Interview with Radosław Bielawski | NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO)

My name is Radosław Bielawski, Lieutenant Colonel in the Polish Air Force and currently Staff Officer for Plans & Coordination and Military Assistant to the Director of the NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO) Collaboration Support Office in France.

My professional career combines military service, scientific research, academia, and defence innovation. I hold a PhD in aerospace engineering and a habilitation degree in security studies. Over the years, I have worked at leading Polish academic institutions, the Ministry of National Defence, and currently within NATO. The key milestones of my journey include obtaining my doctoral and habilitation degrees, contributing to defence innovation policy in Poland, and supporting international scientific cooperation through NATO STO

I currently serve as Staff Officer for Plans and Coordination and Military Assistant to the Director of the NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO) Collaboration Support Office (CSO) in France. My role involves supporting the Director in strategic planning, coordination, and the execution of key organizational activities.

My main responsibilities include facilitating cooperation among NATO member nations, supporting governance and decision-making processes, coordinating high-level meetings and initiatives, and contributing to the effective delivery of NATO STO programmes. I also support communication and collaboration between military, scientific, and policy communities to strengthen the Alliance’s scientific and technological cooperation.

In addition, I am currently assuming the responsibilities of Executive Officer of the Human Factors and Medicine (HFM) Panel, supporting the coordination of panel activities and fostering collaboration among experts working on the human dimension of security, defence, health, and operational effectiveness within NATO.

The NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO) is NATO’s principal body for science and technology collaboration. Its mission is to maintain and enhance the Alliance’s technological and scientific advantage by fostering international cooperation, generating knowledge, and supporting innovation in areas critical to security and defence.

The cornerstone of STO’s activities is the Collaborative Programme of Work (CPoW), which encompasses all cooperative scientific research and technology activities conducted by NATO Nations and partners. Through a unique collaborative model, the programme brings together approximately 5,000 scientists, engineers, analysts, and researchers from government, industry, and academia across the Alliance.

Each year, the CPoW supports more than 460 scientific and technological activities in areas that are essential for NATO’s military effectiveness, including cyber defence, space, sensors, weapons systems, command and control, modelling and simulation, operational analysis, and human-machine interaction.

International scientific collaboration is one of the key pillars of NATO’s ability to address current and future security challenges. In today’s increasingly complex environment, no single nation possesses all the expertise, resources, or technological capabilities required to maintain a comprehensive strategic advantage.

More than 70 years ago, Theodore von Kármán, one of the pioneers of NATO’s scientific cooperation framework, recognized that the most complex problems are best addressed through collaboration among scientists and experts from different nations and disciplines. His vision was based on the idea that bringing together diverse knowledge, perspectives, and experience leads to better solutions than working in isolation. This principle remains at the heart of NATO’s scientific and technological cooperation today.

Through collaborative research, NATO nations can share knowledge, pool resources, accelerate innovation, and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. International cooperation also strengthens interoperability, promotes the exchange of best practices, and creates networks of trust among scientists, military professionals, policymakers, and industry representatives.

Ultimately, scientific collaboration enhances not only technological superiority but also the resilience of Allied nations by enabling them to better anticipate emerging threats, adapt to change, and develop effective responses to increasingly complex security challenges.

Resilience is much more than the ability to withstand a crisis. It is the capacity to prepare for threats, adapt to changing conditions, and rapidly recover from disruptions. Science, technology, and innovation play a vital role in this process by helping us better understand risks, strengthen the resilience of individuals and organizations, and develop solutions that enhance the security of societies and critical infrastructure.

It is also worth noting that NATO STO recently published the Resilience report, which provides a comprehensive overview of NATO’s approach to resilience and highlights key research and development priorities in this field. The report emphasizes that resilience is a shared responsibility involving science, government, the military, industry, and society as a whole.

The Euro-Atlantic community is facing an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving security environment. Among the most significant challenges are hybrid threats, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, strategic competition among major powers, the security of the space domain, and the rapid development of emerging and disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and autonomous systems.

In addressing these challenges, the scientific community plays a vital role by providing knowledge, analysis, and innovative solutions that support decision-making and capability development. Science not only enables the development of new technologies but also helps us better understand their implications for security, society, and military operations.

This is why close cooperation among scientists, the military, government institutions, and industry is more important than ever. Only through collaborative efforts can we effectively anticipate future challenges, strengthen resilience, and maintain the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area.

The human dimension of security is one of the key areas of activity within NATO STO. The Alliance recognizes that even the most advanced technologies cannot replace well-prepared, healthy, and resilient personnel. As a result, NATO STO supports numerous research activities addressing mental health, physical and cognitive performance, resilience, military medicine, human factors, and the impact of emerging technologies on people.

A particularly important role in this area is played by the Human Factors and Medicine (HFM) Panel, which currently conducts the largest number of research activities among all NATO STO panels. It is also worth noting that NATO STO is currently undergoing a structural transformation. During the review of its future organizational framework, health, human performance, and well-being were identified as enduring priorities for the Alliance. Consequently, it was decided that these topics would continue to be addressed through a dedicated new panel, Human Systems, Performance and Medicine (HPM), which will build upon and further expand the achievements of the HFM community.

This approach reflects the understanding that the resilience and effectiveness of military organizations depend not only on technology, but above all on the people who use it.