds noted. “It also highlights our national defense industry’s ability to support and develop technologies that meet NATO’s future needs.”

The Latvian government has encouraged greater collaboration between defense institutions and private sector firms to accelerate digital innovation. LMT’s continued involvement has provided access to a real-world 5G military test site, which allows for seamless coordination between AI systems and autonomous vehicles during live exercises.

“This collaboration between the public and private sectors, combined with today’s technological capabilities, allows us to achieve remarkable results in strengthening our national defense,” said Dr. Binde.

Operational Caution and Public Advisory

During the experiment period, residents across Latvia, including the Latvia-Estonia border region, may observe UAV flights of various types and sizes. The Ministry of Defense has issued a notice advising citizens not to be alarmed by these activities and to follow official updates on the Latvijas Armija social media pages.

Officials emphasized that all flights are conducted in controlled environments and form part of the alliance’s operational testing procedures.

Unified Digital Defense Network

NATO describes the digital backbone as a foundational component of its modernization strategy, a secure network that connects sensors, command posts, and autonomous systems across all operational domains.

As NATO continues to adapt to evolving threats, integrating AI and digital systems into its command structure remains a top priority. The technologies tested during DiBaX 2025 are expected to contribute directly to the alliance’s future multi-domain operations, enhancing its ability to respond to both conventional and hybrid threats.

“The digital backbone enables the kind of connectivity required for complex multi-domain operations,” Vice Adm. Hughes said. “It’s about ensuring that allied forces remain interoperable, efficient, and ready for the challenges of the future.”

DiBaX 2025 runs until November 7, marking another major step in NATO’s long-term goal to create a resilient, data-driven alliance capable of operating seamlessly across physical and digital battlefields.