PTS MONTHLY INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

1st EDITION - April 2026

The PTS View

FROM THE EDITOR

Jake Frazer - FOUNDER & CEO, PRECISION TALENT SOLUTIONS

This month, I am writing “Our View” on European Defence (yes, we are using the British spelling) from the perspective of someone that has lived in Europe for 35 years, is married to a European, and has both a US and European passport. I am also the son of a Cold War veteran, I am a veteran of the Balkans NATO mission, and someone who is directly involved in transatlantic foreign policy via our mezzanine position in government contracting.

Where are we in the evolution of NATO? We initially discussed the concept of NATO 3.0 on a podcast with MG (ret) Adrian Reilly, and this was codified two weeks later by US Under Secretary of War for Policy, Bridge Colby.

• NATO 1.0 (1949 - 1999) - My father’s NATO — the Cold War alliance focused on deterring a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. A smaller, coherent, well-resourced alliance narrowly focused on defending the central front (the Fulda Gap). When the Soviet Union collapsed, defence budgets shrank and NATO’s mission broadened.
• NATO 2.0 (1991 - 2022) - This was my NATO as a young Cavalry officer deployed to Bosnia with IFOR. The alliance took on out-of-area missions — Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and antipiracy patrols. These deployments tested NATO’s expeditionary capabilities but allowed domestic defence spending to languish, assuming the US would anchor European security in a post-Cold War peace dividend.
• NATO 3.0 (2022 - Present) - Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 jolted NATO into a new era of urgency and expansion. Finland and Sweden joined the alliance, adding to the border in the High North. Allies embraced a new defence spending benchmark of 5% of GDP at the Washington Summit, and in 2025 NATO unveiled an Eastern Flank Deterrence Line plan to build on and accelerate earlier initiatives to fortify the alliance against a potential Russian invasion. As seen in Graph 1, below, this new era of NATO is witnessing the recapitalization of Europen Defence.

We are currently somewhere in the transition towards 3.0 and probably at a NATO 2.5, precariously perched between the expeditionary, lightly capitalized 2.0 and the fully armed and autonomous Europe with the US as a backstop of 3.0. This is a dangerous time during the transition, which will create historic opportunities for those supporting the European Defence industrial base.

EXPERT’S PERSPECTIVES

PRECISION EXPERTS’ PERSPECTIVES

We are lucky to bring in other perspectives from our PTS Precision Experts and guests on The Future of GovCon podcast.

MG Adrian Reilly (Ret., U.S. Army) FORMER DIRECTOR, UKRAINE CAPABILITIES, UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

• Defence is a growth business. For the first time in his 30-year career, Adrian sees sustained growth in defence budgets across Europe and NATO, attracting capital and innovation.
• Integration over products. Modern battlefield success depends on integrated systems combining sensors, communications, processing and weapons, constantly updated rather than delivered as one-off products.
• Service-based contracting. Militaries will likely shift away from one-time procurement towards contracts for capability availability and continuous upgrades, contracting for services rather than products.
• Frontline tech and SMEs. Ukrainian troops are coding and recoding systems at the front line, requiring new skill sets and opening space for small and medium enterprises and startups to contribute.
• Two-way innovation. Ukrainian ingenuity from mass-produced drones to software adaptations will feed back into NATO markets, creating a two-way exchange of technology and lessons.

MG Matt Van Wagenen (Ret., U.S. Army) FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR OPERATIONS, SHAPE

• Procurement reform. One of Europe’s greatest challenges is reforming procurement to connect urgent demand with emerging supply in the Defence industrial base.
• Rebuilding the command apparatus. Post 2022, SACEUR General Chris Cavoli transformed SHAPE into a warfighting command with integrated intelligence, current ops, and future plans functions
• Investing in mass and munitions. Credible deterrence requires rebuilding standing armies, navies and air forces, expanding ammunition production, and closing critical gaps in integrated air and missile defence.
• Service contracts for sustainment. European armies are small and lack manpower to sustain high-tech fleets. Countries buying new fleets will rely heavily on service contracts. Sophisticated equipment comes with an army of contractors.
• Dual-use infrastructure. Of the 5% of GDP committed to defence spending, roughly 1.5% of GDP should be spent on infrastructure supporting reinforcement and sustainment. Opportunities will arise in construction, logistics, and energy.
• Closing the investment gap. European Defence modernisation must overcome fragmented procurement, limited venture capital, and an absence of centralized defence tech hubs.

