At a panel held at ATO Congresium, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze, Australian Defense Industry Minister Pat Conroy, and Planet Labs PBC President Ashley Johnson participated as speakers. The panel focused on developing global defense industry partnerships and the role of shared values in strengthening industrial infrastructure.

South Korean President Lee stated that combining NATO's decades of experience with advanced technological capabilities would significantly increase security capacity for both sides. Lee emphasized that cooperation must be accelerated during periods of uncertainty, noting that expanding joint research into advanced technologies, harmonizing technology standards, and sharing innovation are critical. Citing South Korea's cooperation with NATO in ammunition and space sectors as examples, Lee proposed planning more joint research programs. He highlighted that South Korea's defense industry cooperation should extend beyond weapons systems procurement to a foundation based on joint research, production, and utilization of systems—a "Korea-NATO Defense Industry Partnership 2.0" model.

Lee underscored that developing defense capacity requires uninterrupted research-development, production, and operational use cycles, with demand mechanisms being essential. Noting that South Korea is located in one of the world's regions with the most intense military forces and tensions, Lee stated that the country plans to increase defense spending from approximately 2.3 percent of gross domestic product to around 3.5 percent. Latvia's Foreign Minister Braze noted that supply chains have fundamentally changed and the industrial sector is now directly linked to the battlefield. Braze reported that the military permits real-time operational testing by the defense industry, with unmanned aerial vehicles and various unmanned systems provided to the country, and expressed readiness to share these with others. Australian Defense Industry Minister Conroy highlighted the accelerating arms race in the Indo-Pacific region, emphasizing that expanding the industrial base is critical for controlling costs.

Planet Labs President Johnson stated that satellite imagery and data analytics services are used in operational planning, casualty assessment, and humanitarian initiatives. Johnson pointed to the importance of combining space technology and artificial intelligence, emphasizing that an unsustainable planet can never be secure. NATO Deputy Secretary General for Defense Industry, Innovation and Armaments Tarja Jaakkola delivered the forum's closing remarks, conveying the message "There is no defense without defense industry" and highlighting the importance of cooperation among NATO allies, while pointing to next year's forum to be held in Canada.