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Australia has joined the NATO Distributed Synthetic Training (DST) partnership as an associated member, opening new opportunities to strengthen Australian Defence Force readiness, deepen interoperability with trusted partners and advance the use of modern simulation across Defence.
NATO originally agreed to initiate the development of a multinational simulated training capability in October 2025. Member nations at that time included Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom.
The Distributed Synthetic Training High Visibility Project leverages existing national simulated training capabilities to create a secure network of advanced and immersive virtual training for multinational purposes.
The partnership will provide Australian personnel with visibility of large-scale synthetic and simulation-based training environments that replicate contemporary operational scenarios across land, maritime, air, space and cyber domains.
This visibility will improve understanding of allied training methodologies and support broader interoperability objectives across exercises and operational planning activities.
Speaking on the announcement, Assistant Secretary Joint Information Capabilities Branch in the Joint Capabilities Group, Nelson Bates, highlighted the importance of modern simulation capabilities in building readiness and resilience.
“The security environment is evolving rapidly, and Defence must continue to adapt how we train, test and prepare. Australia’s participation in DST gives the ADF greater opportunity to train, experiment and innovate with trusted partners, strengthening our readiness for future challenges,” Bates said.
“Advanced simulation and synthetic training systems enable Defence to prepare for high-end operations more efficiently, linking training audiences across multiple locations in a single virtual environment. This enhances collective preparedness while reducing the cost and complexity of conducting large live exercises”
DST has the potential to strengthen engagement with Australian industry by creating opportunities for innovation in simulation, modelling, data analytics, and other technologies that support Defence’s preparedness efforts.
The announcement is an important step in Australia’s defence preparedness, supporting more realistic, challenging and connected training, while helping the ADF maintain a technological edge in an era of rapid strategic change. These efforts support the objectives of the National Defence Strategy and demonstrate Australia’s commitment to close collaboration with international partners.
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