COL Philippe "Boz" Rogers (Ret., USMC) FORMER DIRECTOR, DEFENCE OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE, US MISSION TO NATO

• Continued Ukraine spending. NATO plans to provide $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2026, which includes lethal and non-lethal support, logistics, and industrial cooperation, to be announced through announce new Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) packages, especially for air defence and ammunition, as well as accelerated pledges for 2026 deliveries.
• Learning from Ukraine. High level meetings with Ukraine focus on resilience, integrated multi-domain operations, and simultaneous innovation and combat adaptation, to include how Ukraine works with industry to rapidly move from concept to battlefield deployment, often within weeks.
• Shifting Command leadership. NATO Joint Forces Command (JFC) Naples and JFC Norfolk may pass from US to Allied flag officers, while NATO Maritime Command Northwood may pass from UK to US leadership. NATO Air Command Ramstein has been reduced to a US three-star command, while the future of NATO Land Command remains indeterminate. These changes will have second- and third-order effects in outlook, strategy, personnel manning, and emphasis.
• NATO Summit priorities. The 2026 Ankara Summit will strengthen the defence industrial base by stressing expanded joint procurement; improved industrial efficiency; reduced duplication and unnecessary costs; and increased innovation and capability development

"NATO's Summit preparations align with its broader goal of becoming a “stronger, fairer, and more lethal Alliance.” - COL PHILIPPE "BOZ" ROGERS (RET., USMC)

MARKET INTELLIGENCE

These awards illustrate the trend towards concept development, sustainment, live training and logistics services, signalling long term partnerships rather than single equipment deliveries. NATO agencies are steadily shifting away from one-off hardware purchases towards contracts that emphasize services, sustainment and experimentation. During the last six months, the following service-focused awards have been announced.

PIPELINE & OPPORTUNITIES

Solicitations & Upcoming Events

These solicitations and events point to opportunities in sustainment, training, logistics, software services, fuel management, and networked systems. Companies should monitor NSPA and NCIA notices, respond promptly to tenders, and engage at major trade shows to position themselves for upcoming contracts.

IT & SUPPORT SOLICITATIONS (2026) — NCIA NCIA plans to tender network managed services, ISO/IEC 20000 1 certification audits, operations and maintenance for the NATO Biometrics Identity Intelligence capability, and software engineering services for the ARTEMIS mission information system. A €39 million competition for post warranty maintenance of NATO SATCOM anchor systems is also scheduled.

MAJOR CONFERENCES

• 14-16 APR 2026 ISOA Europe Industry Days Wiesbaden, Germany
• 15-18 JUN 2026 Eurosatory 2026 Paris, France
• 7-8 JUL 2026 NATO Summit Ankara, Turkey
• 17-19 NOV 2026 NATO Edge 26 Izmir, Turkey
• NSPA Industry Days 8 APR 2026 - Commercial Fuel, 26-28 MAY 2026 - Night Vision Surveillance, 8 JUL 2026 - Commercial Transportation

STRATEGIC ANALYSIS

GovCon Opportunities in Europe: A Modernisation Landscap

Europe’s drive to modernize its militaries creates fertile ground for government contracting firms. Defence spending will reach approximately €381 billion in 2025, an 11% increase over 2024, as nations work toward the 5% of GDP defence spending target. EU programmes encourage cooperative projects, including the €13 billion European Defence Fund (EDF), the €310 million EDIRPA common procurement act, and the €150 billion SAFE loan instrument. NSPA continues to increase in size, both in scale and budget, with projected spending north of €10 billion in 2026.

AS PTS SENIOR ADVISOR FOR EUROPEAN DEFENCE, JIM BOWDEN POINTS OUT, KEY AREAS FOR GOVCON OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:

BG Jim Bowden (Ret., UK Army) FORMER COMMANDER 21 ENGINEER REGIMENT

• Cyber & digital services. Resilient networks, threat detection, AI-enabled decision support and advanced data.
• Advanced manufacturing & materials. Lightweight composites and alloys underpin next generation vehicles, aircraft and personal.
• Autonomy & robotics. Unmanned aerial and ground systems with integrated sensors and control systems.
• Space technologies. Satellite production, launch services and space-based surveillance.
• Green defence solutions. Energy-efficient platforms, renewable integration and eco-friendly logistics.

PTS — Positioned to Support European Defenc

Precision Talent Solutions (PTS) has been supporting European defence programs for the last decade. Over half of the PTS team is based in Europe, so we are very much in touch with the market, talent trends, and industry event. PTS has a proven track record of building growth teams for our customers to include Chief Commercial Officers, Capture Executives, Proposals, Pricing, and Account Executives. We also have extensive past performance deploying operational talent for MRO programs, mission support, and infrastructure projects across the continent and even into Ukraine. Our local presence and experience navigating European labour markets, language requirements and regulatory frameworks enable us to respond quickly and effectively to complex requirements. In addition to our Precision Experts available for consulting opportunities, including LTG Andrew Rohling, LTG Lance Landrum, MG Adrian Reilly, MG Matthew van Waganen, COL Philippe “Boz” Rogers, and others, PTS also has our in-house Senior Advisor for European Defence, BG Jim Bowden to help our customers navigate strategic talent challenges with the UK MOD and NATO.