Denmark has taken command of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre, which turns lessons from Russia’s war against Ukraine into new military doctrine, training and defence capabilities. Danish Major General Christian Brejner Ishøj assumed leadership of the centre during a ceremony in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on 10 July.
Ishøj replaced Polish Brigadier General Wojciech Ozga, who had led the organisation since its formal opening in February 2025.
The Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) is the first joint civil-military organisation operated by NATO and Ukraine. It brings together military personnel and civilian specialists from the Alliance and Ukraine to examine battlefield experience and develop practical responses to changes in modern warfare.
Denmark takes charge of NATO-Ukraine cooperation
As JATEC’s new commander, Ishøj will oversee work covering areas including drone technology, electronic warfare, logistics, battlefield support and tactical medical care.
The centre collects and analyses Ukrainian operational experience before translating it into recommendations for military strategy, doctrine, training and capability development. NATO expertise is also used to support reforms and improve Ukraine’s ability to operate alongside Allied forces.
“The purpose of JATEC is to ensure success and rapid implementation in NATO’s development, while bringing Ukraine closer to NATO’s methods,” Ishøj said in a statement released by the Danish Defence Command (Forsvarskommandoen).
He said learning must move in both directions between NATO and Ukraine, requiring the organisation to bridge national, cultural, organisational and civil-military differences.
“The operational environment is changing at an unprecedented pace,” he added. “JATEC must challenge conventional thinking, help break down rigid and isolated silos, and move towards an agile, integrated and development-oriented mindset.”
How JATEC uses lessons from the war in Ukraine
NATO and Ukraine formally opened JATEC in Bydgoszcz on 17 February 2025. The North Atlantic Council had activated the organisation in December 2024, following a political agreement reached by NATO-Ukraine defence ministers and endorsed by Allied leaders at the Washington Summit.
The centre reports to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, the command responsible for adapting the Alliance’s forces, capabilities and military doctrine to emerging threats.
Since its opening, JATEC has worked on projects concerning air defence, critical infrastructure protection, resilience and total defence. Its broader purpose is to incorporate lessons from the war into NATO and Ukrainian strategies, policies and operations.
Ukraine provides extensive operational knowledge from fighting a high-intensity war involving drones, electronic interference, long-range weapons and rapidly changing battlefield technologies. NATO contributes analytical resources, training structures and experience in coordinating multinational forces.
The cooperation is intended to strengthen both Ukraine’s combat capabilities and its interoperability with NATO, meaning its ability to operate effectively alongside Allied armed forces.
Christian Brejner Ishøj’s military career
Ishøj joined the Danish Armed Forces (Forsvaret) in 1992, initially serving as a conscript in the Marine Company of the Bornholm Defence District.
After completing officer training, he attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He subsequently held operational, command and staff positions in Denmark and abroad.
Between 2015 and 2023, Ishøj served in several positions at the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse), eventually becoming its deputy director. Since 2023, he has worked as chief of staff of the Operations Staff at the Danish Defence Command.
Ishøj described JATEC as a combined military and civilian organisation designed to accelerate the collective response of NATO and Ukraine.
The centre, he said, must combine military decision-making with civilian expertise while reducing bureaucratic processes that could slow adaptation.
Denmark’s assumption of the command gives the country a prominent role in one of NATO’s main institutional channels for cooperation with Ukraine. JATEC’s findings are expected to influence not only assistance to Kyiv, but also how Allied forces prepare for future conflicts shaped by drones, electronic warfare and rapidly evolving military technologies.
