Sovereignty at stake: why trusted digital infrastructure is a strategic necessity

In today’s unstable geopolitical landscape, sovereignty is no longer secured through military power alone – it relies on trusted digital infrastructure. With the war in Ukraine accelerating European defence policy, and multinational programmes like GCAP and AUKUS redefining how nations collaborate, control over data, networks, and digital services has become a strategic imperative.

This is not just a government concern. Across the defence ecosystem, industry and the armed forces are under pressure to modernise, operate seamlessly across national and organisational boundaries, and digitally transform – while protecting sensitive, classified information at every stage of the mission.

Yet even as cooperation becomes more essential, legacy infrastructure, disconnected systems, and siloed data hinder progress. Without agile, secure, and interoperable platforms, multinational programmes risk friction, delay, and vulnerability. Sovereignty today isn’t just about protecting assets – it’s about enabling trusted collaboration without compromising control.

This demands infrastructure that’s sovereign by design – cloud environments and networks that operate across multiple classifications, scale as missions evolve, and enforce data ownership at all times.

Fujitsu’s Secure Hybrid IT enables tailored secure environments that directly address these challenges and meet specific requirements. For example, our Collaborative Working Environment (CWE) is built for secure, multi-level collaboration. CWE enables defence users to co-author and manage sensitive material across domains, borders, and agencies. Its data-centric security ensures access is governed not just by identity, but by the classification, origin, and sensitivity of each file.

In programmes like GCAP, where nations share mission-critical data across varying security levels, CWE supports secure joint planning without breaching sovereign control. It empowers teams to share without surrendering control – enabling confident, secure mission planning and execution.

As digital services become the operational backbone of the Digital Targeting Web – from logistics to command and control – forces need connectivity that moves with the mission. That’s why Network as a Service (NaaS) is gaining momentum: delivering sovereign, secure access wherever and whenever needed, with full agility and oversight.

Today, sovereignty means digital readiness, operational resilience, and trusted collaboration. Defence organisations investing in sovereign digital infrastructure aren’t just preparing for tomorrow – they’re shaping it.

Fujitsu UK delivers secure digital transformation, networking, and cloud solutions for defence and national security. With 5,500+ security-cleared specialists and over 60 years’ experience, we support critical infrastructure with sovereign technologies across all classifications.