Common Operating Picture Systems in European and NATO Operations
ISR fusion, data governance and federated mission networking as enablers of multi-domain situational awareness
Common Operating Picture systems have become a decisive tactical capability in an operational environment defined by data overload, hybrid pressure and compressed decision cycles. The core vulnerability they address is not a lack of sensors, but the inability to transform heterogeneous, cross-domain inputs into a coherent, trusted and timely representation of the battlespace that can be shared across echelons and coalition partners. As NATO and the European Union institutionalise digital transformation, federated mission networking and data governance frameworks, the Common Operating Picture emerges as the operational interface between ISR fusion and action. This analysis examines the architectural layers, interoperability standards, resilience requirements and industrial dependencies that will determine whether European and allied forces can maintain shared situational awareness under cyber-electromagnetic contestation and high-intensity multi-domain conditions through 2035.