NATO vulnerable to cyberattacks without stronger US leadership: report

A new report warns that NATO is not ready for modern digital war. Without stronger leadership, especially from the United States, the coalition may face serious security risks.

The European policy Analysis Center (CEPA) issued a study showing that many NATO members fail to update their military data systems.

Although NATO leaders are talking about the importance of safe and common cloud infrastructure, most countries still store important military information in the local servers exposed to electronic attacks.

The report calls data on the “war currency” and urges NATO to improve how to store and share military information.

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Currently, most NATO countries build separate national cloud systems. France uses Thales, Germany uses Arvato, Italy works with Leonardo to develop sovereign defensive cloud services, according to the CEPA defense report in the cloud: enhancing NATO data flexibility.

The United States has its own approach, using Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle to build a sovereign cloud for the Ministry of Defense, as mentioned in the CEPA report itself.

This fragmented setting creates major problems. The CEPA report shows that many of these national systems are not operating, making it difficult for NATO allies to share intelligence or respond quickly to times of crisis.

Although 22 NATO members pledged to build the potential of a shared cloud, progress was slow. CEPA describes a gap between what leaders are preparing and what is actually accomplished, and the process remains slow and excessively bureaucracy.

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Defense Minister Beit Higseth talks to the media when he arrives at a meeting of NATO ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 13. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)

Some frequency stems from political tensions.

Since his return to office, President Donald Trump has strengthened his old position, which NATO members must meet their obligations in defensive spending.

In early 2025, Trump suggested raising the target over the current standard of 2 % and publicly stated that the United States would only defend NATO allies who meet with what he considers their “fair share” of the burden.

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Meanwhile, Trump was credited with strengthening the coalition by pushing European governments to strengthen defense budgets.

In March, he referred to what he called “hundreds of billions of dollars” in new defensive spending on the allies as evidence that his pressure was effective. Its administration continues to engage in high -level NATO meetings and has publicly confirmed support for the basic task of the alliance.

Foreign Minister Marco Rubio worked to reassure European partners. During a meeting in April with NATO ministers abroad in Brussels, he stated that the United States was “active in NATO as it was ever”, and the allegations that the administration decreased.

Foreign Minister Marco Rubio addresses the public during a final press conference as part of the NATO ministers meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 4. (JacQuelyn Martin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the data published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and reported by Reuters, Rubio confirmed that Trump does not oppose NATO himself, but rather to an unprepared coalition or suffering from lack of funding.

Rubio also plays a major role in the US efforts to mediate peace in Ukraine. In early 2025, he led direct talks with Russian officials in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and provided Trump’s potential ceasefire conditions, according to official Foreign Ministry pirates and contemporary reports by Reuters and other outlets.

Rubio stressed that the Ukrainian and European allies will remain closely involved in this process. After stopping in American aid earlier this year, he announced that military support would resume as soon as Kiev referred to an agreement with the proposed framework of peace.

Meanwhile, NATO continues to provide assistance to Ukraine through a billion dollar insurance fund. This number depends on NATO reports on a comprehensive assistance package, as reported in the CEPA report in April.

The coalition also coordinates training donations and equipment, but the CEPA report shows that efforts are slowing down due to the lack of secure data sharing.

The report refers to Estonia as a model for digital flexibility. Estonia supports its government data in Luxembourg through the “Data Embassy” system, ensuring that it remains protected even if local systems are attacked. NATO, according to CEPA, must encourage similar strategies all over the alliance.

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According to CEPA, the United States is the best way to drive, with Trump and Rubio already taken the steps necessary to push NATO in the right direction.

The White House did not immediately respond to the Fox News Digital request for comment.

The CEPA report can be reviewed here.