Switzerland held a research workshop on deception technologies together with NATO partners
Bern, 16.01.2026 — On 14 and 15 January 2026, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse held a workshop on technologies for military deception together with the NATO Science and Technology Organisation (STO). More than 90 national and international experts from science, industry and defence discussed the current technological status as well as future challenges.
The overarching goal of the two-day workshop was mutual exchange of experiences and networking opportunities between military and civilian partners from industry and academia. More than 90 civilian and military experts met on 14 and 15 January 2026 in Thun to discuss current and future technologies and joint research goals in the area of deception. The participants of the workshop spoke about technologies and measures for improving deception on the current and future battlefield. These include new materials, manufacturing procedures as well as, for example, possibilities for assessing the effectiveness of deception measures. Participants from industry also presented existing solutions and products for deception.
Deception as an importance defence capability
Military reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities are constantly evolving, are ubiquitous and can for example, be deployed on new platforms such as drones and satellites. Furthermore, the integration and AI-assisted evaluation of sensor data increases intelligence capability additionally. For deception to remain effective in the future, new technological approaches are needed. With this in mind, competences in the area of deception to strengthen future defence capability are increasingly gaining in significance. International cooperation is also indispensable in this field to develop efficient solutions for the Swiss Armed Forces.
International cooperation for more security
The workshop took place as part of the cooperation with the NATO Science and Technology Organisation (STO), in which Switzerland is represented by the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse. armasuisse Science and Technology participates in selected NATO research activities as part of the Partnership for Peace programme (PfP). This participation enables Switzerland to take part in international research activities and to benefit from the knowledge of other nations as well as to incorporate this in the national development of capabilities.
Since March 2025, Switzerland has also been a NATO STO Enhanced Partner (STEP). This enables it to better contribute to the development of the STO work programme and participate in further research activities. This corresponds to the goals of the armament policy strategy approved in summer 2025 to intensify the international cooperation capability of Switzerland in the armament policy area and thus to increase assessment and development capabilities for new technologies.